Nine essential wines for all your holiday feasting needs
Nine essential wines for all your holiday feasting needs
PAIR WITH FISH
Preiss-Zimmer Vieilles Vignes Riesling
$19 | Alsace | 90 points
When smoked salmon, trout or even herring shows up as a first course , bold, refreshing riesling is just the thing. This one is lean, with honeyed peach, spice and petrol. Vintages. LCBO 292193
Pair with Geoff Kitt’s latkes and smoked trout »
Preiss-Zimmer Vieilles Vignes Riesling
$19 | Alsace | 90 points
When smoked salmon, trout or even herring shows up as a first course , bold, refreshing riesling is just the thing. This one is lean, with honeyed peach, spice and petrol. Vintages. LCBO 292193
Pair with Geoff Kitt’s latkes and smoked trout »
A WHITE FOR TURKEY
Ravine Vineyard 2010 Chardonnay
$24 | Niagara | 92 points
Powerful, barrel-aged chardonnay will carry turkey and all the trimmings. Apple, butterscotch and peat smoke coalesce in this version. Vintages. LCBO 173377
Pair with Carl Heinrich’s deconstructed turkey with stuffing »
Ravine Vineyard 2010 Chardonnay
$24 | Niagara | 92 points
Powerful, barrel-aged chardonnay will carry turkey and all the trimmings. Apple, butterscotch and peat smoke coalesce in this version. Vintages. LCBO 173377
Pair with Carl Heinrich’s deconstructed turkey with stuffing »
A RED FOR TURKEY
Coyote’s Run 2010 Red Paw Pinot Noir
$25 | Niagara | 89 points
Ontario pinot evokes cranberries, making it a slam dunk with turkey. This one has a whisper of wood smoke and enough edgy acidity to cut through the richest fare. Vintages. LCBO 79228
Pair with Carl Heinrich’s deconstructed turkey with stuffing »
Coyote’s Run 2010 Red Paw Pinot Noir
$25 | Niagara | 89 points
Ontario pinot evokes cranberries, making it a slam dunk with turkey. This one has a whisper of wood smoke and enough edgy acidity to cut through the richest fare. Vintages. LCBO 79228
Pair with Carl Heinrich’s deconstructed turkey with stuffing »
WELCOMING BUBBLY
Bailly Lapierre Réserve Brut Crémant de Bourgogne
$18 | Burgundy | 90 points
Bracing Crémant de Bourgogne can easily pass for more expensive champagne. Serve this one while guests are arriving and settling in. With its nose of baked apple, tea biscuits and clover honey, nobody will know the difference. Vintages. LCBO 991562
Bailly Lapierre Réserve Brut Crémant de Bourgogne
$18 | Burgundy | 90 points
Bracing Crémant de Bourgogne can easily pass for more expensive champagne. Serve this one while guests are arriving and settling in. With its nose of baked apple, tea biscuits and clover honey, nobody will know the difference. Vintages. LCBO 991562
PRE-MEAL TIPPLE
Lillet Blanc
$15.25 | France | 90 points
A vintage European treat, Lillet Blanc has a cult following among Toronto booze geeks. The barrel-aged sémillon-sauvignon blend gets its alcohol strength (17 per cent) from brandy, which imbues it with orange, licorice, cedar and nutmeg flavours. Serve as an aperitif with gin and an ice cube. Vintages. LCBO 322297
Lillet Blanc
$15.25 | France | 90 points
A vintage European treat, Lillet Blanc has a cult following among Toronto booze geeks. The barrel-aged sémillon-sauvignon blend gets its alcohol strength (17 per cent) from brandy, which imbues it with orange, licorice, cedar and nutmeg flavours. Serve as an aperitif with gin and an ice cube. Vintages. LCBO 322297
A STURDY RED FOR RICH FIXINGS
See our Holiday Pairing Recipes »
Chinese Rice Stuffing | Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
Rocca Delle MacÌe Tenuta Sant’Alfonso 2009 Chianti Classico
$22 | Tuscany | 91 points
Mid-weight, savoury sangiovese stands up to all the heavy sides, but it’s often overlooked because it’s Italian (and turkey dinner is not). Made from the sangiovese grosso clone, this sturdy red exudes currant, raspberry, cedar and herb aromas. Vintages. LCBO 942094
Pair with Jonathan Poon’s Chinese rice stuffing »
Pair with Ben Heaton’s scalloped sweet potatoes »
See our Holiday Pairing Recipes »
Chinese Rice Stuffing | Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
Rocca Delle MacÌe Tenuta Sant’Alfonso 2009 Chianti Classico
$22 | Tuscany | 91 points
Mid-weight, savoury sangiovese stands up to all the heavy sides, but it’s often overlooked because it’s Italian (and turkey dinner is not). Made from the sangiovese grosso clone, this sturdy red exudes currant, raspberry, cedar and herb aromas. Vintages. LCBO 942094
Pair with Jonathan Poon’s Chinese rice stuffing »
Pair with Ben Heaton’s scalloped sweet potatoes »
TO GO WITH EVERYTHING
