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If I Could Buy Only One – February 20th VINTAGES Release
We asked our writers, “If you could buy only one wine from this release, which one would it be and why?” John Szabo – Fans of pinot noir in the more fruity, supple new world style will want to have a look at the Thelema Mountain Vineyards 2018 Sutherland Pinot Noir. From the Southern Ocean-cooled […] More
Buyers’ Guide to VINTAGES February 20th, 2021
A New World Pinot Noir Primer by David Lawrason, with notes from John Szabo, Michael Godel and Sara d’Amato Long time readers will know I am irresistibly drawn to pinot noir, like a moth to a porch light. Not because it is always divine but because it is always real and intriguing. Its spirit is […] More
D’Amato & Szabo: Wine Thieves – Episode 22
The Cartographer of Montepulciano At some point in every wine lover’s deepening obsession, they fall down the cartographic rabbit hole. If you’ve fallen prey to this map-centric preoccupation, don’t miss this episode of Wine Thieves. John and Sara speak with mapmaker straordinario Alessandro Masnaghetti, founder of Enogea, publisher of the world’s most detailed maps of […] 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.
View Award-Winning WinesWorld 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.
View Award-Winning WinesThe Carmenère grape is a red variety originally planted in the Médoc region of Bordeaux, France, where it was used for blending purposes in the same manner as Petit Verdot. Now rarely found in France, the world's largest area planted with this variety is in Chile in South America. Chilean plantings, brought from France in the 19th Century, were originally thought to be Merlot, before being correctly identified in 1994 and, since then, used as a distinctive signature by the country's producers. Carmenère wine has a deep red color and aromas found in red fruits, spices and berries, with tannins that are gentler and softer than those in Cabernet Sauvignon. Although mostly used as a blending grape, wineries do bottle a pure varietal Carmenère which. Its taste might also be reminiscent of dark chocolate, tobacco, and leather. The wine is best drunk young.