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The LCBO’s latest batch of New Zealand wines includes plenty of top-notch sauvignon blancs, which account for 70 per cent of the country’s output, plus a few other pleasant surprises. Here, the best wines of the bunch.
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(Image: Toronto Police Service)
This story is a doozy: a rare and really, really expensive bottle of scotch valued at $26,000 was stolen from the LCBO near Queens Quay earlier this month. A burglar in a plaid Burberry shirt somehow removed the bottle of 50-year-old Glenfiddich single malt, one of only 50 in the world, from its locked case and walked out the front door with it tucked under his coat (apparently, the obvious bulge in his trench didn’t arouse suspicion). A single malt expert says the thief is likely a hired hand: the appreciation value of upscale scotch can be higher than gold creating a booming black market for the spirit. The heist certainly seems like the work of a pro—the luxury bottle is the single most expensive item ever stolen from one of the LCBO’s stores. [National Post]
The LCBO’s releases of seasonal craft beers have traditionally been the best chance to pick up unique and interesting brews that usually require a trip to the U.S. to procure. But with the growth of the Ontario market for craft beers, the provincial liquor monopoly has started to buy better beers year-round. Below, ten exciting new bottles that are showing up on LCBO shelves now.
Chimay Grande Réserve Read the rest of this entry »
$10 | 750 mL | 9%
While Chimay’s Premiere and White Cap have long been mainstays on LCBO shelves, this strong dark ale is the most sought-after brew from the Belgian Trappist monastery. Look for notes of dried figs and raisins, a peppery spice and toasted bread. The fine balance of hoppy bitterness and malty sweetness hides this beer’s nine per cent alcohol well. Coming soon to the general listings.
Like championing an indie band before it goes mainstream, discovering a little-known wine region before the market catches on can earn you instant cred. Anyone can show up at a dinner party with a big bordeaux or supertuscan (the oenophile equivalent of Coldplay and U2), but only an insider can pick out a great Macedonian xinomavro. Increasingly, the LCBO is bringing in bottles from nooks and crannies on the periphery of the wine world: Puglia in Italy, Calatayud in Spain, and Swartland in South Africa. The winemaking practices in some of these emerging regions are every bit as advanced as those of the big guns, so the quality is high. However, the prices remain low because the up-and-comers don’t yet have the clout of, say, Napa or Burgundy. Here, my picks from obscurity.
A wine rack at a Portland, Oregon grocery store (Image: Rebecca Wilson)
On New Year’s Eve, the Ministry of Finance announced that, at long last, grocery stores will be able to sell liquor—but not in the freewheeling, wine-shelf-in-every-Metro manner that many Ontario drinkers wanted. Instead, the LCBO will be setting up about 10 “LCBO Express” locations across the province over the next 12 to 18 months. The shops will be staffed by LCBO employees and sell products from the normal LCBO roster. The liquor monopoly also has plans for five “VQA Destination Boutiques” inside existing LCBO locations that will focus on an expanded selection of Ontario VQA wines. It’s not clear, however, whether the Toronto area will see any such stores. A ministry spokesperson told The Dish that the LCBO Express and VQA Destination Boutiques would only be appearing in “areas with growing demand but a somewhat under-serviced market.” Under-serviced is, of course, in the eye of the beholder, but with over 70 LCBO locations in Toronto—plus dozens of Beer Stores, Wine Racks and other grandfathered winery stores—we’re not holding our breath.
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Westvleteren 12, the ultra-rare Belgian Trappist ale we told you about last month, finally appeared on LCBO shelves today, after many delays. The only problem: it’s disappearing within mere minutes, with beer geeks and bandwagon jumpers lining up to buy a case of six for $76.85. We called around to see where it’s still in stock.
