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Top 5 Brunello (Sangiovese) at the LCBO
Buyer’s Guide to Vintages December 20th Release
Cramming for Christmas By David Lawrason, with notes from John Szabo MS, Michael Godel, Sara d’Amato and Megha Jandhyala We tasted a day early, gathered our picks a day early, and wrote and proofed this newsletter a day early — all so we could publish three days earlier than normal and give you more time […] More
Roero: Sculpted by the Supernatural, with Devilishly Good Wine
By John Szabo, MS This feature was commissioned by the EU funded campaign Sip and Savor: Pairing European Wines and Deli Meat Catch the full Webinar https://youtu.be/84byjISaQak You can reach the small village of Pocapaglia in less than an hour by car from Turin. Most wine-thirsty tourists will stay longer on the highway, heading further […] More
If I Could Buy Only One – December 6th Vintages Release
We asked our writers,“If you could buy only one wine from the December 6th release, which one would it be and why?” Black Hills Brut Sparkling, BC VQA Okanagan Valley$55.00, Andrew Peller LimitedSara d’Amato – If John’s fizz guide didn’t already satisfy your sparkling cravings, here’s one more worth popping. This is Black Hills’ second […] More
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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.
