WORLD WINE WATCH TOP WINES AT VINTAGES: under/over $20 for NOV 19, 2022 release.

WORLD WINE WATCH TOP WINES AT VINTAGES:  under/over $20 for NOV 19,  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 Month  ---

The Date and Time: Tuesday October 11, 2022  10:30AM - 4PM
The Event: Milano Wine Week International Masterclass Program
The Venue: Aria Ristorante, 25 York Street
The Target Audience: sommeliers, wine agents, wine media
The Availability/Catalogue: There were two wineries involved, each with Ontario agents – VALDO (Wine Online) and  MASSOTINA (n/a)
The Quote/Background: The first seminar was a web show presentation seminar from Italy, "From Veneto to Friuli: exploring different terroirs and wine styles" by VALDO winery (a Bolla company) with various speakers such as their chief winemaker Gianfranco Zanon and Matteo Bolla. The second seminar was a blind tasting of six MASOTTINA wines, in "Exploring Prosecco styles and terroir". It too was a web show, but with participation in Milan, London, New York and Toronto. Both seminars had simultaneous translations when needed. Cristina Mercuri with Filippo Bartolotta spoke on the wines, with emphasis on: Brut/Extra Dry is just a question of dosage and taste?
The Wines: The six Masottina Proseccos were two different samples (Brut and Extra Dry) of three wine levels: Rive di Ogliano, Contrada Granda, and Calmaggiore, all Glera. But with different terroirs

**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Valdo Cuvee 1926 Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG Extra Dry  16g/L RS, 90Glera/10Chardonnay
-Valdo Elevantum Rose Prosecco DOC Brut 11.5g/L RS, 90Glera/10PinotNoir   [MY FAVE]
-Masottina Collezione RDO Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Rive di Ogliano DOCG Levante Extra Dry Millesimato. 13.5g/L all Glera  [ANOTHER MY FAVE]
-Masottina Collezione Contrada Granda Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut 10g/L all Glera
-Masottina Collezione Contrada Granda Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry 14g/L all Glera
-Masottina Collezione Calmaggiore Prosecco DOC Treviso Brut 10g/L all Glera

***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):
-Valdo Amor Soli Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG Bio Brut 2021 10g/L RS, all Glera
-Valdo Tenuta La Maredana Prosecco DOC Brut  9g/L RS, 85Glera/15PinotNoir $21.99
-Valdo Prosecco Cuvee I Magredi Extra Dry DOC Extra Dry 15g/L RS, all Glera $18.99
-Masottina Collezione RDO Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Rive di Ogliano DOCG Ponente Brut Millesimato. 6G/L all Glera
-Masottina Collezione Calmaggiore Prosecco DOC Treviso Extra Dry 14g/L all Glera

The Food: Aria gave is a food box: inside there was a main course of roast chicken breast with excellent quinoa pilaff, followed by goat cheese cheddar from Lindsay Ontario accompanied by gluten-free crackers. Desserts included barreti al cioccolato (chocolate cake, salted caramel mousse, chocolate shell) and biscotti with orange zest and star anise.
The Contact Person: Benedetta Marassi b.marassi@ice.it
The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 89.

** Some Recommended Wines from the LCBO's Limited Time Offers selections...these  are good value...on sale now through Sunday November 27:  

+149047 20 Year Old Tawny Port (Taylor Fladgate)  750ml normally $69.95, now $62.95, save $7.    
+43281  Flat Rock Riesling VQA normally  $19.95, now $16.95, save $3.
+976662  Faustino I Gran Reserve Rioja normally $32.95, now $28.95, save $4
+64618   Featherstone Cabernet Franc VQA normally $21.95, now $19.95, save $2.
+177345  Muga Reserva Rioja (Bodegas Muga) normally    $27.95, now    $23.95, save $4    
+71943   La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir normally $35, now $32, save $3.
+324228  Stoneleigh Latitude Marlborough Sauvignon  Blanc normally $21.95, now  $18.95, save $3
+104299  The Prisoner Red Blend normally $54.95, now  $49.95, save $5

MAJOR THEME:  GIFTS to celebrate, finest holiday wines,

Wines Under $20
=========
W+ 256552    CAVE SPRING ESTATE CHARDONNAY    2019 VQA    $19.95  MVC/QPR: 90.
W+5259788    JOSEPH CATTIN RIESLING    2020    Alsace  $15.95  MVC/QPR:  90
W+454785    TOI TOI SAUVIGNON BLANC    2021    New Zealand $17.95  MVC/QPR: 89.
W+28124            ELEMENTI ORGANIC TREBBIANO ORANGE WINE    2021 Italy    $18.95     MVC/QPR: 89
R+661892    BLEASDALE MULBERRY TREE LANGHORNE CREEK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019    $19.95  MVC/QPR: 89.
R+421388    CASTELLI DEL GREVEPESA CLEMENTE VII CHIANTI CLASSICO     2018    $18.95 MVC/QPR: 89.

Wines Over $20
===========
Fizz+383315    FLAT ROCK RIDDLED SPARKLING    2020 VQA    $34.95      MVC/QPR: 89.
Fizz+528752    BENJAMIN BRIDGE MÉTHODE CLASSIQUE BRUT SPARKLING NV Gaspareau NS $34.95  MVC/QPR: 90
R+20757            J. LOHR HILLTOP CABERNET SAUVIGNON    2020    $24.95     MVC/QPR: 89.
R+317008    VERSADO MALBEC Mendoza    2018    $24.95     MVC/QPR: 91.
R+25640         CHOCALAN VITRUM BLEND    Maipo 2019    $25.95 MVC/QPR:  90.
+378919         VALDESPINO INOCENTE SINGLE VINEYARD FINO DRY SHERRY    $29.95     MVC/QPR:  92
+25721         HOLDVÖLGY TOKAJ SIGNATURE 6 PUTTONYOS 2007 $47.95  MVC/QPR: 90

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