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If I Could Buy Only One – November 2nd Vintages Release
We asked our writers, “If you could buy only one wine from the November 2nd release, which one would it be and why?” Morandé Vitis Única Carmenère 2021, Maipo Valley, Chile$18.95, Majestic Wine Cellars Sara d’Amato – If, like me, you favour reds with a more ethereal character, this impeccably balanced and distinctive carmenère provides exceptional […] More
By John Szabo, MS Campania is a region of singular beauty in the southern Italian Peninsula. It includes the Phlegraean Islands, Ischia, Procida, Vivara and Nisida, and the jewel, Capri, under its administrative umbrella. With nearly 6 million inhabitants, it is Italy’s 3rd most populous, and, as anyone who has travelled in its capital city […] More
Buyer’s Guide to Vintages November 2nd Release
John Szabo’s Vintages Preview November 2: Premium (Greatest Hits?) California, and The Best From Campania Felix By John Szabo MS, with notes from Sara d’Amato, David Lawrason, and Michael Godel This week Vintages brings us a release with a “Premium California” theme, though the LCBO’s selection could well have been named “California’s Greatest Hits.” Those […] More
National Wine Awards of Canada
Canada's premier wine awards. In 2022, 24 judges tasted over 1,900 wines from 250 wineries across the country to identify Canada's top wines.
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Exchange Wine Club SubscriptionBrunello di Montalcino is one of the most prestigious appellations in Italy, born in the 19th Century in its present form thanks to the efforts of the Biondi-Santi family, who defined its rules and have largely guided it to the present day. The wines are made from 100% Sangiovese grape, in particular from a clone called Sangiovese Grosso, or also as Brunello - hence the appellation's name. Traditionally, the wine goes through an extended maceration period where color, tannins and flavour are extracted from the skins. Following fermentation the wine is then aged in oak. Traditionally, the wines are aged 3 years or more in "botti" - large Slovenian oak casks that impart little oak flavour and generally produce more austere wines. Some winemakers will use small French barrels which impart a more pronounced vanilla oak flavour and add a certain fruitiness to the wine. Whatever the approach, wines must be aged for for years (with a minimum of two years in barrel) before being released, according to appellation rules.