Wine Picks LCBO VINTAGES Release Jan. 5, 2019: Smart Buys

Hello 2019! This is the first LCBO VINTAGES Release of the year and it's the annual "Smart Buys" release. After a few months of very heavy releases (both on the wallet and thickness of the magazine), this release is a slim 42 pages. New wines from the January 5, 2019 LCBO VINTAGES Release will be on shelves this coming Saturday. The "Smart Buys" feature consists of 25 wines...

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Wines for Christmas 2018

To celebrate Christmas, tonight's wine is a Champagne that is widely available at the LCBO. It is produced by a house that has been producing champagne for two centuries and has only seen seven Cellar Masters since its founding. Tonight's after-dinner drink is an Icewine that is a VINTAGES Essentials listing at the LCBO and always available. This 2012 vintage Icewine was...

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Pillitteri Cabernet Franc 2015 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a nice local red wine from Pillitteri Estates Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Having enjoyed the 2012 Pillitteri Cabernet Franc a couple of times in the recent past, I am delighted to try this latest vintage that is currently available for purchase at the winery only (and through their online web store). This red wine is from Pillitteri's Carretto...

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Palatine Hills Riesling 2016 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is the latest vintage of a lovely Niagara Riesling. The 2015 vintage of this white wine came through LCBO VINTAGES in November of last year, so I wouldn't be surprised if this latest vintage also arrives on shelves in the near future. Nevertheless, the wine is available at Palatine Hills Estate Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake and through their website and...

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Niagara Icewine Festival Review 2018 - Day 2 of 2

On Saturday, January 27, I visited Niagara to take in the annual Icewine Festival for the second weekend in a row - read all about my visit on January 20th here. Once again, we visited 4 wineries to enjoy an Icewine and food pairing. We also managed to visit a 5th winery and do some fine wine tasting since it was conveniently located next door to one of the other wineries. Tawse...

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Niagara Icewine Festival Review 2018 - Day 1 of 2

On Saturday, January 20, I visited Niagara to taste a few food & Icewine pairings as part of the Discover Pass Experience that was available at participating wineries throughout Niagara during the annual Icewine Festival. The weather turned out to be great on this day - mostly sunny, albeit a little on the chilly side. In all, we visited four wineries across the region...

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Cantina di Negrar Appassimento 2017 (Veneto) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a red wine that recently arrived to the LCBO and is widely available throughout Ontario. It is produced by Cantina Valpolicella Negrar, a winery that was founded in the commune of Negrar in Veneto in the 1930's. The catchy and interesting label of this Appassimento depicts Ulysses' (a.k.a. Odysseus in Greek) 10-year journey home from Troye to Ithaca....

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