Quintarelli is a wine folk hero and always worth the experience. You are sure to please putting Malivoire’s Rosé on the Thanksgiving table. (And any of my white picks would be popular too.) Chateau St. Jean is a must for Pinot addicts.

ROSE
wine style: dry rosé
MALIVOIRE 09 Rosé ‘Ladybug’, VQA Niagara 559088 $15.95
Delicious fruitiness and some richness. Perfect for Thanksgiving and stock up for Christmas too. Dry Rosé is a great food wine in general.

WHITES
wine style: fresh white
PETER LEHMANN 08 Riesling, Eden Valley, Australia 186361 $14.95
Tart, super refreshing with a tease of citrusy flavours. Unusually understated and low alcohol for an Aussie. Aperitif.

wine style: nice & easy white
SOELLNER ‘Toni’ Grüner Veltliner, Austria 184085 $14.95
Zippy, spicy with a gentle and friendly feeling. Better than a happy pill.

wine style: rich white
TORRES ‘Gran Vina Sol’ 08 Chardonnay, Penedes, Spain 171660 $14.95
Semi-rich Chardonnay with a refreshing tartness. And a solid earthy feeling. Built for food, not glamour. Good value.

REDS
wine style: rustic red
LITTLE YERING 08 Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, Australia 188094 $14.95
A great buy for fans of ‘barnyard’ Pinots. Raunchy and very Burgundian. Needs food. Check out more value wines from this winery on the regular LCBO shelves.

wine style: rich red
CHATEAU ST. JEAN 07 Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, California 687970 $19.95
Big, lush and seductive. Very Californian. Would impress at a fancy dinner. St. Jean always does well with Pinot.
wine style: rich red
QUINTARELLI 01 Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy 986117 $84.95
Vapolicella that thinks it’s Tawny Port. Lush, spicy, earthy and full of mystery. More exciting, and more rare, than most Amarones or any wine at this price. Quintarelli delivers the goods. Treat yourself, or gift a good friend. Sip after dinner.

wine style: rich red
LES COTEAUX 07 ‘Visan’, Cotes du Rhone-Village, France 179226 $13.95
A yummy, spicy, peppery, rich red for those who missed the Rhone special a few weeks ago.
wine style: rich red
CHARLES CIMICKY 06 Shiraz ‘Trumps’, Barossa Valley, Australia 07383 $24.95
Dark, dense and solid. With a plummy, Port-like warmth. I’d pour this after dinner.

wine style: rich red
WYNNS 06 Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, Australia 84996 $24.95
Wynns Coonawarra is an Australian classic. Modeled on Bordeaux, it combines boldness with some seriousness. As formal as it gets down under. Needs beef, of course.

wine style: rich red
MAXWELL 08 Shiraz/Grenache/Viognier ‘Four Roads’, McLaren Valley, Australia 57000 $19.95
Cotes du Rhone in style with extra ripeness and richness. Guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser with any hearty meal.

I will be covering Sparkling, Sweet and other holiday favourites over the next few weeks but you should consider the following for novelty and down right good value. The Chilean Pinot and Chardonnay, or the French Fitou and Vouvray pair would wow most dinner party guests. Grüner Veltliner would be a lively start for your holiday parties and Mas Donis would hit the spot later in the evening. If you’re favouring local, Le Clos Jordanne is a world champ in Pinot Noir at its price point.
Slainte,
Billy
WHITES
Wine style: Fresh white
Markus Huber ‘Hugo’ 08 Grüner Veltliner, Austria 641506 $13.95
Lively, super refreshing and jazzy. Lots of energy. The perfect opening act for your holiday events. Or for after work chilling out. In screw cap. You may never go back to Pinot Grigio!

Wine style: Fresh white
Donatien Bahuaud 08 Vouvray ‘Les Grands Mortiers’, Loire, France 140889 $16.95
Something different. Tart white with gorgeous honey sweet flavours. A yin yang of refreshment and charm. And modest alcohol. A lovely anytime sipper, aperitif or brunch wine.

Wine style: rich white
Tabali 07 Chardonnay ‘Reserva Especial’, Chile 663005 $18.95
The glamour of Chardonnay without the usual overkill. Understated richness and tons of zest. Refreshing enough for an aperitif, big enough for the main course.

REDS
Wine style: rustic red
Le Clos Jordanne 07 Pinot Noir ‘Village Reserve’, VQA Niagara 33894 $25.00
Gutsy edition of Pinot with the earthy character of Burgundy. Bravo! If you enjoy traditional wines this is a super value. And a role model for the future of local Pinot. Partner with bistro-style foods. Or the big bird on the 25th.

Wine style: rich red
Errazuriz 08 Pinot Noir ‘Wild Ferment’, Chile 510396 $18.95
The ripe fruit flavours and richness of New World Pinot combined with something earthy and funky. Lots of vitality too. Pinot to flatter food. Another good partner for Christmas dinner.

Wine style: rich red
Mont Tauch 07 Fitou ‘Tradition’, France
142810 $16.95
A semi-rich south of France red (Syrah, Carignan, Grenache) with lots of flavour – including earth. Wine with a sense of place. The perfect partner for any home cooked meal.

