Citizens of the People’s Republic of Ontario do not require further explanation of the picture and I am pretty sure that the rest of you will fill in any gaps.
Labour day traveling prevented our usual Sunday Vintages tasting. When I returned from visiting the Excited States of America I managed to source three bottles from the September 1 release that are worth seeking out and trying.
Before we go there, if you are a lover of Sherry, I think that you will find this article interesting. The full content is available to Globe subscribers only (link to article).
Outstanding wine
When I factor in the price, I cannot say enough nice things about the $14 Flavium Selección Mencía 2014—VINTAGES#: 574624. For $14 you get a complex wine with both red and dark fruit, nice structure, spice notes, and great length. The nose initially presented some floral aromas that, while not unpleasant, disbursed with time. This was the best value red from the LCBO that I tasted this year. I bought 2 cases and I will be shocked if the wine does not sell out quickly. At the time of writing this post, there are many bottles in the KGBO’s (a.k.a, the LCBO) system.
Wines to consider
In Ontario, it is still summer and we are enjoying hot weather. So, if you are in need of summer-time sippers that also some complexity then consider the $15 Ponte Pellegrino Greco di Tufo 2016—VINTAGES#: 477760. The Vintages tasting did a decent job on the posted tasting notes. Pretty hard to go wrong with this $15 wine and a good example to try if you are not familiar with wine made from the Greco grape.
At a higher price point, the $23 Tornatore Etna Bianco 2016 Carricante—VINTAGES#: 577676 still delivers value for the money. You are buying this wine at the same price that our friends in Europe pay and about $10 cheaper than our friends in the good old USA are forced to pay. The wine has a lot of complexity for the money and the posted tasting notes are pretty accurate. Sicily and the Etna region, in particular, are producing some interesting wines.
The Wine Muddler 