With winter weather fast approaching, and the holiday season not far behind it, the LCBO is raring to fill Torontonians’ days with good cheer, courtesy of its winter craft beer release and 2012 holiday gift pack. These are the kinds of heavier, malty brews that start to get a lot more appealing as the temperature dips. Some—like the Amsterdam Tempest and the Great Lakes Black IPA—are on shelves now, while the rest will start appearing over the next few weeks (as always, check the LCBO website for availability at your local store). Below, we preview nine of our favourites:
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Amsterdam Tempest
Fortunately for those of us who missed this crowd favourite at Cask Days, bottles are now on select LCBO shelves. Dark roast coffee, dark chocolate and a hint of smoke are followed by malty sweetness and licorice with a dry, hoppy finish.
(Image: Yves Freypons)
Outside the Indie Ale House, a new 4,000-square-foot brewpub in the Junction, there’s a banner from the local BIA that crows about the area’s past as a booze-free zone. It’s sort of fitting—it took Jason Fisher two years of mucking his way through red tape before he was ready to open the doors of this west-end temple of beer geekdom, which includes a craft brewery, a 110-seat pub and, soon, a retail shop. Fisher began brewing at 16, under the guise of a science experiment (“Hey, I got an A,” he laughs), and it’s clear that the beer bug runs deep.
Château St. Georges 2009 St-Georges St-Émilion$34.95 | Bordeaux | 90 points Read the rest of this entry »
Bordeaux was once the last word in fine red wine, but the rest of the world has overshadowed it for a while now. The very ripe 2009 vintage, however, might just put it back on top, and many great wines from the region are set to be released this fall in Ontario. This one’s from a consistently fine château near St. Émilion that has been making wine for centuries. It will educate first-timers to bordeaux’s subtle charm, and please those who have been drinking the classics for years. For the quality presented, the price is a fair one.
Souther Tier’s Mokah imperial stout is among the beer’s in the LCBO’s fall release (Image: Christer Edvartsen)
This week has seen the first sustained bout of fall weather, so it’s perfectly appropriate that just last weekend, the LCBO put out its latest seasonal beer release. The cooler temperatures and crisper air mean a move away from the lighter refreshers of summer toward some heartier liquid fare. Below are some of our favourite selections from the release.
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(Illustration: Jack Dylan)
Gamay is often known as the grape that makes lowly beaujolais nouveau, the gassy juice that’s sold only weeks after the grapes are picked. However, top-notch gamay can be silky, fruity and rich, yet light—the perfect red for late-summer evenings. The best ones in the world come from 10 cru villages strung out along the slopes of Beaujolais, where 99 per cent of the vineyards are devoted to gamay. The 2009 and 2010 vintages from these appellations are excellent, and the LCBO has released some great buys under $20 at Vintages. Here in Ontario, winemakers plant gamay because it ripens early and ought to be a winner in our short growing season. In a tasting of gamays from Beaujolais, Niagara and Prince Edward County, however, I found our local editions were thin and joyless by comparison, likely due to cooler temperatures. The trick to buying good Ontario gamay, then, is finding a hot vintage; luckily, 2010 was warm and long, and it’s on LCBO shelves now. Here are my favourites, from France to Niagara.
Outstanding in the Field comes to Whitty Farms on Wednesday (Image: Jeremy Fenske)
Monday August 27
In 1995, my friend Paul and I resolved to taste every beer in Ontario. We were underage but, miraculously, the Beer Store employees let us leave with our precious six-packs. Maybe because we looked harmless, like the kind of nerdy 17-year-olds who would rush home, taste the beers and write rudimentary reviews, complete with star ratings, which is precisely what we did.
I never did try all the beers, but I realized then that drunkenness is a shallow pleasure compared with the intoxication of discovering new flavours. And that alcohol—my obsession soon included fine spirits—tastes better when you have to work for it.
These same lessons are transforming Toronto’s drinking culture. The average consumer now shops for exotic bitters and is expected to know that IPA stands for India pale ale. Bartenders sniff at your vodka martini for its lack of flavour, directing you instead to one of their 97 kinds of bourbon.
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