Buyer’s Guide to Vintages January 4th Release

John Szabo’s Vintages Preview January 4: Smart Values even Smarter while HST on Holiday (If Smart at All)

By John Szabo MS, with notes from Sara d’Amato, David Lawrason, Michael Godel and Megha Jandhyala

How Smart are the Smart Buys?

I have no doubt that sales statistics gathered by the LCBO over past decades indicate that shoppers gravitate to lower-priced products in the post-holiday spending hangover. Hence the annual January release of inexpensive wines. Yet I can’t help but wonder about the current and future sagacity of this sales strategy. For many, Dry January has become a tradition. Others, with a less extreme disposition, shift to a sensible “drink less, drink better” approach. In either case, cheap wines no longer fit the zeitgeist.

There are other reasons to abstain from cheap wines. For one, it’s very challenging to produce wine in an environmentally responsible manner that will land on LCBO shelves at $15. Consider the rough calculation that the Ontario retail price equals the ex-cellar cost of a wine (the price at which a producer sells the wine to an importer directly from the cellar) multiplied by about 4 and converted to Canadian dollars.

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This means, for example, that a $15 CAD wine earns a producer in Europe less than 2.5 euros per bottle. Packaging (bottles, corks, capsules, labels, shipping cartons, etc.) can be close to half of that. This leaves 1.25 euros/bottle to cover a full year’s cost of farming and making the wine. The generally lower yields and higher manual labour costs of farming sustainably/organically make such a low ex-cellar price unprofitable. Destructive, high-input, mechanized farming with inflated yields is the only way to maintain some form of profitability, and even then, it’s pennies on the bottle at that price.

There’s also the questionable judiciousness, in our age of hyper-awareness of carbon emissions and climate change, of shipping basic, non-descript tables wines halfway around the world. The carbon cost of a $100 dollar bottle of wine is identical to a $10 bottle (assuming no stupidly heavy glass bottles — that’s another issue). Do we really need these wines on our shores? Wouldn’t they be better served in their region of origin, out of a carafe? I champion distinctiveness and originality, and irreproducible flavours, but these traits are hardly found in wines that cost three euros. Making wines of original character is unavoidably cost intensive. The rest is just fermented grape juice — and Ontario has its own table-wine equivalents.

We tasted more than 50 of the releases at WineAlign HQ, a good number of which were uninspiring, deflating, dull, or downright boring. Nevertheless, the Crü was able to muster some excitement for a handful, which, I suppose, makes the wines that did make it into this week’s buyer’s guide all the more remarkable, even if not necessarily smart. If you’re looking to drink better but still pay less, see your best options below.

Buyer’s Guide January 4: White Wines

Six Hats Chenin Blanc 2024, Western Cape, South Africa
$13.00, VinoLuna
Sara d’Amato – A delightfully easy-drinking chenin blanc: succulent, characterful and a standout among the many value-priced whites of this Vintages release. Youthful, lively and exotic with generous flavours of lime, kiwi and starfruit.
John Szabo – A simple, bright and fruity, dry and crisp, and immediately engaging chenin from South Africa. It would make for a fine sort of house wine.
Megha Jandhyala – This lively, refreshing, and cheerful chenin blanc can serve as a versatile addition to meals, pairing well with seafood, spicy cuisine, and fried appetisers. I especially like its citrusy, faintly salty palate and brisk acidity. To top it all, it costs less than $15!

Brigaldara Soave 2023, Veneto, Italy
$13.00, Rogers & Company
Sara d’Amato – A textbook Soave — elegant, light and bright. As the garganega grape can be in its youthful condition, this is uncomplicated wine with delicate flavours of lemon and pear. Authentic with good concentration and length. May not blow you away but you’ll have a hard time passing on another glass of this nuanced, refreshing wine.
John Szabo – Having tasted this pretty much fresh out of the vat last January, I can report that this attractively priced Soave is drinking perfectly now, delivering all one could hope for and more at the price. The potential of Soave, even at the very entry point, continues to fascinate me.
David Lawrason – This offers all kinds of character for $13, nicely capturing the garganega grape’s penchant for richness and complexity plus the waxy/smoky minerality of the volcanic soils. It is medium- bodied, warming and smooth.

