Boutari Agiorgitiko

Boutari Agiorgitiko 2008 $11.95. I had this wine last night at a Greek restaurant ($30 for the bottle). I haven’t had good luck with Greek wine in the past, and this was no exception. The wine was fairly light in colour had a hint of vinegar on the pallet. Although not a terrible wine, it wasn’t something that I’d want to drink again.  JC83

Sandeman Ruby Port & Santa Carolina Cab/Merlot

Sandeman Ruby Port $14.95. I received this port for my birthday and decided to give it a try. It didn’t have much of a scent. The taste was fairly medicinal. It tasted like I was drinking cough syrup. JC83

Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2010 $7.95. This wine received decent reviews and the price is right, so I decided to buy it. It was a nice fruit smell on the nose. The wine had a nice smooth taste with subtle cherry and oak. It’s not a complex wine, but it’s a nice to-the-point table wine. JC86

Hungaria Sauvignon Blanc

Hungaria Sauvignon Blanc $9.95. I decided to try this white because it’s from a country that I don’t have a lot of wine drinking experience from: Hungary. It’s made by the same winery that makes a nice $12 sparkling wine. The wine has a nice floral scent, however tasted more like a chardonnay than a sauv blanc due to the sweetness and the density of the wine. Another thing, I didn’t notice this until I started writing this review, but there isn’t a vintage year on the bottle. JC83

A Couple of Italian Reds

Fontella Chianti 2010 $11.95. We had a couple of friends over for dinner and they brought over this Chianti, which we had with dinner. It was a very nice wine with black cherry notes and subtle oak and earth on the palette. Very smooth drinking. JC90

During the same evening, following dinner I opened a cheap Italian wine I had in the ‘cellar’: Dragani Montepulciano D’Abruzzo 2010. At $6.95, I believe it’s tied for the cheapest 750ml bottle of wine that you can buy at the LCBO. You can also buy a 2000ml bottle for $16.95, which is even a better deal. The common rule with dinner parties is that you shouldn’t open a nice bottle after guests have already been consuming a decent amount of alcohol. Since people had been enjoying beer and white wine as well as the Chianti already, I pulled the Dragani out. It was a nice simple, smooth tasting red. Nothing special, but enjoyable all the same. JC86

Chateau Canada

Chateau Canada 2007 $12.10. I picked up a bottle of this French Bordeaux wine after it was announced that it was discontinued at the LCBO. There are only a handful of bottles left in the system. I had held onto this bottle for 4 or 5 months, but figured I’d open it and enjoy it with a pork roast and potatoes. I recommend letting this wine decant for an hour before drinking. The wine seemed to have an earthy smell. It was a smooth tasting wine and quite dry. Nothing wrong with it, however it was not exciting and did not have a long finish. JC85

Kittling Ridge Kingsgate Port

There are a few different Canadian ports offered at the LCBO. They are all under $10. My friend gave me one for my birthday. I wasn’t expecting anything much, but after tasting the Kittling Ridge Kingsgate Port $9.95, I realized that a bargain Canadian port is not bad. The smell was quite nice: sweetness with a mix of fruit, and similar to other ports I’ve had. The downside was the taste. There was not a lot of fruit flavour and a more pronounced alcohol taste than of the more expensive Portugal ports I’ve previously had. JC86

Castillo de Monseran Garnacha

Castillo de Monseran Garnacha 2010 $8.95. This was one of the two bottles of wine I had bought my mom for her birthday at the end of January. We ended up opening it during my birthday. It had black cherry on the nose. The wine was very smooth, easy drinking. This is a nice wine to have on its own or with pasta. JC89