Here are my top wine picks from the January 19 Vintages Release. You can also get all 60 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. 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. Jackson-Triggs Proprietor’s Grand Reserve Chardonnay 2011, VQA, Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario Gorgeous richness with ripe peach […]
Wine Picks
Duran Gran Reserva Brut, Langtry Guenoc Petite Sirah: Best Cellar Wines, LCBO January 5
By Gaby Israel The release we’ve been all waiting for – Smart Buys! After the last two expensive releases, January comes and gives us hope for the new year. Here are my top picks: #1 choice – Spain – Ribera del duero – Finca Villacreces Pruno 2010 (312140)-$19.95 2010 was a remarkable vintage in that region in Spain. wine critics have provided very supportive reviews indicating a 10 years cellaring potential, and for $20, this is a very attractive buy. I’d buy 3-12 bottles. About the winery/vineyard from www.DrinkRiberawine.com: “The first vines were planted on this amazing estate in the […]
Wines Available in BC Liquor Stores with Stock Check
Do you live in British Columbia or have wine-loving friends who do? We’ve just added several new features on our web site to make shopping easier in the province: – Check how many bottles of each wine recommended on this site are in stock at each BC Liquor Store including both B.C. wines and those from around the world (click on the number of bottles under the picture of the wine bottle) – See only BC-available wines first, not those that are available in Ontario but not BC – If you add your postal code to your private account page, […]
Torres Vina Esmeralda, L.A. Cetto Petite Sirah, Flourish Vidal Icewine: Best LCBO Wines January 5
Here are my top wine picks from the January 5 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. 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. Torres Viña Esmeralda 2011, Catalunya, Spain Simply divine even at triple the […]
Konzelmann Estate Winery: German pedigree, Niagara flourish
By Susan Desjardins The Konzelmann family delivers consistently good and good-value award-winning wine—10 medals at this year’s Ottawa Wine Challenge and 5 at the Canadian Wine Awards. It’s hardly surprising considering the focus and dedication of 75-year-old Herbert Konzelmann, and his extensive winemaking pedigree. His great grandfather, Friederich, a successful restauranteur and wine connoisseur, created the Konzelmann Estate Winery in Germany in 1893. Friederich was soon producing over 200,000 litres of wine, and the successful business was passed from one generation to the next. Herbert joined the family business in 1958 and continued its growth, almost doubling production. But as […]
A Letter to My Readers about My Wine Reviews
Dear Reader, Whether or not you’ve been following the recent debate on quoting third-party wine reviews, you deserve to hear my thoughts on it in the interest of balance and fairness. To summarize, I’ve always been open and consistent in my manner of attribution, but I realize that it should change and I am doing that now, and my reviews are not influenced by whether or not wineries subscribe to my site. When I was approached by a fellow writer about how I quote other writers’ wine reviews, I didn’t realize that there was an issue since I had been […]
Graciano: Unique Red Wine from Rioja, Spain
By Holly Bruns Hidden away in the vineyards of Rioja, amidst fields of the popular Tempranillo and Garnacha are ancient, as well as new vines of the hardly known red grape Graciano. Used as a blending grape for its intense colour and aroma, Graciano has historically played a supporting role in the wines of Spain. A difficult grape to grow – it is prone to disease and is low-yielding – it has been pulled up and abandoned by growers over the years particularly as international markets had demanded more Cabernet and Merlot. Thanks to a recent project in Rioja to […]
Recipe: Beef Tenderloin, Root Vegetable Ragout, Porcini Red Wine Sauce Recipe
Beef Tenderloin with Root Vegetable Ragout and Porcini Red Wine Sauce An elegant and easy classic pairing. Rich, roasted beef tenderloin with sweet earthy root vegetable and mushroom ragout make this dish a terrific match with Chateau Pipeau Saint Emilion Grand Cru. This new addition to Vintages Essentials is an impressive Bordeaux, mainly Merlot, and is full of expressive red fruit with a long, structured finish. Serves 6 For the Ragout: 1 cup boiling water 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp butter ½ cup chopped shallots 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 cups chopped parsnips (peeled […]
Mitolo Cabernet Sauvignon, Pietranera Brunello: Best Cellar Wines in LCBO December 8
By Gaby Israel The December releases are known to be the most expensive releases at the LCBO. Out of the very many great wines that are offered in the Dec 8 release, I have chosen the following top 3 wines for the cellar: Australia – MITOLO SERPICO CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2009 (659599) – $57.95 I remember seeing a TV show in the late 70s called Serpico. Serpico was a famous New York police officer who wasn’t afraid to ‘work against the grain’ and in doing so exposed immense depth of police corruption in the era. With Mitolo Serpico the winemaker aimed […]
Ravenswood Teldeschi Zinfandel Wine Tasting Paired With Wit
By Mari Kane In late October, I attended a winemaker dinner with Joel Peterson, winemaker and “Godfather of Zinfandel” from Ravenswood Vineyards in Sonoma, California. The event was held at the Flying Pig in Vancouver’s Yaletown, and as we tucked into plates of comfort food, Peterson stood up and began telling stories about the wines he brought to pair. The result was a humorous blend of history lesson and standup comedy that made me homesick for Sonoma. My favorite story was about Teldeschi Vineyards since my friend, Bill Wertzberger, makes his wine at the F. Teldeschi winery which I have […]
