Rust En Vrede Cabernet
$58.99
A respectable 88 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate for the 2011 vintage, and the review? "A nice chewy entry of raspberry and wild strawberry laced with white pepper, while the finish is harmonious and focused, albeit rather orthodox. Drink now. Like Kanonkop, Rust En Vrede is one of South Africa’s stalwarts whose wines have improved leaps and bounds in recent vintages....Modern in style, finely crafted and packed full of flavors, Rust en Vrede’s wines are worth pursuing."
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock
$6.49
A smoked bock beer for Bamberg's strong beer season (October through December). Matured for months in ancient rock-cellars underneath Bamberg and tapped freshly from the oakwood cask. Similar to, but much bigger than the classic Maerzen style.
Valenciso Rioja Reserva
$62.99
"Modern delicious Rioja," according to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, which gives it a wonderful 93 points! The review: "The 2006 Reserva has a classic, very pure bouquet of warm leather, dried herbs and dark berry fruit, and it offers scents of melted tar with continued aeration. The palate is very harmonious with succulent red cherries, mulberry and dried fig, with subtle white pepper notes sprinkled over the finish. This constitutes a worthy follow-up to the superb 2005 and will have the same propensity to age. Drink now-2025."
Quinta Da Aveleda
$17.99
Classic Portuguese white wine, crisp and easy to drink! "Aveleda Vinho Verde is a fresh, fruity light wine that offers freshness to the palate and romanticism to the spirit," according to the winery website. "Its simple label and the deep green bottle reveal what you are about to experience: a vivacious and smooth white Vinho Verde that can be the perfect match for light meals, seafood or served as an appetizer."
Haywire Gamary Rose
$27.99
Haywire is a very fun label from Okanagan Crush Pad in - yes - Canada's own Okanagan Valley. This beautiful rosé is made from 100% Gamay grapes. It's fresh, delicious and so easy to drink. Pair with charcuterie or a roast chicken, and be sure to invite some dear friends!
Masi Costasera Amarone Riserva
$94.99
93 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate for the 2009 vintage! The review: "The 2009 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva Costasera opens to a bright ruby color and dark aromas of dried fruit, raisin, tar, grilled herb and licorice. It imparts a texture that is soft, soothing and rich. It is drinking young right now and could use another three to five years of bottle aging for more evolution and complexity. I wouldn't assign a terribly long drinking window to these wines (five years or maybe more) but there is no doubt that they are drinking beautifully right now."
Trivento Reserve Malbec
$19.99
Heartland Shiraz Langhorne Creek
$22.99
The Heartland story began in the late 1990s when winemaker Ben Glaetzer became excited about the outstanding quality of fruit being grown in some of South Australia’s lesser-known regions, in particular Langhorne Creek.
Together with industry veterans Scott Collett, Grant Tilbroo, and more recently Nick Keukenmeester, they grew Heartland into an award-winning winery. Ben Glaetzer makes Heartland Wines at Barossa Vintners in Tanunda, South Australia, some 100 kilometres from Langhorne Creek. The winery was conceived as a state-of-the-art winemaking facility with the capacity to make wines for a core group of top-end producers whose fame and demand had grown beyond their winemaking capacities. Completed in 1995, Barossa Vintners was developed to make wines in the most natural possible way. The natural slope of the land allows the winery to be gravity fed and avoid a harsh pumping of the grapes juice (Ben also makes his range of Glaetzer wines at this facility, most famously his Amon-ra Shiraz). The growing conditions in Langhorne Creek are predominantly shaped by the onshore southerly winds blowing directly from the Southern Ocean across Lake Alexandrina. The prevailing southerlies reduce daytime temperature fluctuations, making it one of the cooler growing regions in South Australia
Bench 1775 Chill
$22.99
"Delicious fruit salad in a glass...Think lemon flan," according to the winery team! We won't argue - we're too busy enjoying those notes of lemon zest, apricot, guava and mineral, with just a hint of caramel on the finish. A fun blend of Pinot Gris and Chardonnay and, as the name suggests, serve it chilled. Located at 1775 on the Okanagan Valley's famous Naramata Bench, Bench 1775 is owned by the same team that owns Paradise Hill and Whistler, too.