Ohau Woven Stone Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2023, New Zealand
$15.60, VinoLuna
Michael Godel – A unique release from Horowhenua on the lower west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. Lean and like a glass of mineral salts from river terrace soils clearly defined by their elemental make-up. No other New Zealand sauvignon blanc tastes like this.

Le Fils Des Gras Moutons Muscadet Sèvre Et Maine Sur Lie 2023, Loire, France
$16.50, Connexion Oenophilia
Michael Godel – Indelible stamp of Muscadet with a sharp and saline spike of fruit that runs straight down the spine of the wine. Gives the taster a bit of a shiver and so you gotta love it when the minerals of a wine have that kind of effect on physiology.

Emiliana Signos De Origen Chardonnay/Rousanne 2022, Casablanca Valley, Chile
$19.40, PMA Canada
John Szabo – Two uncommon bedfellows — chardonnay and 6% roussanne — join here harmoniously. So much to like, and bonus for organic certification, like all Emiliana’s wines.

Creekside Iconoclast Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 2023, Ontario, Canada
$20.00, Trajectory Beverage Partners
Sara d’Amato – An engaging, classic Bordelaise pairing of lightly barrel-aged sauvignon blanc and semillon from Creekside. This wine is consistently underpriced. Tart but not austere, salty and mouthwatering with notable length.
Michael Godel – A mineral one, befitting the nomenclature as an archetypal constituent fragment, true to its mother rock. In other words the blend of sauvignon blanc and sémillon abides by terroir, to come away clean, salty, searing and distinct.
David Lawrason – This blends sauvignon blanc and semillon aged in barrel, the classic white Bordeaux model — and it’s one of the best examples from Niagara year after year. It shows complex aromas of green chestnut, lime, fig, spruce needle and light wood spice. A substantial but not heavy white for winter enjoyment.

Buyer’s Guide January 4: Red Wines

Château Grand Escalion Safranée 2021, Rhône, France
$12.10, Trajectory Beverage Partners
Sara d’Amato – “Escalion” means “ascent” in the local Provençal dialect and here’s a wine that will give your new year a lift right from the start. Meffre’s Costières de Nîmes Safranée is a syrah-led blend with a healthy dose of grenache. Gently maturing and drinking very well now, the palate offers notes of red cherry, licorice, underbrush, pepper, and hints of wood spice from partial French oak aging along with tannins have been diffused by time in bottle.
Michael Godel – An impressive and robust Rhône red blend quite ferric from iron red soils or something that simulates that feeling because the minerals rarely speak so prominently in a $14 wine (or $12 and change without HST).

Domaine Skouras Cuvée Prestige Agiorgitiko/Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, Peloponnese, Greece
$13.00, Kolonaki Group Inc
John Szabo – What a lovely, well-balanced, authentic red here from the Peloponnese, with local hero agiorgitiko playing merlot’s role with cabernet sauvignon. Don’t expect great shakes of complexity, but pleasure and drinkability are high; can’t go wrong at the price — a house or by-the-glass selection to be sure.
Megha Jandhyala – This surprisingly affordable and ready-to-drink blend of agiorgitiko and cabernet sauvignon is fresh and light, with a guileless, unassuming demeanour that I find appealing. Plentiful red and dark fruit are juxtaposed against herbs, while the palate feels gently fleshy and tart.

Karl’s Scepter Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, South Australia
$13.90, NAVBEV INC
Michael Godel – Not sure the makers of higher-priced Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon are all too pleased with this pricing, but the wine does indeed represent the Terra Rossa terroir with terrific mineral distinction. And we know you can age this label three to five years.

Hammeken Cellars Beloki Rioja Crianza 2019, Rioja, Spain
$13.90, Family Wine Merchants
David Lawrason – This offers considerable complexity and surprising youth with jammy fig, plummy fruit, cedary wood spice, vanillin and dried herbs. It is medium weight and nicely balanced with good Rioja acidity, moderated alcohol and fine tannin.

Domaine Fond Croze Le Serre De La Garde Côtes Du Rhône 2022, Rhône, France
$14.70, VinoLuna
Sara d’Amato – A blend of organic grenache (70%) and syrah (30%) from the lieu-dit of “Le Serre de la Garde” — also a panoramic trail in Cairanne — made by an estate located just outside of the town of Vaison la Romaine, a charming mix of ancient Roman ruins and laid-back Provençal ambiance. Potent with brambly garrigue and the warmth expected of the region, yet the wine also offers elegance and restraint.

