Time to Revisit VINTAGES Shop Online

Julian Hitner

For those unfamiliar with the VINTAGES Shop Online (or VSO) programme, several years back the LCBO began offering wines exclusively over the web, with all payments to be made directly online. As mentioned in a previous column, the programme has only enjoyed mixed success, due mainly to the fact that so few wine lovers know about its existence. An additional problem is that all purchases must be picked up at local LCBO outlets of customers’ choice. There is no home delivery.

On a positive note, the VSO programme often features vast quantities of bin ends on sale, wines that never reach LCBO shelves for one reason or another. On average, price reductions range from 15-25% per bottle, which in some cases represent fabulous deals. At time of publication, there are 95 bin ends available for ordering on the VSO website. Here are a few favourites:

Great Value Whites:

Alkoomi 2005 Wandoo Semillon ($24.75) has been reduced from $32.95 and is a marvellous choice. Though the Hunter Valley in New South Wales is much more famous for its own versions of immaculate dry Semillon, the grape seems to do extremely well in many other parts of Australia, from the Barossa Valley in South Australia to Frankland River in Western Australia. The ’05 Wandoo is finely aged and full of vitality and flavour.

Dunham Cellars 2009 Shirley Mays Chardonnay ($20.05) has been reduced from $24.00 and is a neat, refreshing offering. On the whole, my familiarity with Washington State whites is somewhat minimal, as this particular part of the Pacific Northwest really is more famous for its reds. Perhaps I’ll have more to say about this matter in the future. In the meantime, the ’09 Shirley Mays should find favour with many fellow wine lovers.

Top Choice Reds:

Fall Line 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon ($21.00) has been reduced from $27.00 and represents incredible value for money. Sourced from the Yakima Valley, it seems remarkably youthful for a wine already six years old, at least when examined in the LCBO tasting lab. At 15% alcohol, it demands appreciable quantities of food. Decanting is also merited.

Château des Erles 2004 Fitou ($31.45) has been reduced from $51.00 and is a brilliant example of a properly aged Roussillon. A blend of Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah (percentages unknown), it hails from an appellation worth getting to know. Located just south of Corbières not excessively far from the border with Spain, Fitou was granted appellation status as early as 1948. Decanting is highly recommended.

Coriole 2007 Lloyd Reserve Shiraz ($37.90) has been reduced from $49.00 and has a very long life ahead of it. The Flagship label of Coriole, I have tasted many vintages of this wine over the past several years. Immensely pleasurable now, the ‘07 will easily keep for another ten years, provided it is cellared in the proper conditions. Decanting is definitely advisable.

Upcoming Postings:

For the past two years, I have been painstakingly preparing notes of my favourite wines for publication on WineAlign. It has been a very slow process, as most of my notes cover a vast premium spectrum of fine wine production. However, a few months ago I finally began visualizing a faint glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Long story short: there are great quantities of notes on the way!

Cheers,

Julian Hitner

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Critic reviews for many of the VINTAGES Shop Online wines can be found on WineAlign. The wines can be identified by this shopping bag symbol. Clicking on the symbol will take you directly to the VINTAGES website where you confirm availability and place your order.