A six-pack to set you up for spring
THE WINE FIND
The weather is warming up. The sun is shining. And you just know you’ve got better things to do than lug bottles home from the LCBO. So I’ve curated a seasonally appropriate, budget-friendly six-pack to click and buy anywhere in Ontario. It’s the perfect setup.
You’ll find two whites, three reds, and a bottle of bubbly tucked inside — that range from 92 to 96 points per bottle — for $116.80, along with a free corkscrew while supplies last.
The two whites are yin and yang. A rich yet refined Chardonnay from Argentina and a tinglingly crisp, lighter-bodied Pecorino from Italy — each one mesmerizing in its own way.
The 2019 El Enemigo Chardonnay from Mendoza (Vintages $24.95) floods in with a fistful of toastycreamy fruit laced with shimmering acidity. A lick of lemon curd, toasted meringue and butter pastry quickly gives way to subtle strokes of honeycomb, papaya, green olive, lanolin, white cherry and vanilla. This is such a cerebral wine — energetic, nuanced and lot of fun to drink. Score: 94
The 2020 Umani Ronchi Vellodoro Pecorino Terre di Chieti IGT from Abruzzo ($17.99, not available at the LCBO) shines pale straw in the glass with light gold inflections while exuding scents of sunwarmed flowers, sliced yellow plum, cool slate and sea spray. Those aromas become a liquid rush of vibrant fruit, beaming in then cascading with complexity. White peach, lime zest, and nougat emerge then taper to a long, salted lemon finish. Bone dry, light-bodied and effortlessly graceful, this seamless
and satisfying wine made from the indigenous Pecorino grape of Italy offers outstanding value. Score: 92
From the same Italian producer is
the 2019 Umani Ronchi San Lorenzo Rosso Conero DOC from the Marche region ($17.99, not available at the LCBO). Made from the Montepulciano grape, each glassful swirls with aromas and flavours of fragrant figs and poached plum, warm leather and tobacco, black cherries and almond. It’s a velvet red that tastes wonderfully composed, striking that fine balance between generosity and elegance. Then, each sip closes with brawny allusions of grilled meat and black olive. Score: 96
Argentina may be well-known for its Malbec, but it’s earning quite a reputation for world class Cabernet Sauvignon too. So this six-pack includes the 2019 Catena Appellation Agrelo Cabernet Sauvignon
from Mendoza (Vintages $21.95). Oodles of blackcurrant liqueur on the nose as well as crushed hazelnut, sweet cherries and toast draws you in instantly. Then, it saturates the palate with notes of dark earth,
blackberries and a touch of mushroom. This wine offers equal parts opulence and poise, succulence and drinkability. It’s lush but not overblown, plump yet deep with a short black pepper finish. Score: 93 Also from Argentina is the 2020 La Posta Estela Armando Bonarda
(Vintages $15.95) from Mendoza. Bonardo is a widely-planted black grape variety in Argentina that needs to be on every wine lover’s radar since it often packs serious value for money. Such is the case with this bottle. Scents of muddled black forest fruit with a whisper of coffee and clove lead to a flush of flavour: black cherry, blueberry and blackcurrant threaded with warm spice, smoke and bitter chocolate that leaves the palate nicely seasoned. Despite this wine’s intensity, a lamplit quality keeps it just bright enough. Fabulous with food. Score: 93
And the organic NV Parés Baltà
Brut Cava from Spain ($17.99, not available at the LCBO). Compared with Prosecco, Crémant and Champagne or Champagne look-alikes from the New World — Cava tastes relatively earthy, mineral and restrained. And this bone-dry expression begins with stone, cool clay and wispy grapefruit zest on the nose before a brisk, vertical attack. That linear quality quickly broadens to show salted stone, bitter orange, cool apple and white pepper before tapering to a long grapefruit zest finish. Just a wonderful wine to pour on its own or in a spritzer. Very vinous and sort of the opposite of fruity. Score: 93
As you can tell by the tasting notes, every wine here offers more than just easy-drinking appeal — each one offers a suave, engaging experience to set you up for a range of wine-worthy occasions.
CAROLYN EVANS HAMMOND IS A TORONTO-BASED WINE WRITER AND A FREELANCE CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST FOR THE STAR. WINERIES OCCASIONALLY SPONSOR SEGMENTS ON HER YOUTUBE SERIES YET THEY HAVE NO ROLE IN THE SELECTION OF THE WINES SHE CHOOSES TO REVIEW OR HER OPINIONS OF THOSE WINES. REACH HER VIA EMAIL: CAROLYN@CAROLYNEVANSHAMMOND.COM