Buyers Guide to Vintages July 18th Release
Summer Smart Buys, and a Call for the Industry to Dismantle “Wine’s Culture of Intimidation and Snobbery”
By John Szabo MS, with notes from David Lawrason, Michael Godel, and Megha Jandhyala
We’re coming at you a couple of days later than usual with the buyer’s guide for the latest Vintages release, as most of the WineAlign Crü spent much of last week in Niagara for the annual International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration — or i4C as its known — which celebrated its 16th anniversary this year. It has long been a highlight on the calendar, with grand tastings on Friday and Saturday nights and a robust schedule of winery visits, as well as a full day on Thursday at the “School of Cool.”
This year’s keynote speech was delivered by celebrated sommelier Véronique Rivest, followed by three panel sessions that went deep into cool chardonnay. If you skipped school, you’ll find a link below to Véronique’s rallying cry to the industry to do a better job communicating to customers, and for provincial governments across Canada to make it easier, and cheaper, for restaurants to buy and serve wine. It’s essential reading. I’ve also drafted a recap of the school of cool sessions in which a coherent narrative emerged: cool-climate producers everywhere are converging on precision, restraint and site transparency, even as they arrive there by very different routes.
“Summer Smart Buys” is the main, and sensible, thematic for the July 18 Vintages release. There are, of course, many ways to define what exactly fits into this category, but in this case, statistically speaking, the LCBO’s average price for wines in the feature is $19.36, with a high of $37.95 for Roberto Sarotto Barolo, a questionable summer “smart buy” on both style and price (not tasted), and a low of $12.95 for the Colombelle Colombard/Sauvignon Blanc, which easily makes it on to my list of wines to stock up on this summer. All in all, there are 11 whites, nine reds, two roses, and two sakes in the feature. But whether part of the feature or not, the Crü has picked out the best buys of the lot, as usual, including triple alignment on a pair of Italian whites from Friuli and Le Marche.
i4C Keynote Address by Véronique Rivest
In her keynote address, sommelier, wine bar owner, and Air Canada wine curator Véronique Rivest reframes what might have been a straightforward talk on Canadian chardonnay into a broader argument about connection. She opens by naming the rigid liquor laws that constrain Canada’s restaurant and wine industries, then pivots to the deeper theme of her talk: that wine has always been about people, not just product. She argues that Canadian chardonnay has matured past the need to prove itself against Old World benchmarks and has found its own voice, one shaped by the country’s cool climate and remarkably diverse regions. The bulk of her speech is a call to dismantle wine’s culture of intimidation and snobbery in favor of genuine hospitality, meeting consumers — especially younger, values-driven drinkers — where they are rather than correcting them. She closes by urging the industry to focus not on making better wine, since Canada already does, but on telling more honest, authentic stories that connect each bottle to the place and people behind it. Read the full transcript.
i4C School of Cool 2026: Three Sessions, One Emerging Story
The School of Cool program at this year’s International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration delivered what its name promises: a working education in what cool-climate winemaking actually looks like right now, told through three quite different lenses — Canadian chardonnay by province, the coming-of-age of Canadian traditional-method sparkling, and a global tour of pinot noir and chardonnay built around limestone and chalk. Taken together, the three panels sketched a single, coherent narrative: cool-climate producers everywhere are converging on precision, restraint and site transparency, even as they arrive there by very different routes. Read the full article.
Buyer’s Guide Vintages July 18: White & Rosé & Sparkling
Colombelle Colombard/sauvignon Blanc 2024, Southwest, France
$12.95, Vinexx
John Szabo – Pretty tough to beat this value if you’re looking for a simple fruity white with a sauvignon blanc-like, tropical fruit profile. And at just 11% ABV declared, you can sip an extra glass or two.
Man Family Warrelwind Sauvignon Blanc 2025, Western Cape, South Africa
$14.95, Vonterra
John Szabo – Another sharp value sauvignon from South Africa, plump and pleasantly flavoured with impressive depth and fleshiness at the price.
La Guardiense Janare Fiano 2025, Campania, Italy
$19.95, The Vine Agency
John Szabo – The Guardiense cooperative does a generally bang-up job of making great introductory wines for native Campanian varieties, and this is a gateway fiano to be sure. It delivers all the necessary fine, flinty, citrus, sweet-herbal and yellow flower flavours of the grape, with balanced acids and good weight and depth, also length. I’d be pouring a wine like this by the glass if I owned a restaurant or wine bar. Distinctive but approachable, a delight to discover.
Paddy Borthwick Pinot Gris 2025, Wairarapa, New Zealand
$19.95, Nicholas Pearce Wines Inc.
