Taking the subway to my future sister and brother in-law’s wedding ceremony, I needed some reading material. I went to my local LCBO (liquor stores in Ontario) and grabbed the latest vintages magazine. For those of you unaware of what the LCBO vintages are, it is a release every two weeks of new wines from around the world, which are typically $15 and up. There is often a separate area of the store that holds the vintages wines. These include the new releases that are available for a limited time, and the wines that are available year-round.
After the ceremony, I needed to kill some time before the reception, so I decided to check out the Summerhill LCBO, at Yonge & Summerhill in Toronto. This is the “flagship” LCBO and the largest liquor store in the province, if not the country. Upon entering, I immediately fell in love. There was more selection than I’ve ever seen before! They also have a full kitchen for conducting classes and a tasting room of new vintages arrivals! I was able to taste three wines for $2. The price depends on the price of the wine, and ranges from $0.50 to $2 per taste. It was neat that I had read about a couple of the wines I tried just a few hours beforehand in the magazine. Here are the three I tried:
Louis Bouillot Perle D’Aurore Brut Rose $18.95. This wine is from France, if you couldn’t guess from the name, however since it is not from the Champagne region, it has to be called sparkling wine. I have grown fond of rose sparkling wines/champagnes ever since my fiancée and I bought a few to celebrate our engagement. It also helped that the best sparkling wine I’ve ever tasted happened to be a rose. I did not smell or taste much on this wine. It was very dry, which I usually prefer to the overly sweet wines. JC85
Carte Noire Rose 2010 $13.95. Another French wine. This wine was a very pale pinkish colour. It had perfume and floral notes. It was a very light wine. It would be nice sipping on the patio, or maybe with appetisers. It’s too light for an actual meal in my opinion. JC86
Palazzo Dei Signori Amarone 2006 $37.95. I have never tried an Amarone before. This is probably because I haven’t seen a bottle for under $20. This wine had a spicy smell and a not unpleasant oaky taste. I was a nice medium-bodied wine. Vintages suggests pairing it with meat-based pasta or grilled lamb chops. I think either of those would work well with this wine. JC87
At the wedding, the two house wines being served were:
Velletri Centurio 2008 $7.05. This Italian red is a mix of Merlot, Sangiovese and Montepulciano d´Abruzzo. It was a nice smooth-tasting wine, which went well with both the pasta dish and the meat dish. JC87
Velletri Superior Villa Ginnetti 2010 $7.05. This white wine was too sweet for my liking. JC82
All in all, a good day!
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