Buyers Guide to Vintages March 21st Release

Wine Planning Your Easter Feast

By David Lawrason, with notes from Sara d’Amato, Megha Jandhyala and Michael Godel

In case you have been distracted by events of the world, Easter runs from Friday April 3 to Monday April 6 this year.

For this release, the Vintages catalogue has paired wines to eight different culinary probabilities for Easter feasting: starters, lighter fare, vegetarian, seafood, poultry, lamb, pork, beef and dessert. This is a very wide safety net, but still a useful exercise for meal planners. They provide thumbnail sketches of the styles of wine to pair, refer to exact recipes in Food & Drink magazine, then pick two or three wines from this release.

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I am not going to weigh in further with specific food-and-wine pairing recommendations, except to say that wine pairing should be a joyful exercise, full of anticipation and discovery, not a fearful one of picking the wrong wine. There is something to be learned from every pairing, and no two pairings are ever the same. If you are, say, in the 45-years-of-age range — and have wine with dinner three times per week — you will have 6,240 opportunities to pair food and wine by the time you are 85. (You can personalize with your own math.) So, you have a lot of time to experiment, and god forbid you have the same pairing over 6,000 times just because someone said it was right.

As always, we are here to help ensure you pick a very good quality wine in whatever style you choose. Our reviews always provide some idea of style, which a point score alone does not do! We are also always looking for value, which becomes even more important for larger gatherings. As Vintages points out, Easter is often the first “big” family-and-friends event of the season.

Larger numbers change your wine planning and logistics. If you have eight or more people you should buy two bottles of each wine, to ensure everyone is tasting the same wine at the same time (thus able to comment, if desired). Even for six people you should have two bottles of the “arrival” wine, a wine that will transition into any passed “starters.” By the way, if guests show up with house gift wines, you are not obligated to open them, especially among larger groups where one bottle is not enough to go around.

If you are planning three or more different courses you should have a different wine for each course, again perhaps two bottles of each. Monitor the pouring (by not overpouring) so that guests are finishing about the same time and are then ready to move on to the next wine and course.

But if everything is landing on the table all at once, family style — have two different wines on offer, a white and red — so that guests can drink what they prefer or even start with one then try the other during the same course. Again, this allows for experimentation. And have them open side by side at each end of the table for self-pouring. This is a not a formal, restaurant situation.

Here are our recommendations from this release, arranged in ascending price order within basic style groups — sparkling, white, red and vermouth (which is becoming more and more popular its exotic range of botanical herbs and spices). Vermouth is essential for martinis and can be delicious on its own, with its lower alcohol level. Store it in the fridge and consider offering it chilled as an aperitif.

Buyer’s Guide Vintages March 21: Sparkling Wine

Blomidon Cuvée L’acadie Brut, Nova Scotia, Canada
$43.95, Le Sommelier Inc.
David Lawrason – Toast the recent agreement between Ontario and Nova Scotia to allow direct-to-consumer shipping of wine. There’s great tension and poise here! No wonder this wine earned a gold at the National Wine Awards of Canada last year. Very lifted, slightly baked apple fruit is joined by fine shortbread lees and dried flowers. It is light bodied, very crisp and firm but not hard. Very complete and easy to like.
Michael Godel – Tasting the Cuvée L’Acadie today makes one wonder if this stunner of a Nova Scotia sparkler could last 10 to 15 years. There should and must be more sparkling wines made with this variety. The salt and brine, the unbridled and uninterrupted energy, the focus and the fun.
Sara d’Amato – A flagship, traditional-method sparkler from Blomidon, this old-vine L’Acadie Blanc strikes an appealing balance between 16 months of toasty lees aging and racy citrus fruit. Dry and finely tuned, it offers expressive aromatics of wildflower and ginger spice and a gentle, persistent mousse. Serious yet inviting, an excellent starter for a festive gathering.

Buyer’s Guide Vintages March 21: White Wines

Claude Michel Pichon Chenin Blanc 2024, Loire, France
$15.95, Profile Wine Group (Barrique)
Sara d’Amato – This chenin blanc overdelivers for its “Val de Loire” tier, with impressive purity and classical varietal character. Vibrant and expressive, it shows green apple, honey and a gentle wheat note. Zesty yet textured, with real weight, breadth and length.