Wine style: rich red
Cellers de Capacanes ‘Mas Donis’ 07 Monstant, Spain 705863 $16.95
A Spanish edition of Côtes du Rhône – with more octane. Delicious flavours, warming richness and vitality. All my favourite qualities in a winter red. Hearty foods.

SWEET/SPARKLING
Inniskillin Sparkling Vidal Icewine, VQA Niagara 560367 375ml/$69.95
One of the most decadent wines on the planet. The exotic tropical flavours of Icewine combined with tingling bubbles. A glorious holiday treat. Chill well and sip slowly. After dinner, or late afternoon before dinner.

WHITES
Tamar Ridge 08 Riesling ‘Devil’s Corner’, Tasmania
138289 $18.95
wine style: FRESH WHITE
Refreshing and friendly. A lovely mix of citrus tang and delicate flavours. Weekend sipper.

Crabilis 08 Vermentino, Sardinia, Italy
52068 $13.95
wine style: SEMI-RICH WHITE
Those of you who follow my Vintages reports will know that I’m in love with the new era of Italian whites made with indigenous grapes. They bring something different in this age of sameness. And usually without the help of oak casks. The Vermentino combines freshness and richness with savoury flavours. A wonderful all-evening white.

REDS
Papa Luna 07 Calatayod, Spain
39883 $16.95
wine style: SUPER-RICH RED
If you like blockbuster reds, here’s one produced from a blend of Rhône grapes. Rich and peppery but earthy too. Very ripe and sweet now but if you have a cellar this should turn out really well in a year or two.

Terra Noble 07 Carmenere Gran Reserva, Chile
957050 $16.95
wine style: RICH RED
Big, bold, plummy red. Imagine Merlot on steroids.

Wallace 07 Shiraz/Grenache, Barossa Valley, Australia
47605 $24.95
wine style: RICH RED
The Barossa expression – hearty manly and heart-warming. Wine to get you through a Canadian winter.

PORT
Sandeman 2000 Quinta do Vau, Vintage Port, Portugal
973768 $29.95
wine style: SWEET
Vintage style Port that’s already at peak – mellow sweet and mighty seductive.

WHITES
LINGENFELDER 07 Riesling ‘Bird Label’, Pfalz, Germany
568634 $14.95
style: nice & easy
Delicious semi-dry Riesling with refreshing lime/lemon zest. Summer day in a glass.

ROYAL TOKAJI 05 Furmint, Hungary
653220 $13.95
style: rich white
For once I’m going to quote the catalogue: ‘Strong wine with enough personality to tweak many people’s interest.” The feeling is of rich Chard mixed with the mineral freshness of Riesling. The falvours are apple fresh and the overal experience is excitingly different. Try with foods in a cream sauce. Furmint in the Hungarian grape variety responsible for the famour sweet Tokaji wines.

MAS des BRESSADES 08 Tradition Blanc, Costieres de Nimes, France
701094 $13.95
style: rich white
Why pay high prices for Chardonnay when you can have this gem? Combines richness with refreshment and intriuging herbal falvours. Has a lovely pure, natural feeling. Rich white that gets more interesting with each sip, and which doesn’t try to overpower food. Fantastic now and will evolve over a few years.

WILDASS 06 White, Stratus Winery, VQA Niagara
85100 $19.95
style: rich white
Novel blend of just about all the locally grown whites. Made in the Stratus winery style of great concentration and richness. Shades of a big Alsace white that partners well with chicken or pork dishes.

REDS
CASA GIRELLI ‘Villalta’ 06 Valpolicella Ripasso, Veneto, Italy
117242 $14.95
style: rich red
Many Ripassos have cooked flavours but this guy achieved richness without losing the gutsy, vibrant fruit quality of Valpolicella. Rich meets rustic – lots of vigour. Very Italian. My style of red for hearty pasta, casseroles or anything off the Q.

SANTA JULIA 07 Reserva Syrah. Mendoza, Argentina
127613 $13.95
style: rich red
New World richness with a solid, earthy feeling. Hearty red that’s both invigorating and nourishing. Fall and winter stuff. Another great value from the producers of Fuzion.

CONCHA y TORO 07 Carmenere ‘Winemaker’s Lot’, Chile
30957 $16.95
style: rich red
Chile does a version of Bordeaux at a bargain price. Concentrated, with Old World flavours – combined with modern drinkability. A great value. For a lamb or beef dinner. Set the table nice.

DRY ROSÉ
BIELER P&F Rosé, Coteaux d’Aix en Provence, France
71423 $12.95
style: rich red
Yippee! A very decent Provence Rosé at an everyday price. Spicy and super-charming. Lovely lush, creamy richness…suggesting late summer suppers on the patio. Handy screw cap. Buy of the summer in dry Rosé.

Rosé lovers will be delighted to see the return of Mas des Bressades and Codorniu’s Rosé sparkler. Both amazing values.

Rivera’s red offers something different from Puglia as does my super-rich red from Penedes in Spain. Fans of thraditional reds will enjoy the Bordeaux and Sassella.

Get out this Saturday!

