PRE-DINNER SIPS WITH SIDEKICK SNACKS
2016 Cranberry Wine, Muskoka Lakes Winery, Ontario (LCBO 609701 $16.95 in stores and online; also available at the winery and at select grocery stores) I was in Florida last month visiting friends who always start the evening with a pre-dinner drink — usually with some sort of nibbly. This quiet custom puts a well-placed comma in the day, creating a slow, comfortable shift toward the dinner hour. Create your own cocktail hour by pouring any of these wines that call to mind Muskoka, Portugal, Spain, France and California
Muskoka
Made entirely from Muskokagrown cranberries, this robust fruit wine tastes just like the fruit from which it’s made. Pure and jammy, it erupts with berry-rich, sweet-and-sour goodness that tastes lifted and pure. Zippy acidity balances the sweetness so each sip finishes clean and dry with a gently bitter tug of tannin-scraping the palate clean. Get a little nostalgic and serve it with an old-school style of cheese ball with Triscuits — you know, the cream-cheese kind rolled with chopped pecans. Or get fancy and pour it with goat cheese on polenta toasts topped with caramelized onions and chopped pistachios.
Score: 89+
Portugal
2017 JP Azeitao Shiraz Rose, Bacalhoa, Peninsula de Setubal, Portugal (LCBO 404566 $8.90 in stores and online) I remember being blown away by this glossy rosé when I first tasted it a few years ago in Portugal. Now, I always look forward to its seasonal release here in Ontario. The 2017 now on shelves is showing beautifully — even better than the 2015 and 2016 vintages of years past. From the gentle perfume of peachy-grapefruit to the spirited attack of the same imbued with flashes of ripe cherries, lemons preserved in salt and a whisper of cool rose petals, this silky, salmon-coloured wine offers outstanding value for money. Perfect pre-dinner drink, especially with paper-thin slices of Iberico ham.
Score: 93+
Spain
Tio Pepe Extra Dry Fino, Gonzalez Byass, Jerez, Spain (LCBO 231829 $17.95 in stores and online, also available at select grocery stores)
California
2016 Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay, California, (LCBO 175430 $19.95 in stores and online, also available at select grocery stores) A chilled glass of Chardonnay laced with the vanilla scent of American oak tastes classically Californian to me, and this refined version offers outstanding value. It swathes the palate with creamy-crisp flavours of best-ever lemon meringue pie followed by a resonant finish of toasted coconut and vanilla. And the structure is perfectly balanced, giving the wine an elegant, well-toned character that feels seamless in the mouth — rather than too angular or heavy. It’s a smart pre-dinner drink, especially with a few salted potato chips or a bit of smoked salmon pâté on crackers. Plus, it carries through dinner with ease, pairing well with fish, seafood or poultry.
Score: 92
France
NV Paul Delane Cremant de Bourgogne Reserve, France (LCBO 214981 $20.40 in stores and online) Champagne is the quintessential aperitif, but it can be a bit pricey for everyday drinking. So this cremant is an outstanding value alternative. Shining pale gold in the glass, it tastes tight, crisp and delicate with coy aromas and flavours of baked apple and butter pastry edged with nutmeg, lemon and stones. Quite a sophisticated-tasting sparkling wine for the money with tiny bubbles and long length. Pour this fine fizz with a small saucer of hot popcorn or a plate of French cheese puffs called Gougères. Or sip it solo and channel a Parisian café. Score: 92 Sherry is hands-down one of the most fashionable things to sip these days — especially a glass of chilled fino before dinner with a small dish of Marcona almonds or Spanish olives. Fino is a dry white wine that spends time in barrel under a film of natural yeast called “flor” that imparts a hallmark bread-like character, and this bottle is classic example of the style. Tio Pepe Extra Dry never disappoints. It shines a lovely pale straw colour; exudes aromas of warm bread dough, citrus oil, crushed nuts and apple peel; then flushes the palate with bone-dry, tangy flavours that suggest crusty baguette, salted almonds, lemon-lime zest, white flowers and olive brine with a marked tang and chalky note on the finish. Score: 90