Château de Cruzeau Blanc
$28 | Pessac-Léognan, France | 89 points
This luscious barrel-aged white from Bordeaux glows gold. The intense cedar, balsam, persimmon and spice aromas beckon for turkey and stuffing—or any poultry, vegetable or pork dishes. It’s medium-weight and soft with a pleasantly sappy bitterness. Vintages. LCBO 966010
Château de Cruzeau Blanc
$28 | Pessac-Léognan, France | 89 points
This luscious barrel-aged white from Bordeaux glows gold. The intense cedar, balsam, persimmon and spice aromas beckon for turkey and stuffing—or any poultry, vegetable or pork dishes. It’s medium-weight and soft with a pleasantly sappy bitterness. Vintages. LCBO 966010
PAIR WITH APPLE PIE
Puklus Cellar Szamorodni Sweet Tokaji
$19 | Tokay, Hungary | 91 points
For an exotic dessert sipper, look beyond Ontario’s ice wines to this Hungarian gem. Its honey, ginger root, beeswax and dried apricot flavours complement apple pie and shortbread. It’s slim, rich and bolted together with great acidity. Plus, it’s a bargain. Vintages. LCBO 179374
Pair with David Chow’s apple-prune galette »
Puklus Cellar Szamorodni Sweet Tokaji
$19 | Tokay, Hungary | 91 points
For an exotic dessert sipper, look beyond Ontario’s ice wines to this Hungarian gem. Its honey, ginger root, beeswax and dried apricot flavours complement apple pie and shortbread. It’s slim, rich and bolted together with great acidity. Plus, it’s a bargain. Vintages. LCBO 179374
Pair with David Chow’s apple-prune galette »
ONE LAST INDULGENCE
Osborne Pedro Ximenez 1827 Premium Sweet Sherry
$18 | Jerez, Spain | 93 points
Put a log on the fire, open the chocolates and indulge in PX. This well-aged beauty pours black and is as thick as molasses. It has extraordinarily rich flavours of raisins, walnuts and warm Arabic spices. It’s silky, with length that will stretch until dawn. Vintages. LCBO 47944
Osborne Pedro Ximenez 1827 Premium Sweet Sherry
$18 | Jerez, Spain | 93 points
Put a log on the fire, open the chocolates and indulge in PX. This well-aged beauty pours black and is as thick as molasses. It has extraordinarily rich flavours of raisins, walnuts and warm Arabic spices. It’s silky, with length that will stretch until dawn. Vintages. LCBO 47944
Scores: David Lawrason assigns scores on a 100-point scale. They reflect a wine’s overall quality.
A rating of 95 to 100 is outstanding; 90 to 94 excellent; 85 to 89 very good; 80 to 84 good.
 from brandy, which imbues it with orange, licorice, cedar and nutmeg flavours. Serve as an aperitif with gin and an ice cube. Vintages. LCBO 322297
A STURDY RED FOR RICH FIXINGS
See our Holiday Pairing Recipes »
Chinese Rice Stuffing | Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
Rocca Delle MacÌe Tenuta Sant’Alfonso 2009 Chianti Classico
$22 | Tuscany | 91 points
Mid-weight, savoury sangiovese stands up to all the heavy sides, but it’s often overlooked because it’s Italian (and turkey dinner is not). Made from the sangiovese grosso clone, this sturdy red exudes currant, raspberry, cedar and herb aromas. Vintages. LCBO 942094
Pair with Jonathan Poon’s Chinese rice stuffing »
Pair with Ben Heaton’s scalloped sweet potatoes »
TO GO WITH EVERYTHING
Château de Cruzeau Blanc
$28 | Pessac-Léognan, France | 89 points
This luscious barrel-aged white from Bordeaux glows gold. The intense cedar, balsam, persimmon and spice aromas beckon for turkey and stuffing—or any poultry, vegetable or pork dishes. It’s medium-weight and soft with a pleasantly sappy bitterness. Vintages. LCBO 966010
PAIR WITH APPLE PIE
Puklus Cellar Szamorodni Sweet Tokaji
$19 | Tokay, Hungary | 91 points
For an exotic dessert sipper, look beyond Ontario’s ice wines to this Hungarian gem. Its honey, ginger root, beeswax and dried apricot flavours complement apple pie and shortbread. It’s slim, rich and bolted together with great acidity. Plus, it’s a bargain. Vintages. LCBO 179374
Pair with David Chow’s apple-prune galette »
ONE LAST INDULGENCE
Osborne Pedro Ximenez 1827 Premium Sweet Sherry
$18 | Jerez, Spain | 93 points
Put a log on the fire, open the chocolates and indulge in PX. This well-aged beauty pours black and is as thick as molasses. It has extraordinarily rich flavours of raisins, walnuts and warm Arabic spices. It’s silky, with length that will stretch until dawn. Vintages. LCBO 47944
Scores: David Lawrason assigns scores on a 100-point scale. They reflect a wine's overall quality.
A rating of 95 to 100 is outstanding; 90 to 94 excellent; 85 to 89 very good; 80 to 84 good.){kind=link}