SPARKLING

Style: Fresh Sparkling
CODORNIU Pinot Noir Brut Cava, Spain 665372 $16.95
Here’s the perfect summer aperitif/party starter. Tart and super-refreshing, mildly flavoured and lighthearted. An invitation to put more sparkling in your life. Especially Rosé.

WHITE

Style: Fresh
PELLER ESTATES 07 Riesling ‘Private Reserve’, VQA Niagara 641969 $15.95
The mouth grabbing bite of Ontario Dry Riesling – as refreshing and pure as mountain snow. Wine to get the senses in gear and restore some energy on a hot day. Low alcohol for gulping. One of the few good local Rieslings from the 07 vintage.

Style: Fresh White
DUCA di QUADRI CATEMARIO 07 Pinot Grigio, Friuli, Italy 120782 $14.95
Classical Friuli P.G. – lean, refreshing with just a tease of fruit. Wonderful aperitif, patio lunch partner or anytime refresher. Not to be confused with the more commercial, easy drinking editions of this grape.

Style: Nice/Easy
NAPA CELLARS 07 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, California 127027 $19.95
The zesty, invigorating character of this grape with a hit of Californian niceness. Perfect. Chill, pour and be happy. A bottle to share with favourite neighbours.

Style: Nice/Easy
MAN VINTERS 08 Chenin Blanc, South Africa 126847 $13.95
Pretty, semi-rich with yummy, honeyed flavours. A streak of tartness provides liveliness. Shades of Viognier. Something delicious and different for summer sipping.
P.S. Chenin is South Africa’s workhorse grape that gets crafted in a huge variety of styles.

Style: Nice/Easy
PALA 07 Nuragus ‘Salnico’, Sardinia, Italy 120998 $14.95
Something different and wonderful from a Sardinian grape called Nuragus. You get a hit of Sauvignon zest, Chardonnay creaminess and Pinot Grigio friendliness. How good is that! Makes me want to be at a Mediterranean café with a platter of seafood, but I’ll settle for anywhere with good company.

Style: Nice/Easy
CANTINA SANTADI 07 Vermentino ‘Villa Solais’, Sardinia 121129 $15.95
Another Italian white that delivers many favourite things. Such as the mineral freshness of Chablis, the sexy aromatics of Moscato and the instant good cheer of something Californian. Too delicious for words. Get lots. Spicy chicken or pork would be a good food partner. Vermentino is another Sardinian white grape.

Style: Fresh
DUCA di CASTELMONTE 08 Zibibbo ‘Gibele’, Sicily, Italy 121103 $16.95
The gorgeous aromas and flavour of Muscat set in a tart, refreshing wine. Beauty and liveliness. Heavenly on a summer day. Patio sipper for sure – but on a sailboat would be even better. Zibibbo is the Sicilian name for Muscat of Alexandria.

RED
Style: Rustic
CONTI SERTOLI SALIS 04 Sassella, Valtellina, Lombardy, Italy 119479 $28.95
Sassella tastes a lot like Barbaresco (and Burgundy) – tangy dry with a strong sense of the earth. A fall day in the country feeling. The perfect wine partner for a herb roasted chicken or mushroom risotto.

P.S. This was released in June but is still available.

Style: Rustic
KATNOOK 05 Shiraz ‘Founder’s Block, Coonawarra, Australia 108167 $17.95
Yes, an Aussie Shiraz in the rustic style. Gutsy and refreshing. Sure it’s kinda rich but mainly it’s about the invigorating qualities of traditional wines. For beef or lamb, but not the party room.

Style: Rich
CH. AMPELIA 05 Côtes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France 500330 $25.00
Bordeaux crafted in a modern rich style – while still retaining the traditional gutsy, earthy style. Loaded with personality and not afraid to challenge and invigorate the palate. Lovely pure expression of Bordeaux. A sure way to make your steak taste great. Mainly Merlot grapes.

Style: Rich
RIVERA 06 Nero di Troia,‘Violante’, Castel del Monte, Puglia, Italy 583435 $15.95
Bright flavours with lots vitality to accompany the richness. Shades of a Rhone with Italian gusto. Rivera is one of Puglia’s best producers – there is clarity not found in the other southern reds in this release.

Style: rich
CAN BONASTRE 06 Penedes, Spain 115733 $18.95
Blockbuster, new world style. A great value for fans of super-rich, over-blown reds.

DRY ROSÉ

Style: Dry Rosé
MAS des BRESSADES 08 Rosé ‘Cuvée Tradition’, Costieres de Nimes, France 950576 $13.95
Always the best deal in Rosé  from the south of France. Creamy rich with delicious berry flavours and a ton of charm. High alcohol however, so be warned.

Style: Dry Rosé
STRATUS WINERY 07 Wildass Rosé, VQA Niagara 71712 $19.95
Rich, barrel-aged Rosé with some of the sexy feeling of Pinot. Most unusual – certainly a food Rosé. There’s a slight sweetness so I’m thinking BBQ’d chicken with a spicy/hot rub. Or lamb kebabs. Go wild.

HENRY of PELHAM Brut ‘Cuvée Catharine’, VQA Niagara 616441 LCBO Vintages $29.95