Wine Reviews and Food Pairings

Paid Members of my site can access all 88 wines that I've reviewed for December 14, 2025, with my scores, food matches and the stock for each wine in their closest stores.

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Note: This batch of wine reviews is not part of the bi-weekly Vintages Releases. Instead, it's a collection of wines outside the Vintages section in store (general list) or wines sent to me directly from wineries that may not yet be available in liquor stores. Click on the Winery or Wine Agency link to get more info.

Please note that our reviews are based on a variety of sources: samples sent to our team, those we purchase in store, tasting events, those tasted in restaurants and while traveling domestically and internationally.

Red Wine

Phantom Creek Estates Kobau Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2022, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia BC V.Q.A., Canada: This bold Phantom Creek Cabernet Franc is exactly like that little black dress that makes you feel like you can conquer anything. It is classic, powerful, and always appropriate. A premium BC wine, it showcases the absolute best of Okanagan Valley winemaking. Their commitment to quality means you get concentrated dark fruit flavours, beautifully structured tannins, and the kind of complexity that rewards slow, thoughtful savoring on long winter nights. The wine offers bold character and full body, delivering layers of blackberry, dark cherry, licorice, and cedar. Velvety tannins coat your palate without overwhelming it, achieving the perfect balance between power and elegance. Its depth and intensity make it an ideal companion for fireside gatherings, whether you are hosting friends or enjoying quiet solo moments of reflection. At $72, it is worth the splurge, tasting like it is twice that price, perfect for giving an extra-special bottle or treating yourself this season. Supporting Canadian wineries during winter also means you are enjoying wines made to complement the seasons you experience, not a Mediterranean climate halfway around the world. These particular grapes have earned their stripes. Phantom Creek survived a devastating frost last year that would have made lesser vineyards pack it in. But this is the True North, where we do not quit just because nature tried to cancel us. These vines looked at minus twenty and said, “Is that all you have got?” And that, my friends, is what makes us Canadian. Cabernet Franc food pairings: Short ribs with red wine polenta, Ribeye with herb butter and garlic mash, Mushroom bourguignon with pearl onions and bacon, Aged cheddar with dark chocolate and figs, Duck confit with cherry gastrique and wild rice. Drink: 2025 - 2028 14.8% D 750 mL $72.00 Score: 96/100. December 2025. Full Review Add to Shopping Cart

White Wine

Svelte White, Ontario, Canada: This floral, off-dry white wine has just 80 calories. Notes of apple blossom and honeydew. pair with carrot sticks and spring salads. 45637 7% M 750 mL $12.95 Score: 85/100. December 2025. Best Value White Wine Full Review Add to Shopping Cart