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Top 5 Brunello at the LCBO
More from VINTAGES April 13 Release, plus Portugal’s Dao Region
By David Lawrason Tasting season is revving up here in mid-April, with event after event. This week we divide and conquer, with reports and picks from different tastings. Sara reports on The CAPS Best Ontario Sommelier Competition and I handle the Wines of Portugal Grand Tasting (below). But first we offer more recommendations from the […] More
The CAPS Best Ontario Sommelier Competition & A Blind Tasting Challenge
By Sara d’Amato Sommeliers, wine agents and enthusiasts were drawn from all corners of Ontario and beyond this past weekend (April 14th, 2019) for the Best Ontario Sommelier Competition. This biennial event organized by the Canadian Association of Professional Sommelier’s Ontario Chapter (CAPS) drew record numbers to view five sommelier finalists compete live for this […] More
The Best of Argentina – Masterclass 12-pack
The WineAlign Exchange Presents: An Argentine Wine Masterclass 12-pack The WineAlign Exchange is excited to offer a trip to Argentina in a box: 12 archetypal wines (Malbec and much more), selected in unanimous accord by the WineAlign crü of critics, through tastings in Argentina and at our offices. Quality in all regions of Argentina has […] 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.
View Award-Winning Wines
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.
View Award-Winning Wines
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.
