Magnificent magnums at the LCBO and one to avoid

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This article was published 16/12/2021 (1722 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Plonking a magnum of wine on the table says you’re serious about entertaining. But some bottles are better than others. And some you just want to downright avoid. Here’s the lowdown.

Right off the bat you need to know about the 2020 Donini Collection Trebbiano-Chardonnay Rubicone IGT, Emilia Romagna, Italy ($15.95/1500mL). This is shockingly compelling wine for the money, which is probably why it’s the fourth bestselling wine by volume in all of Canada. Not only is it bone dry — a lot of inexpensive wines add a lot of sugar to hide imbalances and lack of fruit purity — but it’s clean, concentrated, and complex too. It’s even mineral-driven, making it seem rather sophisticated. In short, it tastes nothing like a wine that costs $1.60 per glass here in Canada — assuming you’re pouring a standard 5oz or 150mL serving.

The allure of this wine starts with its fragrance, which is stony and fresh — like a rocky riverbank after a cool rain. The attack is brisk and dry with chiselled flavours of salt and stone, a touch of lemon zest and sliced pear. Certainly more vinous than fruity, each sip of this quietly satisfying white tapers off slowly, leaving final suggestions of olive brine and fresh grapefruit on the palate. For the money, outstanding. Score: 94

Serve this wine with a selection of Italian cheeses and a dish of olives for effortless entertaining.

The 2020 Beachhouse Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa ($19.95/1500mL) is a satisfying sipper. Scents suggest pineapple, passion fruit and Granny Smith apples before racing across the palate with a silky lick of tropical goodness. Juicy and quenching, this dry-tasting wine with a sunny disposition delivers easy pleasure. Score: 91

Pour this wine with coconut shrimp for a perfect match.

Fans of velvety, sun-drenched reds will want to know about the 2020 Bread & Butter Cabernet Sauvignon from California ($34.95/1500mL). This is new to the LCBO — released Nov. 8. And it’s drop dead delicious.

On the nose, blackcurrant liqueur, cherries and vanilla cream draw you in. A cashmere crush of cherry-vanilla threaded with melting chocolate, cassis and café latte follows through on the palate, delivering immediate and easy pleasure. Score: 94

The 2020 Bread & Butter Californian Cabernet Sauvignon in magnum is quite ripe tasting but technically dry as it only has six grams of residual sugar. So, it works well on its own as a cocktail style red or served with fun finger foods such as a big bowl of kettle cooked barbecued chips or mini sliders.

For a bit more structure and savouriness in red wine, reach for a magnum of Spanish red. The LCBO has two smart value versions well worth your attention.

The 2017 Monasterio de las Viñas Crianza from Cariñena, Spain ($20.95/1500mL) is a bone-dry blend of Garnacha, Tempranillo, Cariñena and Cabernet Sauvignon. It opens with notes of cedar and tobacco, dark berries and black earth on the nose. Each sip is fleshy at first but soon turns textured. A tannic tug anchors the ripe fruit and lends tension and interest to the wine. Meanwhile, flavours cascade with ripe berries, dried herbs, black olive and earthy-roasted notes that persist on the finish. Score: 90

The 2017 Bodegas Piqueras Castillo de Almansa Reserva from Spain ($22.90/1500mL) is also quite good. This Tempranillo, Monastrell and Garnacha Tintorera blend starts with scents of black cherries and damsons laced with licorice and nuts. It floods in with a velvety, languid expression that’s definitely dry. At first, there’s fruit, then nuts and earth, followed by espresso, black olive and walnut, and finally licorice root. The finish is long. Outstanding value. Score: 92

These Spanish reds both come into their own when served with protein-rich foods such as slivers of Serrano ham, chorizo sausage or even cheese and mushroom tapas.

Those who like the idea of a lighter-bodied, sweet red that’s supersmooth will like Maria Christina Red, an international blend of imported and domestic wines ($15.95/1500mL). This inexpensive wine tastes like crushed, ultra-ripe berries. It has a smooth almost shiny mouth feel and is quite well-balanced with quenching acidity — so the whopping 27g/L or sugar doesn’t cloy and coat the palate. Don’t look for complexity or finesse here — you won’t find that. But this unpretentious red is an easy entry point for those who have always found red wine a bit too dry, harsh or bitter. Score: 88

Serve this wine on its own, cocktail style, or with an old school cheese ball rolled in nuts and served with crackers.

The wine in magnum to avoid is the Spumante Bambino Sparkling Wine, which is also an international blend of imported and domestic wines ($16.95/1500mL). This bottle of bubbles is outrageously overpriced. It tastes like sparkling sugar water with a barely detectable note of nondescript white wine mixed in to bring it up to the 7 per cent alcohol by volume noted on the bottle. I’m shocked that this wine is even on shelves. Score: Ridiculous.

Note: Last week’s column reviewed the 2020 vintage of Franschhoek Cellar “La Cotte Mill” Chenin Blanc, not the 2021 as noted.

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