Add a little razzle dazzle to quarantine life

This February is many things: another month of movie nights at home, virtual visits with friends that make us miss them more and, of course, the fun-filled adventure that is co-working with the whole fam.

When shopping for the bare necessities we end up wanting to get in and out as fast as we can.

Wine shopping can be fun, but lingering has lost its lustre. So here’s a shopping list of delicious drops that you can snap up to add a little razzle dazzle to your quarantine life. Every bottle is a wonderful alternative to your go-to winter wines. And the first one is a local find.

The 2019 Bricklayer’s Reward “20 Barrels” Chardonnay VQA Niagara Lakeshore hits shelves Feb. 6 (Vintages 644609, $18.95) and is a well-priced beaut from Colio Estate Wines. It shines pale lemon with bright gold inflections, wafts with the fragrance of baked pears drizzled with honey, and beams in with bright, mouth-watering fruit cloaked in buttery-nutty flavours that call to mind pralines and cream. The wine is dry and smooth with impeccable balance and pristine purity. And it’s gorgeous with all sorts of foods — even grilled cheese, but hold the ketchup. Score: 92

While many wine lovers associate crisp whites with warmer weather, don’t discount them this time of year. Some styles, such as Chablis, are a delight any season, especially with fish or seafood dunked in drawn butter. I’ll leave you with that image for a moment.

Chablis is a bone-dry white wine from the region of the same name in France. And it can warm the cockles of your heart.

If that idea tickles your fancy, reach for the 2018 Joseph Drouhin “Drouhin-Vaudon” Chablis (LCBO 284026, $31.95). Like all Chablis, this wine is pure Chardonnay. And it’s a silky swirl of vinosity with the fine fragrance of crushed stones and lemon oil. The smooth entry unspools with cool allusions of lemon zest, sea salt, struck steel and flint. Then each sip tapers to a long finish of nougat and nut. Score: 93

The recently released 2018 J. Moreau & Fils Chablis (Vintages 466144, $24.95) is also worth your attention. The nose is restrained but articulate with suggestions of mixed citrus and almond. The palate is brisk, citric and mineral with classic briny underpinnings that persist. This Chablis is a touch lighter weight and less concentrated than the one by Drouhin, but it’s also very good. Score: 90

For a more fruit-forward, tropical tasting wine with a touch of sweetness, consider the 2019 Baden Gewürztraminer from Germany (LCBO 336735, $12). The scent of lychees and elderflower cordial draw you in. Then saturated flavours of the same follow through, laced with orange zest, mango and a pleasant little hint of rosewater somewhere. The effect is vivid and lit with bracing acidity that leaves the palate scraped clean. This wine works especially well with honey-garlic ribs or hot-sour-salty-sweet Thai noodles. Score: 92

If you’re a red wine drinker who hankers for ripe, full-fruited styles, California’s 2018 Carnivor Zinfandel (LCBO 569905, $17.95) hits the mark. The nose is all about macerated black forest fruit, grill marks and black peppercorns with more of the same on the palate. The robust flavours are rich, round and mouthcoating while the firm yet velvety structure hems in the big fruit. Just the kind of wine to get you wielding tongs and firing up the grill in the dead of winter. Score: 90

From Lebanon’s oldest winery comes 2018 Château Ksara Old Vine Carignan, a juicy red from the Bekaa Valley (Vintages 18221, $20.95). This hidden gem arrives in stores Feb. 6 and it’s pure Carignan made from low-yielding old vines. The wine opens with fresh, ripe forest fruit on the nose before quenching with a cashmere crush of wild strawberries, blueberries and blackcurrant with a lingering dried herb finish. Delicious with braised meat dishes or a plate of mushroom perogies with a good dollop of sour cream and maybe some fried onions on top. Score: 92

Also delicious is the 2019 Ascheri Langhe DOC Barbera from Piedmont in Italy (LCBO 219790, now $12.95, regular $14.95). Barbera is the most planted red grape variety in Piedmont. It’s an easy-drinking style that’s perfect with pizza or pasta. And this undervalued bottle should be on your radar. On the nose, the fragrance of damsons and violet, rye bread and graphite lead to an elegantly structured palate. The fruit is bright and lifted while savoury, earthy, mineral notes add interest and leave the palate perfectly seasoned. Score: 92

And do yourself a favour and keep a bottle of the 2017 Tokaji Szamorodni Sweet PDO from Hungary (LCBO 460493, $15.90) on hand. This treat of a wine offers shockingly good value and is a good alternative to a big fluffy dessert. Each drop teems with honey, dried apricot and sweet marmalade aromas before sweeping across the palate with luscious flavours of the same layered with roasted pralines. And the finish is long. Lovely on its own, with a nibble of cheese or your favourite book. Score:

93

So there you have it. Eight ways to add some sparkle to your winter days. Carolyn Evans Hammond is a Toronto-based wine writer and a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Wineries occasionally sponsor segments on her YouTube series yet they have no role in the selection of the wines she chooses to review or her opinions of those wines. Reach her via email: carolyn@carolynevanshammond.com