Michael Godel – Paddy Borthwick knows pinot gris, and from 2025 there is the bonus of an extra layer of ripe, very fleshy and clearly riveting fruit. A substantial pinot gris.
Ahi Ka Blackmore Grower Sauvignon Blanc 2024, Marlborough, New Zealand
$20.95, Nicholas Pearce Wines Inc.
Michael Godel – Green grassy and green tree fruit juicy, coming from a producer that means “keeping the home fires burning.” This example of sauvignon blanc does indeed keep things stable and provides the necessity of good drinking sauvignon blanc.
Boutari The Authentic Assyrtiko 2025, Macedonia, Greece
$23.95, The Kolonaki Group Inc.
John Szabo – Like the fiano from Campania above, this is a gateway assyrtiko from Macedonia and the Boutari family, much softer and fruitier, and approachable, than most examples from Santorini. Flavour intensity is high, in the white peach and lemon zest spectrum, and length is very good to excellent with a gently saline feeling on the finish.
Santadi Villa Solais Vermentino 2024, Sardinia, Italy
$21.95, Woodman Wines & Spirits
David Lawrason – This is a solid, balanced white with Sardinia’s Mediterranean clime lowering acidity and building in weight, but it is in balance, nonetheless. The nose shows quite ripe, almost tropical banana/papaya and lychee, with a waxy and floral note. It is medium-full bodied, open yet balanced, with a hint of sweetness and some stoniness on the finish.
Creekside Backyard Block Sauvignon Blanc 2024, Ontario, Canada
$22.00, Trajectory Beverage Partners
David Lawrason – A complex, balanced sauvignon from the house that first introduced this variety to Ontario in the 1990s. Expect lifted fresh dill, green tomato, avocado, lemon oil and candle wax, in no particular order. It is medium weight, open knit, fresh with excellent length.
E. Guigal Côtes Du Rhône Rosé 2025, Rhône, France
$23.95, Vinexx
David Lawrason – This is a classic, comfy, fairly rich and smooth rose with almost billowing aromas of cherry jam, watermelon, anise, rosewater and saffron notes. It is medium weight and a bit low in acid yet hangs onto some freshness. Complete and delicious for sipping or dining.
Megha Jandhyala – From stalwart producer Guigal comes this ripe and robust rose, with vivid flavours of dark cherries, red summer berries, resinous herbs and blood oranges. I would pair it with grilled salmon or an egg biryani.
Puiatti Friuli Pinot Grigio 2024, Friuli, Italy
$23.95, Profile Wine Group (Barrique)
Michael Godel – Just enough of a crisp pique creates some ebb, rise and flow for a pinot grigio otherwise marked by the classic phenolic grip of Friuli. Both curious and unique, certainly for the variety.
John Szabo – I like the stony, citrus-driven profile of this pinot grigio, with more depth and concentration than the mean, also fine length. There’s a touch of phenolic grip on the palate alongside its pleasant, refreshing bitterness, making it a good candidate with weightier fish and poultry.
David Lawrason – This shows a quite generous and complex nose of wildflower, honey, peach with a hint of fennel — more interesting than many grigios. It is light-to-medium bodied, quite firm and a bit lemony tart, but not too rigid or austere. The flavour depth is excellent, with some chalky minerality on the finish.
Vérizet Cve De Vire Vieilles Vignes Viré-clessé 20242024, Burgundy, France
$24.95, Profile Wine Group (Du Chasse)
John Szabo – I’m loving the 2024 vintage for Burgundy whites, a cool and fresh year like it used to be before climate change started wreaking havoc on the classic style. This is a lovely, creamy-fresh, lemon curd-flavoured example of old vine Viré-Clessé, sharply priced in the Burgundian context, enjoyable now but should hold until the end of the decade without issue.
Volta Amphora Knotty Vines Vineyard Chardonnay 2024, Ontario, Canada
$31.95, Volta Estate Winery
Michael Godel – Properly, even classically, reductive with mineral salts and citrus spritz in the air above the glass. A PEC chardonnay if ever there was one to exult and experience the grape in its natural cool-climate habitat. Tasted twice, first at i4C, July 2026.
Charles Baker Laundry Vineyard Riesling 2024, Ontario, Canada
$34.95, Stratus Vineyards
Megha Jandhyala – This single-vineyard riesling is gorgeous and should pair beautifully with creamy, spice-infused foods like khao soi or Goan fish curry. I love its lush texture and impeccable balance, and also its concentrated flavour profile.
