Dirt cheap and delicious wines that give back

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This article was published 14/04/2022 (1615 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This is the second part of a two-part series on wines that give back. Read the first part here.

Given the choice to buy a dirt-cheap, delicious wine from a winery that pockets the profits and one that gives back in meaningful ways, bet you’d chose the latter. So read on to discover five wines that tick all three boxes — starting with one from Ontario.

The newly launched 2021 13th Street Winery Expression Cabernet Franc Rosé, VQA Niagara Peninsula ($15.95 LCBO, Winery) that began arriving on shelves at the LCBO in March tastes beautiful, won’t break the bank, and supports Canadian artists. Twenty-five cents from each bottle sold goes to 13th Street’s Expression Project that funds awards and scholarships at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) as well as Brock University.

Each sip of this dry rosé erupts with a rush of red berry fruit — especially fresh strawberries — laced with lemon, grapefruit zest, a whisper of sea salt and touch of pink peppercorn. It’s a perfect porch swing sipper — with or without the porch swing. Stock up for summer. Score: 92

Chilean Sauvignon Blanc can be standout buy with the 2021 GatoNegro Sauvignon Blanc in the 1500 mL bottle ($15.40 LCBO) being a prime example. But it’s also a feel good purchase because GatoNegro champions diversity to combat gender discrimination.

GatoNegro works with Chile’s most important gay rights organization, Iguales, to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. It supports a women’s mentorship program to diminish gender gaps in the workplace and help women strengthen their careers. And the brand offers a welcome and safe environment for anyone who identifies as trans or transitioning. Here in Ontario, watch for the new rainbow-inspired labels on GatoNegro Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon in June at the LCBO to celebrate Pride month.

In the meantime, reach for the 2021 GatoNegro Sauvignon Blanc in the 1500 mL size for an instant party in a bottle. Each glassful streams in with an immediate lemon-lime attack that broadens with bone-dry allusions of green mango and pink grapefruit. It’s a bottle you can be proud to pour at a seriously low price. Score: 90

Those who love a red that swirls with a rich lick of dark, choco-berry goodness will enjoy the non-vintage dated Frisky Zebras Game Ranger Reserve Seductive Shiraz ($10.90 LCBO). But it does more than deliver deliciously good value. It is South Africa’s only vegan and certified carbon neutral wine. That means no animals, animal ingredients or animal byproducts are used in the winemaking process. And the wine has a net zero carbon footprint from farm to final destination.

The NV Frisky Zebras Game Ranger Reserve Seductive Shiraz sweeps in with a generous flush of fruit that calls to mind muddled blackberries, black cherries and smooth, creamy dark chocolate. A touch of toasted almond and black peppercorn emerge on the finish and linger. Little wonder it’s the bestselling South African Shiraz at the LCBO. Serious value. Score: 92

The 2020 Lupi Reali Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC from Italy ($10.65 till Apr. 24, reg. $12.15 LCBO) ticks all the boxes too — tasty, economical and gives back in a meaningful way. This vegan, organic wine called “Lupi Reali”, which means Royal Wolves, is named for the Apennine wolves of the Abruzzo region. These animals were almost extinct in the 1980s, but thanks to a repopulation program partially funded by proceeds from this wine, these wonderful creatures won’t die off.

The 2020 Lupi Reali Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC is a dry, light and well-balanced charmer that draws you in with its aromas and flavours of dusty black cherry, cool earth and slate. A slightly chalky texture underpins the fruit, lending a touch of gravitas. And a quietly persistent cherry and cocoa powder finish lingers. Score: 91

To cap this column is the undervalued 2016 Twisted Cedar Cabernet Sauvignon from California ($18.95). Twisted Cedar is owned by the Cedar Band of Paiute Indians of Utah. So buying a bottle directly supports this Indigenous group, creating employment opportunities and funding programs on the reservation. What’s more, the wine is made in accordance with some of the most stringent sustainability rules in California, the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing. So it’s made in a way that honours the land.

The 2016 Twisted Cedar Cabernet Sauvignon is a big, bold red comprised of 86 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, eight per cent Petite Sirah, two per cent Syrah, two per cent Cabernet Franc, one per cent Montepulciano and one per cent Petite Verdot. The result is a complex, cerebrally engaging wine of character. On the nose, find the fragrance of blackcurrant liqueur and toasted tobacco which leads to a mouth-filling flush of black forest fruit lit with lively acidity. Flavours echo the aromas along with suggestions of cherry-vanilla, cola and hazelnut before finishing with a touch of stone and soil. Score: 90

Here’s to drinking well, saving money and doing the right thing.

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