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.
Dessert Wine
Reif Estate Grand Reserve Vidal Icewine 2023, Ontario V.Q.A., Canada: Reif Estate Grand Reserve Vidal Icewine shimmers with intense honeyed mango, candied lemon peel, poached peach and delicate jasmine blossom. It's sweet and full-bodied with silky richness balanced by bright acidity that keeps the luxurious sweetness refreshing rather than cloying. This is the convenient half bottle size (375 ml) which is ideal when you'd like to begin a meal with a glass and half each to toast. Serve it well-chilled with a slice of dark chocolate flourless cake where the wine's concentrated fruit complements the deep cocoa richness, or pair it with creamy crème brûlée where the wine's sweetness and bright acidity cut through the custard's richness while echoing its caramelized sugar notes. Winemaker Eric Pearson, who joined Reif Estate in 2024, crafts this Grand Reserve from 100% Vidal grapes harvested at minus eight degrees Celsius, a technique that concentrates the sugars and acids by pressing only the intensely flavored juice from the frozen berries. The Reif family's winemaking tradition stretches back 13 generations to 17th-century Germany before founder Ewald Reif brought it to Niagara's fertile riverbanks in 1977, and this Grand Reserve earned the remarkable distinction of Gold at the 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards. Cellar this treasure through 2036. Vidal Icewine food pairings: Chocolate mocha coffee cake, red velvet cake, chocolate fondue. Drink: 2026 - 2036 49821 10.5% S 375 mL $69.95 Score: 97/100. February 2026. Full Review Add to Shopping Cart
Red Wine
Torres 2021, Altos Ibéricos, Rioja D.O.C.A., Spain: Torres Altos Ibéricos Crianza from Rioja offers deep blackberry, wild raspberry, violet and a whisper of smoked cedar. It's dry and medium to full-bodied with velvety tannins and refreshing acidity that carries the concentrated fruit through to a long, satisfying finish. Serve it at room temperature with braised short ribs where the wine's structure and dark fruit complement the rich, tender meat, or pair it with roasted portobello mushrooms topped with aged Manchego where the wine's earthy notes and bright acidity balance the savory, umami flavors. Under the direction of fifth-generation general manager Miguel Torres Maczassek, who studied oenology at Tarragona University, this 100% Tempranillo is crafted from hand-harvested grapes from sustainably-farmed vineyards in Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, then matured for 12 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels followed by additional bottle aging. The Torres family established their Rioja project in 2005 in the medieval hilltop village of Labastida, drawn by the exceptional potential of Tempranillo grown in Rioja Alavesa's chalk-rich clay soils at high elevation, and the family has earned consecutive recognition as Drinks International's Most Admired Wine Brand. Enjoy this expressive Crianza through 2030. Food pairings: grilled, smoked meats, slow-braised brisket. Drink: 2023 - 2030 18767 14% XD 750 mL $19.95 Score: 92/100. February 2026. Full Review Add to Shopping Cart