Belisario Cambrugiano Riserva Verdicchio Di Matelica 2021, Marche, Italy
$39.95, Cru Wine Merchants
Michael Godel – A level of richness and suave expression that does separate Belisario’s from most other whites of its ilk. The mix of fine acids, ripe fruit meets obvious mineral, and a phenolic presence all add up to quite a serious wine.
John Szabo – Clearly a serious, premium expression of verdicchio, among Italy’s finest white varieties, displaying a wide range of ripe, yellow-fleshed orchard fruit, wildflower honey, toasted almonds and more. I love the rich, creamy texture imparted by partial barrel ageing yet without intrusive oak flavour, and length and depth are excellent. Serve at the table rather than on the patio and let it unfold slowly over the course of an evening in a large glass.
David Lawrason – I have been waiting for Verdicchio of this caliber to show up here ever since doing a deep dive in this Adriatic region 20 years ago. A substantial, complex, maturing and intriguing white with almost tropical apricot/papaya fruit, fresh herbs, wood spice and some nuttiness. Very nicely done. The length is excellent.
Divergence Signature Frontier Block Grimsby Hillside Vineyard Chardonnay 2023, Ontario, Canada
$53.00, Marynissen Estates Limited
David Lawrason – Every time I taste a chardonnay from this increasingly famous vineyard I almost swoon at the silken texture, power and depth. This is so rich and elegant. Expect all kinds of hazelnut, subtle butter, vanilla, toast and French oak barrel. It is medium weight, creamy and very polished with some heat and what feels like a bit of residual sugar, but perhaps just fruit and barrel sweetness. Beautifully textured.
Fresne Ducret Le Chemin Du Chemin Premier Cru Champagne, Champagne, France
$68.95, Nicholas Pearce Wines Inc.
Megha Jandhyala – Enticingly creamy, nutty and toasty, yet firm and balanced, with gently unfurling layers of dried fruit, this is a memorable Champagne. It should pair well with rich foods like gougères, butter-poached lobster or a creamy cheese like camembert.
Buyer’s Guide Vintages July 18: Red
Château De Poncié Beaujolais-villages Rouge 2022, Beaujolais, France
$19.95, Woodman Wines & Spirits
Megha Jandhyala – Joyful and juicy, with ripe red and dark berry flavours and hints of herbs, bramble and meat, this is an appealing and accessibly-priced gamay. I especially enjoy how supple and breezy it feels on the palate and its upbeat finish.
Venturini Valpolicella Classico 2024, Veneto, Italy
$21.95, Vintage Trade Wine
Michael Godel – Solid, weighty and surprisingly firm tannic style for Valpolicella. Feels like some higher slope fruit is used in this cuvée. Would like to see another year (or two) to get behind this traditional, and well-made Valpo.
John Szabo – Full of textbook cherry and bitter almond/marzipan flavours, this is a well-balanced, lively and smooth red with high drinkability if not massive depth and complexity. But it’s fully fit for purpose, to chill lightly and drink over the near term.
Oenops Dot Series Xinomavro 2024, Naoussa, Greece
$31.95, Nicholas Pearce Wines Inc.
John Szabo – A perfumed, firm and bright example of Northern Greece’s great red variety, typically firm and dusty as xinomavro wants, but not overbearing. While it will continue to evolve, I’d suggest enjoying over the near term with salty protein to aid in the softening while still enjoying the vibrant fruit.
Domaine Bourgogne Devaux Bourgogne Hautes Côtes De Beaune 2022, Burgundy, France
$39.95, Glencairn Wine Merchants
David Lawrason – This offers good authenticity, detail and stuffing for Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, arguing the case that budget-mind Burgundy fans should be looking “up the hautes” for value. It captures bright and lifted pinot cherry/strawberry, fresh underbrush greens, fine oak toast and spice. It is medium weight, firm and tight, so you may want to age it two years.
Black Bank Hill Pinot Noir 2023, Ontario, Canada
$49.95, Black Bank Hill
David Lawrason – This is a very pretty, lively and juicy pinot showing some sophistication. A nicely gentle touch here. The nose is aromatically spot-on with well-meshed fine red strawberry/cherry fruit, fine red rose and vanillin, and nutmeg from the barrels. The acid is crisp but not tart, the tannins are a bit starchy. The length is excellent.
And that’s a wrap for July 4. Our review of the next July 18 release will be delayed by a couple of days as all of us will be at i4C on the dates we normally taste Vintages releases. The theme is summer wines, with yet another focus on local chardonnays.
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 July 18th Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 60 days prior.
John’s Top Picks – July 18th
Lawrason’s Take – July 18th
Megha’s Picks – July 18th
Michael’s Mix – July 18th
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