It’s time to freshen up my wine selections to enjoy at home. Having a good supply of vibrant but gently flavoured whites and rosés on hand to grab and go is the first order of business, rounded out by a mix of other bottles – timeless classics and rising stars – to enjoy throughout the summer.
Canadian winemakers feature heavily in my seasonal drinking lineup, but this week’s recommendations focus on international selections that are more widely available. More flag-waving favourites will appear soon.
Value for money is another important mindset – this season more than most. The quality-for-money ratio doesn’t just apply to top-notch bargain bottles such as Codorniu Brut Cava or the Beachhouse Sauvignon. It also factors into the selection of more expensive offerings, such as the Trimbach Réserve Pinot Gris and red blends from BLK + BLU and Oreno. You don’t have to spend $100 to secure a great bottle of wine, but, for anyone willing, this high-quality, complex wine with aging potential from a family estate in Tuscany is worth the splurge.
BLK + BLU Blend No. 4 Shiraz Cabernet 2023 (Australia), $39.99
Rating: 90
Produced by Australia’s Aberdeen Wine Company, which also produces the Angus the Bull label, this cabernet sauvignon and shiraz blend from vineyards in Heathcote is designed to pair with richer, grilled meats. Made in a medium-bodied and balanced style, this offers a complex mix of berry and cherry flavours with spice, mint and American oak-derived coconut notes. This has 14.5 per cent ABV and 1 g/litre r.s. Drink now to 2028. Available at the above price in Manitoba, $36.99 in New Brunswick.
Codorniu Clasico Brut (Spain), $16.99
Rating: 88
One of the classic names in Cava, Codorniu is an intense and freshly focused sparkling wine. The bubbles are persistent and fine, while the lemony citrus flavour is rounded out by floral and chalky notes that carry through to a refreshing finish. It’s enjoyable on its own and an affordable base for mimosas, bellinis or, in place of prosecco, for a drier Aperol spritz. This has 11.5 per cent ABV and 4 g/litre r.s. Drink now to 2027. Available at the above price in Ontario and Manitoba, $17.99 in British Columbia, various prices in Alberta, $17.35 in Quebec, $18.59 in Prince Edward Island.
Domaine Lafage Miraflors Rosé 2024 (France), $19.95
Glencairn Wine Merchants/Supplied
Rating: 90
A blend of grenache gris, grenache noir and mourvèdre from Roussillon in the south of France, Miraflors Rosé continually offers a pretty and peachy version of rosé that’s made for mass appeal. It’s made in a dry style with an abundance of fruit flavours, ranging from strawberries to limes to white peach, that may inspire some to trot out the trite expression that it’s like “summer in a glass.” The sumptuous taste calls to mind a taste of the Mediterranean as part of a rosé that’s substantial enough to serve year-round. This has 12.5 per cent ABV and 3 g/litre r.s. Drink now to 2026. Available at the above price in Ontario ($18.95 until June 22), $23.75 in Nova Scotia, $21.99 in Prince Edward Island.
Ferzo Abruzzo Pecorino Superiore 2022 (Italy), $17.95
Rating: 89
This expressive and dry white wine is made by Ferzo, one of the brands operated by Abruzzo’s largest winery, Citra.
Made with the pecorino grape, it offers an enticing mix of floral, tropical, citrus, herbal and saline notes that are refreshing and easy to appreciate.
This has 13 per cent ABV and 4 g/litre r.s.
Drink now. Available in Ontario.
Oreno 2022 (Italy), $99.95
Rating: 94
Tenuta Sette Ponti’s flagship wine, Oreno, introduces cabernet franc into its blend for the first time in 2022. The vintage is comprised of 45 per cent merlot, 40 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 10 per cent cabernet franc and 5 per cent petit verdot from the family’s certified-organic estate vineyards in Tuscany.
The resulting style is richly concentrated with a core of dark fruit accented by savoury oak-derived flavours. The supple texture is supported by a polished structure, with a long vibrant finish. This has 14.5 per cent ABV and 2 g/litre r.s. Drink now to 2035. Available at the above price in Ontario, $115.99 in British Columbia, various prices in Alberta.
Umani Ronchi Vellodoro Pecorino 2024 (Italy), $17.95
Rating: 89
The family-owned Umani Ronchi winery in Abruzzo has been working to revive the fortunes of the pecorino grape variety since 2005. The grape is widely cultivated in Abruzzo, where it produces stylish, dry white wines with a crisp and refreshing character that’s tailor-made to serve with seafood and fish dishes.
The focused flavour suggests a mix of citrus and apple with nutty and saline notes that are simple and satisfying. This has 12.5 per cent ABV and 5 g/litre r.s. Drink now. Available at the above price in Ontario and Quebec (2023 vintage), various prices in Alberta, $21 in New Brunswick, $20.79 in Nova Scotia.
The Beachhouse Sauvignon Blanc 2024 (South Africa), $12.95
Dionysus Wines & Spirits/Supplied
Rating: 87
A slight addition of 15 per cent semillon contributes weight and texture to this appealing South African sauvignon blanc. The focus is squarely on the grape variety’s riper tropical personality, offering a mix of passion fruit and pineapple with some citrusy freshness and a tease of herbal notes.
It’s a great style and price for summer entertaining. This has 12.5 per cent ABV and 3 g/litre r.s. Drink now. Available at the above price in Ontario, $13.99 in British Columbia, various prices in Alberta, $14.99 in Manitoba, $15.99 in New Brunswick, $13.85 in Nova Scotia, 15.59 in Prince Edward Island, $17.99 in Newfoundland.
Trimbach Réserve Pinot Gris 2018 (France), $37.95
Woodman Wines & Spirits/Supplied
Rating: 92
Family-owned Trimbach, which has been producing wine in Alsace since 1626, bottles its wines with a classic, understated label that speaks to the winery’s timeless appeal. The Réserve Pinot Gris is produced with a mix of estate-grown and purchased grapes, which contribute to the complex mix of pear and peach fruit flavours with honey, spicy and nutty notes. Released as a seven-year-old wine, this is a delicious white that displays the rich and rewarding side of pinot gris. This has 13.5 per cent ABV and 8 g/litre r.s. Drink now to 2028. Available at the above price in Ontario, $32 in Quebec.
