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Top 5 Brunello at the LCBO
John Szabo’s VINTAGES Preview – April 28th, 2018
Vineyards, Rocks and Soils – An Important Book Review, plus top Minerally Wines, Benvenuto Brunello Reports, and A Big Win for the Queen By John Szabo, MS, with notes by David Lawrason and Michael Godel Do you know basalt from biotite, till from tuff? Are you curious about the contributions of geology to wine? There’s […] More
Flavours of New Zealand 2018 – Toronto
Let your taste buds run wild. The New Zealand Winegrowers in partnership with the New Zealand High Commission would like to formally invite you to attend this year’s annual Flavours of New Zealand Wine Fair. It has been said that there is no wine anywhere in the world that tastes like wine from New Zealand. The […] More
Feature Report: Brunello di Montalcino 2013 Vintage and Buyer’s Guide
Quality & Consistency On The Rise By John Szabo, MS My conclusions, after several days of tasting and touring in Montalcino in February this year during the annual Benvenuto Brunello preview tastings of the latest releases, are that overall quality throughout the appellation is much, much better than it was even five years ago. Yet […] 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.
