Sunday, November 18, 2012

Another awesome Spanish wine rated 90 points under $17!

Sabor Real 2008 from Toro in Spain - 90 point wine for $16.99 - best buy in British Columbia or Ontario!

I am a big, big fan of Spanish red wine and a really big fan of the Toro region - so when you find a great wine that is rated 90 points by Robert Parker and retails for just $16.99 there is only one thing to say: buy lots of Sabor Real!

Fortunately BC Liquor Stores have almost 1,200 bottles in stock all over the province, produced by Campiña de Toro.

And for my Ontario readers, even better news: readily available all over at LCBO stores and a dollar cheaper!  Full details here.

But don't delay - this is not only a highly rated wine but it has a huge taste the you will love.

Parker says the 2008 vintage has a bouquet of blackberry, spice box, tobacco, lavender and black cherry.  I say it is just an awesome fruit bomb with surprising layers of complexity for such a modestly priced wine.  It comes from mostly 70 to 100 year old tempranillo vines and should easily age for 3-4 years, but it drinking perfectly now.

And it is huge - 14% alcohol and not the medium weight wine some expect from Spain - this is bigger tasting than a lot of cabernet sauvignon and even syrah/shiraz wines!

So - there's the starting gun - I can't think of any other red wine that I'd rather drink for this price. 



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Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Yet another Wine Spectator Top 100 wine readily available in BC! Check out this great Italian for under $30

It doesn't get much better than this - yet another Wine Spectator Top 100 wine readily available in BC and Ontario for less than $30! 

The beautiful Allegrini 2008 Palazzo Della Torre is drinking wonderfully right now and the BC Liquor Stores have 455 bottles across the province, with 268 of those in Metro Vancouver!

And Ontario's LCBO also has this great wine for just $25,

Rated at 90 points and ranked #60 in the 2011 Wine Spectator's Top 100, this blend of Corvina Veronese, Rondinella and Sangiovese from the Veneto region has lots of blackberry flavours and a refined finish. 

I enjoyed it recently at La Quercia restaurant - an excellent place if you haven't been - with fried rabbit legs and chanterelles! 

But it would be a welcome dinner guest for almost any Italian meal, or whatever else you might serve with a red wine.  Don't miss out - it won't be there for long!  But don't despair if it is - the 2009 is ranked at an almost as good 89 points.

UPDATE - The always impressive Robert Parker says of the 2008 Palazao Della that it is: "Striking in this vintage. It shows remarkable harmony in a tense, mineral-infused expression of fruit. Hints of licorice, tobacco, mocha and spices develop in the glass, adding further complexity and nuance."  Okay - two great reviews and still under $30 in BC - don't wait!