Toronto Star

THESE WINES ARE RIVETING AND ON SALE

- Carolyn Evans Hammond Carolyn Evans Hammond is a Torontobas­ed wine writer. She is also a Londontrai­ned sommelier and two-time bestsellin­g wine book author. Reach her at carolyn@carolyneva­nshammond.com.

You know that pulse-quickening moment when you go to grab your favourite bottle of wine and it’s on sale? Everyone loves a bargain, right? Thing is, these pop-ups are transient affairs, so you can’t plan for them. But I did some sleuthing on your behalf to find out which wines are on sale this week, then chose the best deals of the lot. The following five bottles are hands-down riveting — and on sale. Let the fun begin.

$2.50 OFF

2016 Concilio Pinot Grigio, Trentino DOC, Italy (LCBO 637595 $11.45 until Sunday, reg $13.95 in stores and online) Love the subtle charms of this suave Italian. It hints toward lemon zest, sea salt and frankly, not a whole lot more. But here, it’s a good thing — because those elements are captured in a pristine, well-balanced, elegantly structured wine that won’t upstage a meal or a moment with overt fruitiness, layered complexity or lumbering oak notes. In short, this Pinot Grigio is just hell-bent on clean, easy refreshmen­t to pour with anything at all. Nice, right? And so seasonally appropriat­e. Score: 90+

$1 OFF

2015 Bollini Pinot Grigio, Trentino DOC, Italy (Vintages Essential 951319 $16.95 until Sunday, reg. $17.95 in stores and online) Sometimes you want all the crisp restraint of a Pinot Grigio, but some subtle complexity, too — you know, to serve in good company. When that happens, this is your bottle. It starts with a compelling note of chalk on the nose before caressing the palate with saturated but understate­d fruit laced with chalk, salt, white grapefruit and the gentlest puff of smoke somewhere before finishing with a long note of bitter orange. Gorgeous wine for the money — and a buck off this week. Pour it with goat cheese salad and good bread in the sunshine. Score: 92+

$3 OFF

2016 Astrolabe Province Sauvignon Blanc, Marlboroug­h, New Zealand (Vintages Essential 10421 $19.95 until Sunday, reg. $22.95 in stores and online) If you like the full-throttle, grab-you-bythe-jugular style of Sauvignon Blanc Marlboroug­h does so well, this bottle certainly won’t disappoint. Its revved-up gooseberry and lime purée aromas and flavours, taut structure and lemon-squirt acidity refresh like a thing possessed while a gentle floral-lemongrass character plays in the background. Then, lemons preserved in salt add a certain gravitas to the finish. Definitely a bottle wine to chill down and tip back when the mercury starts to rise this summer. Serve it with cold pesto pasta topped with crumbled feta and diced chicken. Score: 89

$2 OFF

2015 Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, California (LCBO 461053 $16.20 until Sunday, reg. $18.20 in stores and online) More than 180,000 bottles of classic California­n Cabernet have sold since it was first launched just last year in Ontario. Clearly it’s a popular drop. Expect a core of cassis, dried fig, fresh plum and warm wood underpinne­d by iron, iodine and slate. This stone and metal minerality make it more exciting than many other Cabernets at this price. I preferred the more lushly-fruited 2013 and 2014 vintages of this wine to the 2015 on shelves now, but this bottle still offers good value. Decant and serve with simply prepared meats. Score: 90

$3 OFF

2014 The Seven Deadly Zins, California (Vintages Essential 59311 $22.95 until Sunday, reg. $25.95 in stores and online) Slightly better than the 2013 vintage, this bottle now on shelves shows all the mouth-coating red and black jammy fruit loved so much by Zinfandel zealots while 12 months in American oak imbues the wine with toasty vanilla and nuts. To me, it tastes a bit like the bestever barbecue sauce, but not quite as sweet, so pair it with authentic barbecue for a dreamy summer pairing. Score: 91

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