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Top 5 Brunello (Sangiovese) at the LCBO
Buyers Guide to Vintages September 12th Release
“All in On Ontario Wine?” And a New VQA Sparkler Called Fracette By David Lawrason with notes from Megha Jandhyala and Sara d’Amato The first Vintages release of September naturally coincides with the beginning of harvest at Ontario wineries. The current issue of the Vintages release magazine is headlined All in for Ontario Wine. An […] More
Victoria may be Australia’s smallest mainland state, but when it comes to wine, it punches wildly above its weight. Home to 21 wine regions and more than 800 producers, it’s a remarkably diverse patchwork of cool-climate Pinot and Chardonnay, peppery Shiraz, ageworthy fortified Muscat and, yes, Australia’s original Prosecco and many other Italian grape varieties. […] More
If I Could Buy Only One – August 29th Vintages Release
We asked our writers,“If you could buy only one wine from the August 29th, which one would it be and why?” Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin Blanc 2025, Swartland, South Africa$19.95, The Living VineJohn Szabo – My only one this week is a perfect seasonal transition wine: Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin Blanc 2025. It’s hard to believe this […] More
National Wine Awards of Canada
Canada's premier wine awards. In 2022, 24 judges tasted over 1,900 wines from 250 wineries across the country to identify Canada's top wines.
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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.