Torre Zambra Madia Montepulciano D’abruzzo 2021, Abruzzo, Italy
$14.70, Marchands des Ameriques
John Szabo – The de Cerchio family’s entry point montepulciano, aged exclusively in concrete, is a pleasantly plush and round, plump and fruity, highly drinkable wine with broad appeal. Certified organic.
David Lawrason – This is a delicious, well-constructed, almost juicy young montepulciano. Very lively with a generous nose of blackberry, fresh herbs and minerality. No oak here. It is medium weight with fresh acidity, grippy tannin and moderate alcohol. A great winter red from Italy.

Marynissen Cabernet Franc 2022, Ontario, Canada
$16.50, Michael Andrew Brands
Sara d’Amato – In the realm of Niagara cabernet franc priced at under $20, this is a leading value and exemplifies a style I hope to see more frequently. Cleanly made with vibrant juiciness and an abundance of red fruit. The tannins are fine-grained, offering immediate drinkability with delicate spice, complemented by a subtle hint of bitterness. A well-balanced package that firmly asserts its origin.

Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant 2022, California, Usa
$19.10, Family Wine Merchants
John Szabo – A blend of Grenache, syrah, cinsault and a splash of petite sirah, this once-iconic Central Coast red, established in 1983, has taken a more commercial tack since founder/inventor Randall Grahm sold the company and brand in 2020 and production was ramped up. Yet it remains a lovely wine in any case, and replacing the original mourvèdre component with lighter, softer cinsault serves to create a fruitier and easier style, with a definite savoury-herbal, Rhône-like twist with sweet California fruit underpinning. I’d pick this over countless other California reds in the price category, minimally oaked, genuinely dry, and smooth and fruity as it is.
Megha Jandhyala – If you are looking for a delicious and comforting wine that is reasonably priced, the 2022 Le Cigar Volant is a great choice. It is full of character and charm – I love the lush red and dark fruit on display here, accompanied by appealing flavours of woody herbs, pepper, and torn violet petals. I would buy a couple of bottles of this wine for my bar to serve guests over the winter and spring.

Verraco Ridge Monterey County Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, California, USA
$20.00, Charton Hobbs     
David Lawrason – New to me, this sturdy but not austere cabernet is not too sweet, which can often be the case in this price range. It reminds me of Chilean cabernet, with currant/blackberry, green herbs/evergreen and modest oak. It is medium-full bodied, firm and warmish.

Trinity Hill Syrah 2021, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
$20.80, Connexion Oenophilia
Sara d’Amato – A captivating northern Rhône-style syrah with an irresistible perfume. Black pepper leads on the nose of this distinctive, moderate-climate style that is both firm and generous. Grab a few while you can!
John Szabo – Syrah specialist Trinity Hill brings us an impressive example here with the 2021, displaying plenty of varietal character in a proper cool climate idiom. A wine to drink now or hold 3–4 years.
David Lawrason – This great value pours with classic, deep purple-ruby syrah colour. The nose is plummy, very floral/lilac with underlying pepper and vanillin. It is medium-full bodied, quite thick yet balanced with fine tannin.
Megha Jandhyala – Perfect for cold, wintery afternoons, this is a strikingly peppery Syrah. It is equal parts fruity and savoury, with a dense but balanced palate, lush with fruit, herbs, and violets, followed by an equally distinctive finish.

Trasqua Fanatico Riserva Chianti Classico 2018, Tuscany, Italy
$21.70, Frontier Wine Merchants

Michael Godel – Fanatico has truly hit its intended and desired stride, now in a state of wildly exotic flux. Hard to turn away from its charms and flush of fruity excitement.
Megha Jandhyala – For those who enjoy savoury wines that are beginning to show some signs of maturity, this very reasonably-priced Chianti Classico has a lot to offer. Though it can be cellared for a few more years, it is drinking well now – nuances of meat, blood, spice, and herbs join almost exuberant notes of perfectly ripe red fruit and violets, while the finish is long and engaging.

That’s all for this report, see you ’round the next bottle. 

 John Szabo, MS

Use these quick links for access to all of our January 4th Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 30 days prior.
John’s Top Picks – January 4th
Lawrason’s Take – January 4th
Megha’s Picks – January 4th
Michael’s Mix – January 4th
Sara’s Selections – January 4th

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