Adegamae Dory 2024, Lisboa, Portugal
$17.95, Roy + Co. Selections Inc.
Sara d’Amato – A vibrant and inspired white blend with springtime aromatics that brings together viosinho, arinto, alvarinho and sauvignon blanc from the environs around Lisbon. Crisp and mineral-driven, with a hint of salinity that adds poise and freshness. Polished, lively and irresistibly drinkable. Think Easter apéros!

Praise Bistro Blanc Marsanne/Viognier 2024, Languedoc, France
$18.95, Connexion Oenophilia
Sara d’Amato – A bottle that gives back, Praise pairs crowd-pleasing charm with real impact, partnering with Warter.org so that each purchase helps provide a year of safe drinking water for one person. Sourced from the Languedoc, but locally conceived, this Marsanne-viognier blend is fleshy and expressive, brimming with peach, apple and a touch of gooseberry. Soft, low-acid and ready to pour, uncomplicated, modern and effortlessly generous.

Casale Del Giglio Bellone 2023, Lazio, Italy
$19.95, Profile Wine Group (Du Chasse)
Megha Jandhyala – Bellone is a grape variety from Lazio so ancient that it was reportedly cited by Roman historian Pliny the Elder. This is a delightfully flavourful and modern example of the variety, with an alluring texture that combines richness with restraint.

Inama Vin Soave Classico 2024, Veneto, Italy
$23.95, Roy + Co. Selections Inc.
Sara d’Amato – This Soave Classico made from garganega is opening nicely despite its youth, revealing an expressive aromatic profile of wildflower, lemon rind, chamomile, a hint of dill and white grapefruit. A consistently inviting and complex wine; I’m delighted to see this back on the shelves.
Michael Godel – Stalwart producer of classic garganega priced to sell and no one goes wrong with this as their everyday choice. Crisp and über fresh, Soave for Soave’s sake and just about perfect when a really fine, ever so slightly smouldering volcanic white wine is required
David Lawrason – Such a classic for so little money! The nose is not highly aromatic, but it is exactly as expected with that little plume of volcanic smoke, ripe pear, lemon zest, white flower and chamomile tea. It is medium weight, firm, dry and well balanced, with some alcohol warmth.
Megha Jandhyala – This is an exemplary Soave classico, modelling poise and purity. I like its pared-back flavour profile of orchard and citrus fruit, with a creamy but firm palate and long, focussed finish.

Urbanihof Classic Grüner Veltliner 2024, Wagram, Austria
$24.95, The Kolonaki Group Inc.
David Lawrason – Here’s a barely off-dry yet, fresh gruner. The nose shows ripe yellow (almost) pineapple fruit and soft white pepper, a gruner signature in my view. It is medium-full bodied and very nicely balanced around 12.5% alcohol, with crisp acidity, a touch of bitterness and light C02.

Giant Steps Chardonnay 2024, Victoria, Australia
$39.95, Icon Fine Wine & Spirits (Select Wine Merchants)
Sara d’Amato – This wasn’t a big Vintages release, but it delivered some notably engaging whites, such as this cool-climate chardonnay from the upper and lower realms of the Yarra Valley. Whole-bunch pressed and wild fermented in large casks, it balances freshness with gentle creaminess. Clean and poised, it offers subtle yeasty notes, slivered almon and green apple.

Bègue Mathiot Vaillons Chablis 1er Cru 2023, Burgundy, France
$49.95, Mondo Vino
Michael Godel – Not a moment’s worry that this 2023 Vaillons would be showing any decline and 10 months later the Premier Cru Chablis holds firm and strong. A seriously sexy and textural white that bleeds of its soil origins. For now, and three more blissful years.   
David Lawrason – This classy Chablis leans into the reductive flinty/oniony realm. It is also showing some heat and ripeness in this vintage, but the aromatics are spot-on Chablis with complex oyster shell, parmesan, apple and lemon. It is medium weight, fairly intense yet well balanced, with a fine sense of textural gloss and flavour intensity.

