Here’s a list of LCBO stores in Toronto and Oakville that offer regular tastings of premium wines. I’ll update this as I get new lists of the wines on offer. You may also want to inquire about the classes held at these stores that provide additional opportunities to taste more wines. Here are the wine tastings in Ottawa and Gatineau (SAQ). I find it doesn’t take long to taste the wines and I fit it in when I’m doing errands in the neighbourhood where the store is located. There is a minimum fee to taste the wines that varies […]
Best Wines
Best LCBO Wines Vintages Release June 8
These are the reviews the LCBO published in the Vintages Catalogue from my tasting notes, the most quoted Canadian source of wine reviews in this release. You can also see my reviews for the May 25 LCBO Vintages Release. Subscribers to my premium service can access all 67 wines that I reviewed as a text shopping list with my full tasting notes, scores, food matches and the stock for each bottle in their closest LCBO stores. They can also add my wine picks to their custom shopping list by clicking on the little shopping cart icon and access that […]
Best LCBO Wines Vintages Release May 25
These are the reviews the LCBO published in the Vintages Catalogue from my tasting notes, the most quoted Canadian source of wine reviews in this release. You can also see my reviews for the June 8 LCBO Vintages Release. Subscribers to my premium service can access all 64 wines that I reviewed as a text shopping list with my full tasting notes, scores, food matches and the stock for each bottle in their closest LCBO stores. They can also add my wine picks to their custom shopping list by clicking on the little shopping cart icon and access that […]
Wine of the Week: Gloria Ferrer Sparkling, California
Shopping tip: you can get shoes for 85 cents at the bowling alley. With the left-over cash, why not splurge on a bottle of bubbly? Cheers, Natalie Sale Ends: May 26, 2013 Sale Price: $25.95 | Save: $1.00 (Usually $26.95) Natalie’s Score: 90/100 Gloria Ferrer Sparkling Cuvee Toasty and robust with lovely green apple and white peach notes. This sparkling wine is a terrific value, even without the buck off. Enjoy it with potato chips, fried chicken or three strikes at the bowling alley. Drink: 2012-2015 LCBO Code: 200790 Sugar Code: Dry Find this wine in your closest LCBO stores […]
Wine of the Week: Cusumano Syrah, Italy
Shopping is the fine art of acquiring things you don’t need with money you don’t have. However, with this bargain bottle, you won’t have to worry about that … for a while. Enjoy, Natalie Sale Ends: May 26, 2013 Sale Price: $9.95 | Save: $1.00 (Usually $10.95) Natalie’s Score: 87/100 Cusumano Syrah Incredible for this price point! Luscious and full-bodied with layers of fleshy-rip dark fruit. Smooth and tasty. Drink: 2011-2013 LCBO Code: 145490 Sugar Code: Extra Dry Find this wine in your closest LCBO stores now. Feel free to share this thrifty wine find on Facebook or on Twitter […]
Wine of the Week: Ste. Michelle Wine Estates 14 Hands Hot to Trot
As a wise woman once observed: There is only one shopping day left until tomorrow. Here’s your bargain bottle for this week’s wine shopping list. Sale Ends: May 26, 2013 Sale Price: $13.15 | Save: $2.00 (Usually $15.95) Natalie’s Score: 89/100 Ste. Michelle Wine Estates 14 Hands Hot to Trot Red Blend Horse Heaven Hills, Washington Dynamite for the price! Simply wow. Smooth, full-bodied and packed with luscious dark plum and blackberry aromas. This wine takes its name from the time when wild mustang horses ran freely around the hills of eastern Washington State where this wine is made. Heavenly […]
Grant Burge The Holy Trinity, Gerard Bertrand Syrah: Best LCBO Wines May 11
Here are my top wine picks from the May 11 Vintages Release. You can also get all 55 of my Best Value Wines and Top Rated Winesfor red, white, rose, sparkling and dessert wines that encompass many price points, styles and regions. You can also see my reviews for the April 27 LCBO Vintages Release. You can add my wine picks to your shopping list by clicking on the little shopping cart icon. You can also create a custom list just for this release that will be saved in your account. Print a text-only version of the reviews. Here are […]
Angels Gate Sauvignon Blanc, Yalumba Shiraz, Veuve Clicquot Champagne: Best LCBO Wines April 27
Here are my top wine picks from the April 27 Vintages Release. You can also get all 55 of my Best Value Wines and Top Rated Wines for red, white, rose, sparkling and dessert wines that encompass many price points, styles and regions. I’ve also posted my reviews for the May 11 Vintages Release. You can add my wine picks to your shopping list by clicking on the little shopping cart icon. You can also create a custom list just for this release that will be saved in your account. Print a text-only version of the reviews. These […]
Vancouver International Wine Festival Chardonnay Kitchen Party
By Mari Kane When I got the invite to a Chardonnay Kitchen Party at the Miele appliances showroom in downtown Vancouver, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I’d heard of tastings there, but having walked by the store many times, I couldn’t work out how they’d fit so many bodies into it. The Chardonnay Kitchen Party was part of the Vancouver International Wine Festival, and organized by consultant Dana Reinhardt and wine writer Tim Pawsey. With its labyrinth of demonstration kitchens, Meile turned out to be a fantastic venue for wine and food grazing. One kitchen after another had […]
Wine of the Week: Henry of Pelham Sauvignon Blanc
This week’s bargain bottle is a spritely white for spring. This week’s quote is a shopping credo for life: “Veni, vidi, visa” – I came, I saw, I charged it. Cheers, Natalie Sale Ends: April 28, 2013 Sale Price: $13.95 | Save: $1.00 (Usually $14.95) Natalie’s Score: 89/100 Henry of Pelham Estate Winery Sauvignon Blanc Niagara, Ontario Lovely! Fat, luscious aromas and flavours of melon. Not herbal or grassy (thank-you). I like it a lot, and the price even better. Bring on summer, bring on refreshment, bring on that bottle and top me up. Pair this wine with white-fleshed fish, […]
