Bestselling, easy-to-find Ontario grocery store wines, critiqued
Apothic Red stands tall as bestselling wine in Canada and in Ontario grocery stores for good reason
Although Ontarians have been able to buy wine at grocery stores for nearly two years, which bottles are sold where is shrouded in secrecy. Supermarkets don’t publish their wine lists (other than the e-grocer, Grocery Gateway), and the LCBO won’t share the catalogue of products eligible to grocers, saying it’s “not publicly available.” But industry sources do track grocery wine sales. So here’s the scoop: the five bestselling, easiest-to-find wines in Ontario grocery stores revealed — and critiqued.
2016 Apothic Red, California $16.95 Apothic Red stands tall as the bestselling wine in Canada and in Ontario grocery stores for good reason. For many wine drinkers, the rich, jammy fruit layered with underpinnings of melting chocolate, warm vanilla bean and baking spices tastes instantly seductive. Sure, it’s a bit sweet for more seasoned palates with 17 grams per litre of residual sugar (about 3/4 teaspoon per glass). And it’s not elegant, subtle or terribly complex. But the full-bodied structure coupled with the crushed velvet mouth feel, bushels of dark fruit, and complete lack of bitterness holds easy appeal. Serve it as a cocktail alternative with a nibble of cheddar cheese. Score: 89+ 2016 Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon, California $13.95
This Californian Cabernet Sauvignon is the second bestselling wine in grocery stores. It’s a dry, restrained style of red with quiet scents of blackcurrant liqueur, red meat and dried herbs. The entry is lifted and quenching with a medium-bodied wash of flavour that calls to mind mixed berries, yes, but also crumbled thyme, oregano and dry pencil shavings. And the flavour lingers. The subtle, well-made and well-balanced bottle will charm wine drinkers drawn to drier, less fruit-forward styles. Serve it with Margherita pizza for a lit match. Score: 89+
2017 Yellow Tail Shiraz, Australia $12.95 Yellow Tail is the wine brand snobs most like to snub, but it’s wildly popular and the third bestselling wine in grocery stores. So I tasted it with an open mind. It saturates the palate with grape jelly and blueberry flavour threaded with spice, charcoal and black earth but the finish is bitter and harsh. If you’ve got a bottle of this kicking around, mix it with 750 mL of lemon-lime soda, an ounce of Triple Sec and an ounce of brandy, and serve it over ice with a slice of orange. Voilà: sangria! Serve it with guacamole and chips. Score: 87
2017 Jacob’s Creek Moscato, South Australia $13.45
This wildly popular pour — fourth bestselling bottle in grocery stores — tastes like a big swirl of alcoholic fruit juice. It erupts with lychee and peach, elderflower and mandarin flavour that tastes sweet and sour, is gently effervescent, and clocks in at a low 7 per cent alcohol. With 82 g/L of sugar (about 3 tsp/glass), it’s a bit too sweet to serve with most foods; but works marvelously well on its own, chilled way down, with a few salted nuts. Also makes an affordable dessert wine with a slice of butter pound cake or scoop of good-quality vanilla ice cream. 90+
2017 Strewn Chardonnay, BarrelAged VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
$14.95
The fifth bestselling wine in grocery stores is this Ontario Chardonnay that shines a deep straw colour with golden inflections, exudes aromas of candied peaches and baked pear, then swathes the palate with bone-dry flavours of stewed stone fruit laced with butterscotch. The bracing acidity scrapes that palate clean, leaving it refreshed, but the 13.9 per cent alcohol is too high for the fruit, making it feel hot in the back of the throat and putting the wine out of balance. To help this bottle show well, serve it with richer dishes such as chicken Cordon Bleu. Also makes a decent wine with which to cook. Score: 87