Buyer’s Guide Vintages March 21: Red Wines

Sur De Los Andes Reserva Cabernet Franc 2022, Mendoza, Argentina
$16.95, Intra Vino Inc.
David Lawrason -This is a solid cabernet franc and, at $17, a minor miracle. It shows exacting cab franc raspberry, tobacco and fine herbs, with some forest floor. It is medium-full bodied, fairly dense, well balanced and refined with fine tannin. The length is very good to excellent.
Michael Godel – Though virtually dry as the Mendoza desert, there is a real sweetness about this fruit, with floral accents coming straight from the vineyard itself. Well made, somewhat simple, and surely inviting to a larger audience that does not even know how well cabernet franc can suit their tastes.

Famille Perrin Les Cornuds Vinsobres 2022, Rhône, France
$21.95, Charton Hobbs
Sara d’Amato – Vinsobres, the northernmost “cru” of the southern Rhône, benefits from cooling elevation and steady winds, prime conditions for syrah to shine (and why it often makes up a higher concentration in blends). The result is a rich, spice-laced blend brimming with pepper, red berries and pomegranate, laced with violet, graphite and a hint of salinity. Supple tannins offer volume while a hint of “garrigue” lingers memorably on the finish.
Megha Jandhyala – This lush, warm southern Rhône blend is comforting, not least because it is so reasonably priced! I love the classic flavours of decadent fruit, rich tones of resinous herbs, and piques of peppery spice. I would chill this wine lightly and enjoy it alongside creamy, aged cheese.

Catena Paraje Altamira Malbec 2023, Mendoza, Argentina
$25.95, Connexion Oenophilia
Sara d’Amato – A dense but soft-on-the-edges malbec from the calcareous sub-appellation of Paraje Altamira, made by a founding grape-growing family of Mendoza. A sustainably produced red, floral with hints of graphite and yielding tannins.
Michael Godel – Layers of richness, here finishing at a sharp point. There is a minty cool freshness cutting through the red to black fruit, purposeful and, in this 2023, a thing of quenching satisfaction.

Poplar Grove C.S.M. 2022, British Columbia, Canada
$34.95, Select Wine Merchants
Michael Godel – Only in B.C. at this quality level will you find a red blend with a massive tannic attack that covers, oppresses and keeps the fruit at bay. Could be another two years before any real movement. Beats of burden. This beast could one day become great.

Muga Selección Especial 2020, Rioja, Spain
$56.95, Vinexx
David Lawrason – Such a delicious, elegant and stately wine for an Easter roast! The nose wafts complex aromas of dried fig and barrel-driven, cedar, cigar box, vanilla and coconut. It is medium-full bodied, almost suave and silky, but showing excellent acidity, warmth (14.5% abv) and fine tannin. So well composed.
Megha Jandhyala – This is quintessential Rioja, written in a style that is at once traditional, authentic, and sophisticated. Impressive concentration, complexity and length justify this wine’s premium price point.

Buyer’s Guide Vintages March 21: Vermouth

Dillon’s Small Batch Dry Vermouth, Ontario, Canada
$21.95, Mark Anthony Wines & Spirits
Sara d’Amato – Vermouth is having its moment, but let’s be honest, it was never truly out of fashion. This locally born expression leans heavily into licorice and fennel, catnip for fans of Fernet, with fresh, clean, minty botanicals and a hint of bitterness. Palate-cleansing in all the right ways.
David Lawrason – The is a pale, dry and quite delicate vermouth. The nose is fragrant but soft with fine herbals, grapefruit, lime, quinine, yellow plum and clove. It is medium weight, delicate with a touch of well-placed sweetness.
Megha Jandhyala – This vermouth, made by an Ontario-based small batch distiller, is especially tart, bright and zesty. Brimming with freshness and flavour, it presents versatile gastronomical opportunities, including pairing with cheese or grilled white fish.

La Quintinye Royal Extra Dry Vermouth, France
$36.95, Michael Andrew Brands
David Lawrason – This is an historic vermouth of the Bordeaux/Cognac regions, based on Pineau de Charentes. Quinine (tonic) is a dominant aroma, giving a distinctive turpy and retsina-like scent. But there is also peachy/yellow plum fruit, clove and other herbs. Quite different. It is just off-dry, powerful and piquant.

And that’s a wrap for this edition! Happy Easter. See you back here for the April 7 Vintages release featuring New Zealand and Hidden Bench of Niagara. – David

Use these quick links for access to all of our March 21st Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 60 days prior.

Lawrason’s Take – March 21st
Sara’s Selections – March 21st
Megha’s Picks – March 21st
Michael’s Mix – March 21st

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