WEEKEND WINE PICKS
Menade Rueda Verdejo Ecologico 2017, Rueda, Castilla-Leon, Spain $23.99 | 89/100
UPC: 8437008963075 Menade is an ecologic (organic) offering of Verdejo from Rueda. The nose is fresh and aromatic projecting floral, candied lemon notes and herbal, grassy, passion fruit. The palate is a sea of citrus, lime, mango and nectarine juice in a medium-rich style. An upscale Sauvignon for the senses with the perfect yin and yang for the palate. Grilled seafood comes quickly to mind.
Domaine Skouras Moscofilero 2016, Peloponnese, Greece $32.95 | 90/100
UPC: 5203773000313
From Peloponnese, this 100 per cent Moscofilero overdelivers in the glass. It gets some short skin contact, a stainless steel ferment and a bit of mouth-building lees contact, but it doesn’t go through any acid-flattening malolactic fermentation. The nose is floral with spicy jasmine notes, honeysuckle and roses. The palate is crisp with a mouthwatering attack of acidity mixed with white flowers and orange, all with purity and length. The 33-year-old vineyards in Mantinia sit at 720 metres above sea level, basking in cool afternoon breezes. Understated opulence. Marquis Wine Cellars only. Luccarelli Primitivo 2016, Puglia, Italy
$13.99 | 87/100
UPC: 8019873924650
Solid most years, Negroamaro is the zinfandel of southern Italy offering spicy, plum/prune/ fig fruit and savoury dried herb aromas and flavours. The palate is soft, ripe and warm with black cherries, chocolate, balsamic notes with a touch of acidity poking through a low tannin finish. Order up a pizza and twist off the cap. Fair value. Zonin Ripasso Valpolicella Superiore 2015, Pedemonte Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy $22.49 | 88/100
UPC: 008002235023771
Zonin’s ties with Negrar gives its ripasso a slightly richer bent thanks to its secondary ferment on dry Amarone skins. The nose is fresh but full of chocolate/ cherry fruit notes and licorice with bits of bitter cocoa. Soft tannins make this easy to enjoy, although its freshness suggests you could age it through 2020. Serve with meaty pasta dishes or casseroles. The blend is 70/20/10 Corvina (including Corvinone), Rondinella and Molinara. Stag’s Hollow Renaissance Merlot Stag’s Hollow Vineyard 2015, Okanagan Valley
$34.99 | 90/100
UPC: 626990025962
A 95/5 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon mix all perfectly ripe in 2015. Expect rich, black cherry fruit aromas and flavours in a structured, soft frame. Rich plummy, Bing cherries fill the glass with bits of chocolate, spice and sagebrush that run through a long finish. Youthful but well structured in a style that is drinkable. This will add extra complexity with three to five years’ bottle age. Impressive. Available from the winery or select private wine shops.