French Cross Rosé

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At a Glance
Taste strawberry, peach, tea
Smell strawberry apricot, tea
Food american
Sweetness medium sweet
Price $11.45
LCBO# 68551
Score        

Di Majo Norante Sangiovese 2013

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Meduim body with an extra dry and slightly rough finish.  If you love extra dry wines pickup a bottle of this sangiovese.
Alcohol/Vol 12.5%
At a Glance
Taste black cherry, medium oak
Smell strawberry, raspberry
Food ribs
Sweetness extra dry
Price $13.95
LCBO# 591974
Score    

Ciao Sangiovese

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Medium-light body with a red fruit and red berry profile.  Very low oak, high acid, low tannin.
Alcohol/Vol 13% in a 1000 mL carton
At a Glance
Taste young cherry, raspberry, light oak
Smell strawberry, cherry
Food cheese
Sweetness dry
Price $12.05
LCBO# 29090
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Trius Rosé 2012

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This is a dry rose.  Not a cavity generating white zinfandel.
Made using juice from: Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.  Alcohol/Vol 12.1%
At a Glance
Taste raspberry, strawberry, cherry
Smell strawberry, raspberry, citrus
Food salads, vegetables
Sweetness dry
Price $15.95
LCBO# 341743
Score

 

Ruffino Chianti DOCG 2012

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I was pleasantly surprised by this entry level chianti from the large producer Ruffino.
Overall this is a good value chianti for the price and availability. 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Tip: balloon glass
At a Glance
Taste raspberry, vanilla, cherry
Smell strawberry, black cherry, sweet oak
Food italian, cheese
Sweetness extra dry
Price $14.95
LCBO# 1743
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Colio Lake and River Series Cabernet Franc 2008

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Franc is harder to find than it should be, this bottle is medium light, food friendly and fruit forward – a good intro to theis varietal.
Made from 100% Cabernet Franc. Alcohol Content: 12.2%
Tip: balloon glass
At a Glance
Taste strawberry, raspberry, herbaceous
Smell raspberry, strawberry, pepper
Food pizza, burger
Sweetness dry
Price $10.95
LCBO# 183079
Score

Naked Grape White Zinfandel Pinot Noir

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Friend of the site Vesna has deemed this white zin to be the best of the best. Take her word over mine on this varietal. Although the tasting notes are by yours truly, because c’mon…they don’t give websites to just anybody 😉
Overall this is a great summer sipper to be placed in the ice bucket among the beers, but only if there are ladies around so you can explain to passers by that it belongs to them.
Tip: tulip glass
At a Glance
Taste white grape, strawberry, kiwi
Smell strawberry, white grape, syrup
Food apertif, salads
Sweetness medium sweet
Price $9.95
LCBO# 0
Score

Charles Shaw Merlot 2007

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Only in America? This merlot came to us for $1.99. Often called two-buck-chuck, this wine is mostly found at Trader Joe’s in the United States. One thing is certain, we have never  encountered two-dollar wine in Canada…god bless America.
First thing is the colour, yeah thats right I spelled it with a “u”. Get over it. Great dark purple, with light edges. We were  actually surprised as this wine is not offensive, easy drinking and generally “not bad”. Does that make it a California Cab? Hell no.  But, if your having a group over or making large quantities of Sangria.
Tip: chill slightly
At a Glance
Taste cherry, strawberry, berry jam
Smell vanilla, strawberry, cherry cola
Food cheese nachos, cheddar, cold cuts
Sweetness off dry
Price $1.99
LCBO# 0
Score

Hillebrand Artist Series Meritage 2007

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After seeing this bottle time and time again in the LCBO magazine I decided to give it a taste. It’s a fairly typical blend, nothing stands out too much. You’ll find it Medium-bodied with soft, drying tannins and moderate acidity.
A blend of three classic grape varieties: 52% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, which undergo traditional red wine making.
Tip: tulip glass
At a Glance
Taste ripe berry, leather, spice
Smell black cherry, strawberry, vanilla
Food pasta, bbq
Sweetness dry
Price $12.95
LCBO# 56390
Score

Two Oceans Pinot Noir 2007

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This value pinot from Two Oceans from South Africa is a pretty good find as far as value pinots go.  The medium to light body is a nice change from the typical big reds we often find ourselves drinking by default.
You may taste some subtle spice such as cinnamon/clove.
Tip: tulip glass, chilled
At a Glance
Taste smoky, cedar, ripe red berry
Smell strawberry, smoky, cherry
Food pasta primavera, hamburgers
Sweetness dry
Price $9.95
LCBO# 61598
Score

B&G Partager Rouge

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Here is a nice example of an easy drinking French ‘Vin de Table’. It’s: non-vintage, very smooth, mild tannin, not complex, very drinkable and very affordable.

Blend consists of: Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan, Syrah
Tip: comes in a 1L bottle
At a Glance
Taste soft berry, tart raspberry, light toasted oak
Smell soft berry, strawberry
Food red meat, medium cheese
Sweetness dry
Price $9.95
LCBO# 130674
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Rosehall Run Pinot Noir Cuvée County 2007

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Making pinot noir is tough (it’s not called the heartbreak grape for nothing). Making a GOOD pinot noir is tougher. Making a GREAT pinot noir for under $20 is what Rosehall Run has done with their 2007 VQA vintage.
While drinking you’ll notice that for a medium-light red, this pinot has a long finish. Coupled with the balanced acidity it also acts as a palate cleanser making this vintage easy to drink for wine aficionados and to be aficionados alike. Enjoy this wine slightly chilled and on the first day you open it. While drinking now, the winemaker assures it will developer further over the next five years.
Tip: Release Date – March 1, 2009
At a Glance
Taste raspberry, vanilla, mild oak
Smell raspberry, strawberry, lees
Food duck, game
Sweetness dry
Price $18.95
LCBO# 0
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Pelee Island Merlot Cabernet 2006

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This VQA wine has a medium bodied palate with moderate fruit from the merlot, but leans toward the oak barrel with prominent notes of vanilla.  The menthol is a nice addition from the cabernet side of the blend.
If you were wondering, the bird on the label is the American Goldfinch.
Tip: tulip glass, room temperature
At a Glance
Taste oak, vanilla, menthol
Smell vanilla, strawberry, violet
Food burgers, hot dogs
Sweetness dry
Price $9.40
LCBO# 619411
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Canaletto Nero d’Avola / Merlot 2007

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This Sicilian red is a pretty good IGT find. It’s a medium bodied wine through and through with medium fruit tannins with a respectable length.
I learned something new when the winemakers comments read: each grape variety is vinified separately.
Tip: the nose outshone the palate, which nearly made it a 2.5
At a Glance
Taste plum, tea, menthol
Smell dark cherry, blackberry, strawberry
Food cannelloni
Sweetness dry
Price $13.55
LCBO# 29421
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Kittling Ridge White Zinfanel Vidal

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Although I don’t keep white zin on hand, this white does make a pretty good summer sipper.  Yes, I was surprised…the varietal I usually call ‘sugar wine’ was sweet but not tooth-decay sweet or  syrupy.
I would choose this bottle over the Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi.  It’s much more flavourful and expressive.
Tip: chill well
At a Glance
Taste strawberry, kiwi, melon
Smell strawberry, watermelon, bananna
Food apertif, fresh fruit
Sweetness medium sweet
Price $9.25
LCBO# 534693
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