FIVE INEXPENSIVE POURS WORTH TRYING

In the spirit of good value try some of these sub-$9 bottles the LCBO has to offer

As a wine critic, it’s very easy to lose sight of the price of a bottle of wine. Why? Because I don’t have to pay for the wines I taste. They’re offered as samples. It costs me nothing to taste, say, 25 of bottles of wine at a go that range from $10 to $100 or more — something I do on the regular. This is part of the job.

But price matters. After all, is it fair to judge an entry-level wine by the same yardstick as one of such fine craftsmanship, provenance and all the rest that it sells for a stratospher- ic amount? Is Barefoot Merlot, which sells for $10.95, even the same animal as Petrus from Pomerol, Bordeaux that sells for thousands of dollars a pop and is also a Merlot?

Some would say, yes; the argument goes, scoring must be absolute. But I disagree; I think apples-to-apples is a more fair approach. Otherwise it’s far too easy to overlook simpler, more inexpensive wines altogether.

So yes, I score bottles to reflect value for money relative to comparable wines. That means a $10 bottle is scored to reflect how clean, complex, concentrated and balanced it is relative to others at that price. Then I qualify the score with a tasting note and bits of information I think matter, within my allotted word count. In June last year, I wrote a column here that clarified exactly how I arrive at a score — to help readers understand the process.

2016 Obikwa Shiraz, South Africa (LCBO 527499 $8.95 in stores and online) This glossy-tasting dry red offers an explosive hit of sweet-berry goodness that gives way to subtle suggestions of grilled meat, smoked plum, fresh fig, pipe tobacco and cherry...

2016 Tini Sauvignon Blanc, Friuli, Italy (LCBO 36177 $8.05 in stores and online) I’m struck by the purity and resonance of this wine, its intensity, balance and lift. The aromas of snow pea and sliced grapefruit lead to a brisk attack of grapefruit...

2016 Oggi Botter Pinot Grigio, Italy (LCBO 86199 $9 in stores and online) Soft aromas of lemon and ripe honeydew melon lead to a crisp, bone dry wash of the same with traces of slate and salt. The fruit-driven attack tapers to faintly saline, lime and...

2016 Spadafora Terrano Rossa, Calabria, Italy (LCBO 387217 $8.95 in stores and online) The muted scent of warm stewed plums lures you toward juicy-rich flavours of macerated berries with soft and resonant back notes of black earth, sweet blueberry,...

2016 Fantini Farnese Sangiovese IGT, Abruzzo, Italy (LCBO 512327 $8.45 in stores and online) The generous black and red cherry core cascades with precise flavours of warm spice cake, café latte, vanilla bean, bright cranberry and cigar — all...