6 Wines I Think You Should Try

By Piotr Golinski

I love a good wine pun. It started off as making fun of people who say “just one glass” while pulling out what is essentially a fish bowl instead of a standard wine glass. This has since become a wonderful staple meme that never goes out of style.

That’s how it always starts though. Laughing as other people pull out comically larger and larger wine drinking vessels and cringing at the kitschy home decor like this one.

And then I start ironically buying these and gifting them to friends and family as “joke gifts”. Before I know it, I’m making my own “joke gifts” out of canvas and wood from Michaels. I’m casually collecting a detailed list of beautiful wine puns from etsy, and coming up with my own such as “Looking good and feeling fine wine”. How great would that be written on a wine glass, right?

It’s been forty seven years and I am now a slave to the kitschy wine decor business. I make white wooden signs that say “In this house we value: Love, Wine, Honesty, Wine, Respect, and finally did I mention wine?” until my hands bleed. The wine overlords have shackled me and keep me hostage. I am allowed one sniff of a mysterious 2016 merlot that could be either Italian or French. I don’t really know? I mostly just make stuff up and pretend to point out notes of “a subtle oaky charred flavour that carries a singing black currant flavour up into the back of my tongue.”

All jokes aside, I clearly love wine, so I thought I’d bring forward a small collection of my favourites in case you wanted to try something different and didn’t know where to start. Although I promise you the friendly LCBO employee will know a heck of a lot more than myself – but they won’t have my sweet charm – so I’d understand if you took my suggestions with a grain of salt.

I am mostly a red and dry type of girl so if you’re favourite wine is Jacob’s Creek Moscato, then I’m sorry we have to part ways. You may as well stop reading now. That being said, I’m not opposed to white and rose once in a while so if you’re looking for that, I’ll throw in a bone or two for you.

Finally, descriptions/food suggestions are taken directly from LCBO.com. Why reinvent the wheel when they’ve already done such a wonderful job. I do not claim to have written them myself.

Bread & Butter Pinot Noir (obviously)

Based in California’s Napa Valley, Bread & Butter makes easy-going and approachable wines for everyday occasions year round. This pinot noir shows generous fruit with notes of oak toast, mixed berries and red plum. Floral and nutty hints grace a long, silky finish. Serve with grilled salmon, duck breast or mushroom risotto.

2. Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

This red wine has its fruit sourced throughout California’s Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties. It is ruby red in colour with ripe aromas and flavours of plum, floral notes, jam, candied fruit and baking spices. The palate is rich and round, with velvety tannins and flavours of plum jam and licorice on a long finish.

3. Pelee Island Ruggles Run Gamay Zweigelt VQA

Medium ruby colour with a pale pink rim; aromas of blackberry, herbs and spices with smoke and floral notes; dry, medium bodied with moderate acidity and tannins with flavours of blackberries, green herbs, spices and smoke.

4. La Vieille Ferme Rose Ventoux AOC

Grapes grown on the slopes of France’s Mont Ventoux ripen slowly at cooler temperatures, maintaining fruit flavours and fresh acidity. This wine is pale rose in colour, with upfront aromas of watermelon and red fruit. Extra dry and medium-bodied, with melon and red fruit flavours. Serve chilled with tarragon chicken.

5. Yellow Tail Chardonnay

From Australia’s largest family-owned wine company, a wine that’s easy to drink and to understand. Aromas of shortbread, yellow pear, floral note, nuts and ginger. On the palate, it is extra dry and medium-bodied, with notes of pastry, pear and nuts leading to a clean finish. Serve with roast chicken or creamy pasta.

6. Yellow Tail Cabernet Sauvignon

Deep purple with intense aromas of prune and candy/vanilla. The palate is rich with confectionary black fruit, black olive and wood spice. The finish is rich and mellow.