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Top 5 Brunello at the LCBO
Buyers’ Guide to VINTAGES – September 30, 2017
Thanksgiving Pairs, Global Reds and Canada’s Best Sommelier By Sara d’Amato with notes from the team Instead of focusing this fall column on the annual turkey and wine pairing dilemma, I though it may be more worthwhile to turn the tables and make perfect pairs of wine for your festive fare. This upcoming VINTAGES release […]
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If I Could Buy Only One – Sept 16th, 2017 VINTAGES Release
As part of our VINTAGES recap, we asked our critics: “If you could buy only one wine from this release – which one would it be and why?” Our picks from the Sept 16th VINTAGES release: John Szabo, MS: Tuscan wines far overshadow those produced in neighbouring Umbria, but mainly for historic reasons rather than quality […]
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By Margaret Swaine The scent of fall in the air always brings my thoughts to dark spirits such as Calvados, Cognac, Armagnac and whiskies. Calvados, the apple brandy of Normandy is a particular favourite of mine for its glorious apple aromas and tastes – the very essence of a late fall harvest. I finally made […]
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National Wine Awards of Canada
Discover Canada's best wines! In 2016, 22 judges tasted 1,535 wines from 230 wineries across the country to identify Canada's top wines.
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World Wine Awards of Canada
Seventeen judges tasted 1,000 wines in 21 categories in 2015 to find the world's best wines sold in Canada under $50.
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Brunello di Montalcino is one of the most prestigious appellations in Italy, born in the 19th Century in its present form thanks to the efforts of the Biondi-Santi family, who defined its rules and have largely guided it to the present day. The wines are made from 100% Sangiovese grape, in particular from a clone called Sangiovese Grosso, or also as Brunello - hence the appellation's name. Traditionally, the wine goes through an extended maceration period where color, tannins and flavour are extracted from the skins. Following fermentation the wine is then aged in oak. Traditionally, the wines are aged 3 years or more in "botti" - large Slovenian oak casks that impart little oak flavour and generally produce more austere wines. Some winemakers will use small French barrels which impart a more pronounced vanilla oak flavour and add a certain fruitiness to the wine. Whatever the approach, wines must be aged for for years (with a minimum of two years in barrel) before being released, according to appellation rules.
