911!!!! – Big Red Sale

The wines featured in this article are readily available at the LCBO and are represented in Ontario by Azureau Wines & Spirits.
Read more about Azureau and their wine portfolio at the bottom of this article.

The Big Red Sale is on!

The Big Red Sale

Riondo Castelforte 2014 Vinea Corvina, Veneto, Italy

Sara d’Amato: A lovely, pure expression of Corvina made in an accessible and ready to drink style. Mid-weight to full-bodied, with delicate notes of sandalwood and a very hint of sweet clove and floral. Highly appealing and very drinkable.

Rioja Vega 2014 Crianza, Spain

David Lawrason: Great value in this somewhat old school but impressive Rioja. This has a quite rich, exotic, rather meaty nose with vanillin, all kinds of spice, cigar and ripe prune/cherry fruit. It is medium-full bodied, quite supple, dense and rich with very fine tannin. Somewhat meaty flavours here but there is impressive complexity and flavour depth, and the balance is very good. The length is very good to excellent.

Castaño Ecológico 2016 Barrica Monastrell, Yecla, Spain

Sara d’Amato: A very well priced monastrell (mourvèdre), organically grown and offering a wealth of fruit. Typically deeply coloured but the intensity common to the varietal is less apparent here and is replaced by friendly, penetrable character. Oak factors little into the mix of flavours on the peppery, fruit-forward palate. Fleshy and generous with tannins that are ripe and accessible enough for immediate enjoyment. Well-made, widely appealing and ready to drink.

The Big Red Sale

Azureau Wines & Spirits

Azureau Wines & Spirits was founded on a basic principle: Inspire Loyalty. From the quality of products to their price to the sales person who represents them, a standard must be upheld that keeps clients coming back for more. Company founder, Dan Rabinovitch, learned the value of this credo from his years as a marketing manager at Vincor where he managed the Jackson-Triggs and Inniskillin brands. “I learned this business at the feet of giants in Canadian wine sales. Pioneers like Don Triggs, Allan Jackson, and Donald Ziraldo understood how competitive this business is and how we have to over-deliver every day to keep our clients happy,” explains Rabinovitch.

Azureau began in 2007 with a handful of boutique wineries from the Mediterranean. Hence the name: Azure for blue and Eau for water. “I have found the wines of Southern France, Spain, and Italy to be some of the most exciting and best values out there today,” says Rabinovitch whose portfolio covers every notable region in Spain including the Iconic Bodegas Roda, Rioja Vega, and Enrique Mendoza.

The agency’s focus has broadened over recent years with the addition of several best-in-class wineries like Casas del Bosque (Chile), Clos Pegase (Napa), Giullio Cocchi (Piedmont), and Bodegas Salentein (Argentina). “We don’t feel our portfolio needs to be everywhere; just excellent wherever we are,” Rabinovitch says with pride. The agency has a comprehensive process for vetting new suppliers which includes pre-tasting any wines with its network of leading Toronto sommelier-buyers. The agency turns away many more wineries and distilleries than it eventually works with in this process to ensure every product that comes to market is outstanding. “Our products have become an important component of some of Ontario’s leading restaurants; places like Bar Raval, Patria, and the Distillery Group of Restaurants. I don’t think you can achieve that without hard work and eye for quality,” concludes Rabinovitch.

Azureau Wines & Spirits has six sales representatives covering the province of Ontario.