WINES OF THE WEEK

Every week, Bill Zacharkiw identifies his top wine picks available at the SAQ and offers ideas for food pairings.

UNDER $16

Terras Do Sado 2019, Colheita Seleccionada, Adega de Pegões, Portugal white, $12.70, SAQ # 10838801.

Really good all-purpose white. Not overly fruit driven, with subtle notes of peach and pear, and lemon-lime in the background. This happens in the mid-palate and finish, with butter, white stone fruit, almond and spice notes. For a richer white under $13, this is hard to beat.

Grape variety: chardonnay, arinto, antão vaz.

Residual sugar: 4.6 g/l.

Serve at: 10 C. Drink now.

Food pairing ideas: apéritif, seafood and pasta in cream sauce.

$16-$20

Burgenland 2018, Pitti, Weingut Pittnauer, Austria red, $17.95, SAQ # 14444201.

If you have no idea how blaufränkisch and zweigelt grapes taste, imagine a Beaujolais with just a little more torque. You’ll find a juicy mix of red and darker berries, brilliant acidity and freshness, but with a surprisingly rich finish. This is the perfect type of red to cool down and drink in the sun, or with a charcuterie plate.

Grape varieties: blaufränkisch, zweigelt.

Residual sugar: 2.9 g/l.

Serve at: 14-16 C. Drink now. Food pairing ideas: apéritif, charcuterie.

$20-$25

Vin de France, Méthode Traditionnelle, Non Dosé, Patrick Piuze, France sparkling, $24.15, SAQ # 12999181.

This is a unicorn. I hardly ever make such a gross error when guessing a bottle price: I pegged this at $40 and was shocked to see its under-$25 price tag. Such elegance and finesse, such depth of minerality. Lean, wonderfully dry and salty, but with just enough chardonnay fat to wrap around each morsel of food you put in your mouth. I could have easily finished the bottle myself. Grape variety: chardonnay. Residual sugar: 1.2 g/l.

Serve at: 8-10 C. Drink now2022.

Food pairing ideas: apéritif, grilled trout with butter-laden grilled vegetables, oysters.

$25 AND UP

Vin de Pays Bouches du Rhône 2017, Le Grand Rouge de Revelette, Château Revelette, France red, $41, SAQ # 10259745.

Organic. I love everything winemaker Peter Fischer does, and I love this cuvée so much that I have bottles in my cellar that date back to 2009. Great now, but with a bit more age you’ll get it all: enticing floral and herbal aromatics, juicy red fruit, power, minerality and silky tannins. The finish shows a touch of Provençal herbs and flowers. Brilliant.

Grape varieties: cabernet sauvignon, syrah, grenache, carignan. Residual sugar: 1.2 g/l.

Serve at: 18 C. Drink now-2027. Food pairing idea: rack of lamb with mustard and herbs.