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Top 5 Brunello at the LCBO
Special Report: Bikavér: Another Hungarian Revolution
By John Szabo, MS Bikavér, or “Bull’s Blood”, was once among Hungary’s most famous, or rather infamous, wines. One-liter bottles of the harsh blended red made by the State Farms in Eger and Szekszárd supported many candles in university residences back in the 1970s and 80s. I’ve had countless people of a certain age tell […] More
Canadian Wine Report – October 2018
Canadian Wine Insider By David Lawrason Welcome to the first Canadian Wine Insider report. It’s a name you will hear more frequently as I focus on the rapidly expanding world of quality Canadian wine. In fact the Canadian Wine Insider will become a unique on-line newsmagazine for those working with, and deeply engaged with, Canadian […] More
If I Could Buy Only One – Oct 13th, 2018 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 Oct 13th VINTAGES release: Michael Godel: Just the word Dolomiti gets me focused on what’s in the glass and for $14 this varietal {{PremiumStart}}Teroldego Vigneti […] More
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.
