WINE PICKS OF THE WEEK
Tinhorn Creek Gewürztraminer 2014, Okanagan Valley
Price: $12.99 | 90/100
UPC: 624802981031
The best we can remember with such a fresh juicy demeanour. Awash in aromatics from lychee to rosewater and orange blossoms. The palate follows the same themes adding balance and brightness to this off-dry spicy white. I’m thinking turkey, a spicy curry or even sweet and sour chicken. Crazy good price.
Concha y Toro Marqués de Casa Concha Chardonnay Single Vineyard 2013, Limari Valley, Chile
Price: $15.49 | 90/100
UPC: 07804320411149
Clean, bright and fresh, the attack is tight with citrus and pear flecked with hazelnuts. It’s the minerality that makes this special by offsetting the richness and giving the finish depth and length. Perfect for big chicken dishes, shellfish and fresh cheeses. A modernlook, meaning more Euro look, at Chardonnay. Delicious. Good value.
Selbach Riesling (Fish Label) 2014, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany
Price: $15.69 | 88/100
UPC: 00717215001707
I guess what I like most about this wine is how consistently delicious it is, especially for the price. It’s all Mosel, from its peachy apple scent to its crunch acidity. Juicy, fresh and mouth-filling, it’s a sophisticated white wine party in a bottle. And of course the colourful fish label was designed by a Vancouver artist. If you love nectarines and not a lot of alcohol, this is the wine for you. Drink this all Thanksgiving before, during and after the bird. Stupid value.
Felino by Viña Cobos Malbec 2013, Mendoza, Argentina
Price: $17.49 | 89/100
UPC: 897941000974
This wine is mostly dialed-in these days and the price remains relatively constant. Made by American winemaker/partner Paul Hobbs with Argentine partners Andrea Marchiori and Luis Bernard, it remains a highquality, entry-level Malbec. It’s always been generous, but the oak is better handled to let the spice and pure, ripe Malbec fruit show through. If you like black cherries and licorice this is it. Prepare your steak and a classic chimichurri sauce and you are all set.
Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage Porto Touriga Nacional — Touriga Franca — Tinta Roriz — Tinta Barroca 2010, Douro Valley, Northern Portugal
Price: $23.59 | 89/100
UPC: 5013626111277
This LBV draws upon fruit from Taylor estates in Cima Corgo and Douro Superior. It’s as ready to drink as any young Taylor wine, which means you could wait a year or two, but there is enough fruit to buffer the inherent structure that marks the Taylor style. The nose is redolent with licorice and Christmas cake that spills onto the palate with a wisp of classic pipe tobacco. Good value, and complex as it gets for LBV.