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Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Fw: WORLD WINE WATCH TOP WINES AT VINTAGES: under/over $20 for OCTOBER 8, 2022 release.


WORLD WINE WATCH TOP WINES AT VINTAGES:  under/over $20 for OCTOBER 8,  2022 release.

By DEAN TUDOR, Gothic Epicures Writing deantudor@deantudor.com. My "Wines, Beers and Spirits of the Net", a guide to thousands of news items and RSS feeds, plus references to wines, beers and spirits, has been at http://www.deantudor.com since 1994.

These notes for good wines available through  LCBO Vintages (on a bi-weekly basis)  can always be found at http://www.gothicepicures.blogspot.ca  or at  http://www.deantudor.com No winery can buy their way into – or out of – this publication.

Scores are a combination of MVC (Modal Varietal Character, e.g. a Southern Rhone would taste like a Southern Rhone) and QPR (Quality/Price Ratio value in the marketplace above or below its price).

Currently, the wine media have no access to the tasting samples usually provided to us in the LCBO lab on a fortnightly basis. This will go on for some time. HOWEVER,  the wine media will still have access to the advance spreadsheet of the wines to be released. So I know what is to be released and when. SOME (but not many) of these 100 or so biweekly released wines I have recently tasted since January 2020 or so, and I can comfortably recommend them based on this prior sampling.
 
** Some New Wines I Tasted Over the Past While  ---

The Date and Time: Thursday June 23, 2020  1PM - 5PM
The Event: Gambrero Rosso Tre Bicchieri Summer Edition
The Venue: Liberty Grand
The Target Audience: wine trade, sommeliers, wine media
The Availability/Catalogue: one needed a QR code to access the catalogue which contained details for ordering wine.
The Wines: I tasted mostly whites, roses, and sparkling (hey, it was summer!) and a few reds of my interests.

**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Tenute Tomasella Pros-ecco Prosecco Treviso DOC
-Cantina Tollo Roccaventosa 2020 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOP
-Cantina Tollo Mo' 2018 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva DOP
-Monte del Fra Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso Lena di Mezzo Estate DOC, $24.95 (Vintages) Signature Agency
-Monte del Fra Ca' del Magro Custoza Superiore DOC 2019
-Varvaglione Vigne & Vini Papale Linea Oro Primtivo di Manduria 2019 DOP (Vintages)
-Umani Ronchi Centoric Plenio Riserva 2018
-Francesco Tornatore Etna Bianco Pietrarizzo 2021
-Tenute Tomasella Friuli Furiliana 2021
-Bruni Marememma Toscana Vermentini Plinio 2021
-Varvaglione Vigne & Vini Salice Salentino 2019
-Varvaglione Vigne & Vini 12 e Mezzo Primtivo di Manduria 2020 DOP
-Ferrari Brut MT Trento
-Ferrari Brut Rose MT Trento [60chard/40pinot noir]
-Tentiment CIVA Sauvignon Blanc 2020 Vigneto Bellazoia
-Montenidoli Vernaccia di San Gimignano Carato 2019
-Cantine Lunae Bosoni et Grigia Colli de Luni Vermentino 2021
-Offida Pecorino Reve 2020 Single Vineyard
-Casale del Giglio Anthium Bellone 2021 Lazio IGT
-Casale del Griglio Satrico 2021 Lazio IGT
-Tenute Borgo Conventi Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Collio

***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Umani Ronchi Centoric Pecorino Colli Aprutini 2020
-Umani Ronchi Centoric Verdicchio 2018
-Francesco Tornatore Etna Bianco 2021
-Tenute Tomasella Prosecco NV [twist top, low Al
-Tentiment CIVA Ribolla Giallo Friuli NV Extra Brut
-Tentiment CIVA Ribolla Giallo Friuli 2021
-Montenidoli Vernaccia di San Gimignano Fiore 2020
-Montenidoli Vernaccia di San Gimignano Traditionale 2020
-Cantine Lunae Bosoni et Grigia Vermentino 2021
-Cantine Lunae Bosoni et Grigia La Bianca 2021

The Food: Catered by the Liberty Grand Entertainment Group....platters of food included pesto panini, mozzarella and tomatoes, polenta topped with crispy mushrooms, meat skewers with veggies, flatbread/focaccia with creamy Gorgonzola and arugula, rotini ragu with grilled cherry tomatoes, prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks, arancini, and tiramisu and cannoli for dessert.
The Downside: I did not have a cell phone
The Upside: just about all the wines were white, rose, sparkling or light reds from Northern or Central Italy, a great tasting in view of the sunny summer weather.
The Contact Person: Benedetta <b.marassi@ice.it>
The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 90.

** Some Recommended Wines from the LCBO's Limited Time Offers selections...these  are good value...on sale  from Monday October 10 through Sunday November 6...

W+286278    Flat Rock Cellars Chardonnay  normal $19.95 save    $2.00    now $17.95
R+964221    Le Volte Dell'Ornellaia Igt Toscana    normal $29.95     save $2.00    now $27.95
R302018    Pipeau St. Emilion(Ch. Pipeau) normal $43.95 save $3.00    now $40.95
[splurge]R+352583    Beringer Knight's Valley Cabernet Sauvignon normal $46.95 save      $5.00 now    $41.95
R+595280    Porcupine Ridge Syrah  normal $16.95 save  $3.00    now $13.95
R+303800    Trius Vqa Red (Andres Wines Ltd) normal $24.95 save $3.00 now $21.95


MAJOR THEME:   Magnifico!  Italian Wines

Wines Under $20
=========
W+89011    FEATHERSTONE SAUVIGNON BLANC    2021    VQA Niagara Peninsula    $17.95
        MVC/QPR:  90
Sparkler +19031    CELENE BORDEAUX AMÉTHYSTE BRUT CRÉMANT DE BORDEAUX        Traditional method, AP, France    $16.95 MVC/QPR: 89
W+13429    SIEGEL SPECIAL RESERVE VIOGNIER    2021    Sustainable, DO Valle de Colchagua    $15.95 MVC/QPR:  89
W+24245    THELEMA SAUVIGNON BLANC    2020    Estate grown, WO Stellenbosch, South Africa    $16.95    MVC/QPR: 89


Wines Over $20
=========
Sparkling+28978    KEW VINEYARDS CUVÉE SPARKLING CHARDONNAY    2016    Traditional method, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario    $23.95     MVC/QPR: 89
W+149302    FEATHERSTONE CANADIAN OAK CHARDONNAY    2020    VQA Niagara Peninsula    $24.95     MVC/QPR: 92
R+18008    HASELGROVE FIRST CUT CABERNET SAUVIGNON    2019    McLaren Vale, South Australia    $24.95     MVC/QPR: 89

Dean Tudor,  Prof Emeritus T'karonto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) School of Journalism
Treasurer of Wine Writers' Circle of Canada http://www.deantudor.com
http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/gothicepicures

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