The Wine Rack Issue
Dearest subscribers, we've all been there for one reason or another, left with no other choice but to choose a wine from The Wine Rack or one of The Wine Shop outlets located within our local grocery store.
With long lineups at the LCBO, store closures on Mondays, and general reluctance to make multiple store visits, due to the new realities of living through a pandemic, I've been getting more and more requests from people in a pinch looking for a decent wine they can grab from the grocery store or The Wine Rack.
As a sommelier I feel duty-bound to be honest with you, there is a ton of poor tasting, poorly made wines available at these stores. While there is always a degree of subjectivity involved in assessing the quality of a wine, it's also just plain true that Naked Grape Blue wine should offend the tastebuds of any legal-age drinker.
It is my professional opinion that the VQA needs to do more in the service of Ontario wine drinkers and Ontario winemakers alike to ensure greater representation of local wines in these stores.
In the meantime, by very popular and enthusiastic demand, I give you a modest selection of wines I'd recommend from The Wine Rack and The Wine Shop.
While the presmise of SWP has always been that my picks are non-hierarchial, these are strange times and I am going to make an exception.
This 2017 Trius Red is my top-pick for this issue.
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, you can expect this wine to be full-bodied and firm. Teeming with ripe fruit flavours of black cherry, blackberry, and raspberry, its richness also gives way to notes of dark chocolate and cedar while its 12 months spent aging in oak barrels imparts flavours and aromas of vanilla, black tea, and baking spices.
Serve this wine with homemade BBQ burgers topped with aged Canadian cheddar and a side of flame-grilled vegetable kabobs.
If someone brought this to your house for dinner, you may not even guess this was a grocery store wine. Just look at this beauty!
The 2017 Showcase Trius Clark Farm Pinot Noir is made from grapes harvested from a single vineyard. Single-vineyard wines are typically more expensive because the yield is smaller, meaning fewer bottles are produced.
This aptly named Showcase features exactly the kind of flavours and aromas you should expect from a Pinot Noir - cherry, leather, earth, a touch of barnyard.
This wine is medium-bodied and smooth with a great balance of fruit and woodsy, earthy aromas and flavours.
Pair this wine with a portabello mushroom burger or an eggplant and goat cheese flatbread with a drizzle of really good balsamic.
As with a few bottles from the previous, Stay Home! Delivery Issue, I have been unable to personally taste this wine.
I have however read some good reviews online. And, as rosé wines go, SWP readers tend to favour those that are dry with subtle fruit flavours, and this seems to fit that bill.
Unlike so many bottles at The Wine Rack and Wine Shop, this one also looks like someone put some thought into the packaging.
I'd suggest pairing this with an assortment of those phyllo pastries that come frozen in a box ready to reheat. Or, a simple palate of whatever crackers and cheese you currently have in the fridge.
I was reminded of this Trius Brut sparkling wine while on a Zoom date with girlfriends a couple of weeks ago. We used to buy this all the time for NYE pre-drinks and to give as birthday gifts in the days (years) before we could afford Champagne.
And guess what? It's still really good. Notes of yellow apple and citrus come first to the fore followed by a faint leesy, yeasty note. This wine is perfectly bubbly, crisp, and refreshing and is made from a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Sidenote: Champagne is made with only three grapes - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. If a bottle of Champagne is labeled Blanc de Blanc this means the wine will be made entirely from Chardonnay. If the bottle is labeled Blanc de Noirs only Pinots Noir and Meunier can be used.
Forget NYE and birthday celebrations, I want to be drinking this wine at Sunday brunch or on next Thursday's Happy Hour Zoom call with my colleagues or friends.
Pair this wine with eggs benny or florentine or with roasted tomatoes with goat cheese on a toasted baguette, as the producer suggests.
The 2017 Signature Series Chardonnay from Peller Estates is on the premium end of what you'll find at The Wine Shop, grocery store locations.
This particular wine is vinified sur lie, which means the wine 'juice' spent time aging in contact with the grape skins and dead yeast cells found in the wine. This winemaking technique is employed to give further depth and complexity to a wine.
This is a full-bodied Chard that has been aged in oak. While you will still get fresh citrus notes and refreshing acidity in this wine, you can expect it to have more evolved aromas of stewed lemon, over-ripe yellow apple, and toasted oak.
Enjoy this wine with rosemary and thyme marinated pork loin or stuffed mushrooms.
Admittedly, not all Wine Racks and grocery store wine departments are created equal. So what do you do when you're faced with the meagerest of selections?
Look, I'll be honest with you, I drink Jackson Triggs Sauv Blanc and Pinot Grigio in a pinch. I've picked up Inniskillin's Niagara Estate Series Meritage on several occasions when I needed a red on a moment's notice and, where I come from, after a few bottles of the good stuff at a Holiday party or backyard BBQ no one will turn there nose up at a 4L box of Jackson Triggs Proprietor's Selection Cab Sauv or Sauv Blanc.
The thing with these wines is, you don't lead with them. You don't plan a meal around them, you just silently acknowledge them for what they are, which is, essentially, stop-gap wines. No shame, bottoms up, baby!
