Niagara College Les Marmitons Gastronomy Chardonnay 2017 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a lovely barrel-fermented Chardonnay from Niagara College Teaching Winery that I purchased at the winery during my visit to Niagara for the Icewine Festival in January 2020.The Les Marmitons range of wines were created by Niagara College after being approached by members of Les Marmitons Niagara - the local chapter of an international gastronomic and...

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Viña Tarapacá Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (Chile) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is this lovely Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. This red wine is a frequent visitor to Ontario due to its popularity and I'm delighted to see this particular vintage return to the LCBO today as part of the January 9, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Release.In 2008, Viña Tarapacá merged with Viña San Pedro to form VSPT Wine Group, however, their story actually begins...

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Ravine Vineyard Sand & Gravel Cabernet Franc 2017 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is this lovely Cabernet Franc from Niagara-on-the-Lake's Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery. I purchased this bottle while visiting the winery during the Days of Wine & Chocolate Festival in February 2019. Of course, this particular vintage is sold out, however, the 2019 is available for purchase at winery or online from their website.Ravine Vineyard's...

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January 9, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Smart Buys + Organic Wines

Happy New Year! The January 9, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Release is the first Release of the year. As per the usual, it is the annual Smart Buys Release, but new for 2021 is the addition of a feature on Organic wines. Overall, this is a noticeably smaller Release than past years, and is perhaps a sign of things to come for future VINTAGES Release - time will tell. Nevertheless, there...

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Zuccardi Q Malbec 2018 (Argentina) - Wine Review

For my first wine of 2021, tonight's wine review is a lovely Malbec that is a frequent visitor to the LCBO as a VINTAGES listing and most recently arrived on shelves across Ontario as part of the June 13, 2020 LCBO VINTAGES Release. While a few bottles of the 2018 may still be available throughout the province, the 2019 will be arriving aplenty as part of the January 9, 2021...

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Desiderius Pongrácz Brut Cap Classique Sparkling Chardonnay / Pinot Noir (South Africa) - Wine Review

For tonight's wine review, I bring you this excellent bubbly that I actually intended to open on New Year's Eve 2019, but for reasons I don't recall, I ended up not opening it.This lovely traditional method, dry sparkling wine from South Africa came to the LCBO last year as part of the December 7, 2019 LCBO VINTAGES Release. I had the privilege of tasting this wine at the...

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Lacour Tourny 2018 (Bordeaux) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is this nice Bordeaux red that recently arrived at the LCBO as a General List product and is widely available across Ontario.Lacour Tourny pays tribute to the Marquis de Tourny, who worked under the reign of Louis XV to magnify the city of Bordeaux. The blend of this red wine consists of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from small plots within mature vineyards....

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