WINES OF THE WEEK

Every week, Bill Zacharkiw shares his top wine picks available at the SAQ and offers ideas for the most delicious food pairings.

UNDER $16

Douro 2019, Flor de Crasto, Quinta do Crasto, Portugal red, $14, SAQ #10838579.

I love being surprised by inexpensive wines. All I want is drinkability with a sense of place, which this little Douro achieves with great success. Easy tannins, lots of fruit, and a finish that is balanced between acidity and fruit. But this goes a step further, showing really nice florals and some spice notes. Simple if you want it to be, but there's more if you want to swirl and dig around. Grape varieties: Tinta roriz, touriga francesa, touriga nacional. Residual sugar: 1.9 g/l.

Serve at: 16 C. Drink now.

Food pairing ideas: Apéritif, stir-fries with oyster sauce and ginger.

$ 16-$ 20

Bourgogne 2019, Émotions Minérales, La Chablisienne, France white, $18.95, SAQ #13946760.

If Chablis is out of your price range, this is the next best thing. In fact, if tasted blind, I would call it Chablis. It shows the classic green apple notes, just enough texture to round out the acidity and that mineral core. I was asked recently to name my top five whites under $20, and this was near the top of the list. Really good value here.

Grape variety: Chardonnay. Residual sugar: 1.4 g/l.

Serve at: 8-10 C. Drink now. Food pairing ideas: Apéritif, raw oysters, mussels.

$ 20-$ 25 Côtes du Roussillon 2019, No Added Sulphites, Domaine Cazes, France red, $23, SAQ #13837512.

Organic. For those of you who want lower sulphites, here you go. But more importantly, this is a really good, richly textured wine. The Grenache brings dark cherry and a slight meatiness. The Syrah brings the structure along with darker fruit notes and a black olive finish. Ripe, juicy and lengthy. Tasty!

Grape varieties: Grenache, Syrah. Residual sugar: 1.6 g/l.

Serve at: 18 C. Drink now.

Food pairing idea: Roast chicken with black olives.

$25 AND UP

Toscana 2018, Lucente, Luce della Vite, Italy red, $34.10, SAQ #860627.

The second wine from Frescobaldi's Luce brings you many of the same characteristics, but for a fraction of the price of the famous Super Tuscan. Merlot-driven with just enough sangiovese to give it some edge. You get a whole lot of texture in the mid-palate. The aromatics are generous, with lots of red fruits and vanilla notes. The tannins have some grip — enough to tighten up the finish nicely and add some barrel-driven spice. If you still think Merlot is too soft, drink this.

Grape varieties: Merlot, sangiovese.

Residual sugar: 3.5 g/l.

Serve at: 18 C. Drink now-2024. Food pairing idea: Beef stew.