Learning & Loving Wine
As you may know if you follow along with me on Instagram, Dan and I have been taking wine courses at our local college. Our appreciation for wine has grown a lot over the last few months since living in the Niagara Region where we are surrounded by wineries. Our favourite weekend activities now include visiting the local wineries and we also enjoy checking out the Vintages section at our local LCBO to try wines from all over the world. We are by no means wine aficionados, but we are learning!
Last week Dan had a party at work and Dan lead his co-workers through a mini wine tasting of some of our favourite wines right now. Everyone was taking pictures of the bottles after, just like Dan and I do after each of our wine classes, and taking notes of their favourites to get next time at the LCBO. Nothing is worse (ok, maybe that’s a little dramatic!) than opening a bottle of wine that just isn’t that interesting. I’m going to start a little series here where I share some of my favourite wines at the time. Sometimes I might focus on just wines from a particular region (local or otherwise), a particular varietal or price point (ie. 5 wines under $20) to hopefully give you a bit of guidance for the next time you are choosing a bottle of wine. Today, with my first instalment I am going to start super broad and share 5 of my favourite wines from the Vintages section at the LCBO right now. The big reason why I love these particular wines is that I really feel that they are great representations of their varietals and are both interesting and delicious!
Thornbury Sauvignon Blanc 2017
This Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand has everything that I love in a Sauvignon Blanc! It’s super crisp and acidic and the aroma is very intense. For me, I’m not actually a big drinker so I really love wines for their smell more than anything. This wine has a strong aroma of grapefruit and lychee and it really is just delicious (to smell and taste!). This Sauvignon Blanc is super reasonably priced at $18.95.
Dr. Zenzen Hochgewächs 1636 Riesling 2016
I love a German Riesling and this is one of my favourites that I have recently tried. This Riesling is from Mosel which is a region in Germany best known for their Rieslings. This wine has an aroma with a lot of stone fruit and minerality which is just what I love about Riesling. I don’t find that the petrol note, commonly found in Rieslings is too strong here which I also like. As much as I LOVE Riesling, the strong petrol smell of some have been throwing me off lately! This is a wine that I really enjoy drinking (not just smelling!). The sugar content is quite high at 33 g/L and the price is reasonable at $19.95.
Baron de Hoen Réserve Pinot Gris 2016
This Alsace Pinot Gris is just so lovely and soft – when I was sipping it I couldn’t stop saying ‘this is just so lovely!’ and that really is the best way to describe it. I find that not a lot of people drink Pinot Gris but if you haven’t had one and are a white wine drinker then I’d definitely suggest trying one (not to be confused with Pinot Grigio – same grape but different style :)). Again, this wine is very reasonably priced at $16.95.
Louis M. Martini Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
As much as Cabernet Sauvignon is everrryone’s favourite wine (or at least it seems that way) I have never been a huge fan…until this one! This wine is a little bit more expensive at $37.95 but I love it for an ‘every so often’ treat. It is super dark fruity and I also find it has a lot of warmth with notes of vanilla and cedar. This wine is just delicious!
Two Hands Brave Faces GSM
I brought this wine to a family lunch a few weeks ago and it was a big hit! This is a great full bodied GSM (Grenache, Shiraz, Mouvedre) blend from Australia. I found this wine super smoky and peppery but it still had a lot of fruit. I have also tried the Shiraz from Two Hands and I liked that one a lot as well! This wine is $24.95.
If you love wine and are planning a visit the the Niagara Region, make sure to check out our Niagara Escarpment Winery Guide for some of our favourite stops in the area!
The post 5 Wines I am Loving from the LCBO this Month appeared first on Threads & Blooms.