Stellar wines at a fraction of the cost

The best bottles from Provence, Bordeaux, Rioja and Marlborough fetch a pretty penny these days. The same holds true for the most delicious dessert wines, which is why my pulse quickens every time I come across comparable wines at a fraction of the price. I’ve been keeping a list of my favourites.

Love Rosé from Provence? Try this:

2016 Château Bellevue La Forêt, Fronton AOP, France (Vintages 219840, $14.95 in stores only)

Don’t you just love dry rosés from Provence? Their lifted, light-bodied, coral-tinged expressions of stone fruit, often edged with a bit of salinity or stoniness seem to epitomize casual luxe. But our collective crush is pushing prices up. In fact, now 26 of the 28 Provencal rosés at the LCBO cost between $16 and $47. But here’s a wine from Fronton in the south of France that rivals the best of Provence for a snip of the price. Breezy scents of polished citrus and sun-warmed apricot draw you toward a cool wash of stone fruit, wildflowers, lemon zest and sea salt that lingers for ages. Goes with everything.

Score: 94+

Love Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc? Try this:

2016 Trius Sauvignon Blanc, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (LCBO 221804, $15.00 in stores and online)

If you like that gale-force gooseberry and grass style of Sauvignon Blanc that put Marlborough (New Zealand) on the map, taste this bottle. It delivers a similarly bone-dry blast of mouth-watering fruit that suggests pineapple and lemon-lime edged with damp herbs and stones. And the seamless texture, medium weight and relatively low price add to the appeal. Great value wine from a local producer. Terrific with goat cheese.

Score: 90

Love Right Bank Bordeaux? Try this:

2014 Château Fongaban, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, France (LCBO 479832, $16.95 in stores and online)

Sure, top Bordeaux chateaus command stratospheric prices that are going nowhere but up, but some lesser-known wineries from there make stellar juice, too, at more affordable prices. To taste what I mean, try this new listing at the LCBO. It’s a Merlot-Cabernet Franc blend from the Côtes de Castillon just east of Saint Émilion, and drinks beautifully. Expect velvet flavours of blackberry and cherry imbued with inflections of smoke, tobacco, cigar box, violet, baking spices and plum pudding, with an earthy undertow of forest floor and a granite finish. Gorgeous wine for the money that tastes great with steak. It’s organic, too. Score: 92

Love Rioja Gran Reserva? Try this:

2008 Alejandro Fernandez Dehesa La Granja, Castilla y Leon, Spain (Vintages 192476, $20.95 in stores only) Rioja’s Gran Reservas are loved for their saturated crush of black forest fruit that come to us wood-aged and complex, mellowed and rich. If this is a style you enjoy, taste this underpriced wonder from an area west of Rioja called Castilla y Leon. Like a Gran Reserva, it’s made from Tempranillo grapes and aged for two years in barrel. Today, at nine years old, it’s drinking very well with caramel oak, dried bay leaf, black pepper, espresso and slate imbuing a plush berry-rich centre. Dreamy wine at a low price. Serve it with rich braised meat dishes.

Score: 93+

Love Dessert Wine? Try this:

NV Fresita Sparkling Wine, Chile (LCBO 383901, $14.15 in stores and online)

Dessert wine can be a bit rich and heavy, especially this time of year. But finishing a meal with a little something sweet always feels right. So skip the fluffy cake or syrupy-rich style of dessert wine, and pour this instead. It’s a bright, light bubbly infused with ripe and succulent Patagonian strawberries — no artificial flavours or colours added. The pure aromas and flavours of ripe berry goodness taste amazing with plain pound cake, shortbread cookies or just some really good company.

Score: 93