top picks
Sylvia Jansen
Mya Brown
Jennifer Battcock-Coish
Ployez-Jacquemart nv Brut Champagne, France $55.99
Michele Satta 2010 Bolgheri Rosso, Italy $21.99
Carlos Basso 2010 Dos Fincas Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec Mendoza, Argentina $14.99
For a special occasion like Valentine’s Day, make the wine special! PloyezJacquemart is a small Champagne house with a big reputation for brilliant Champagnes. The Brut is a beautiful balance of fruit, brioche, and lemon zest notes, with zippy acidity and minerality, and a long, lovely finish.
This Bolgheri Rosso is a vibrant, fruit-forward blend of Italian and French varietals with bright red currant and blackberry aromas. It has a fresh, lingering acidity, perfect for the dinner table. Enjoy it with some roasted pepper linguini or Moroccan chicken.
Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with Argentina’s favourite grape, Malbec, to make a wine that offers the best of both worlds. Typical of the modernstyle blend made famous from this region, the wine is luscious with intense jammy red and black fruit flavours. It is medium bodied with beautiful, surprisingly soft tannins and notes of spice on the finish.
Saralyn Mehta
ANDREA EBY
Andrew Eastman
Blackbird Vineyards 2009 Arise Proprietary Red Wine Napa Valley, USA $66.99
Provenza 2010 Tenuta Maiolo Rosso Lugana DOC, Italy $21.99
Donnafugata 2011 Kabir Sicily, Italy $20.99
From vineyards hugging the shores of beautiful Lake Garda, comes this unique wine, a blend of Sangiovese, Barbera, Groppello, and Marzemino. These indigenous Italian varieties each contribute something special to make a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts. This gem is full of leather, spice, and everything nice. Medium bodied with layers of complexity, the Tenuta Maiolo is smooth, with plenty of fruit and a pleasant, earthy allure.
This heavenly half-bottle of Zibbibo (aka, Moscato) from the tiny Sicilian island of Pantelleria boasts big aromas and flavours of orange zest, rose, honeydew, and pineapple. Refreshing acidity and a relatively low alcohol content (11.5%) make this medium-sweet treat very versatile, able to be paired not only with desserts, but also alongside a cheese and charcuterie platter. If you get the opportunity, also try its big brother Ben Ryé ($40.99)!
Blackbird Vineyards is a rising star on the boutique winery scene in Napa. The 2009 vintage of their Proprietary Red is a stunning homage to classic Bordeaux blends. Made from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc, the wine offers up a lush richness of ripe, dark fruit, and supple tannins. It is an elegant, complex wine sure to leave you with the desire to keep a few in the cellar. Drink now or cellar for up to 8 years.
66 http://banvilleandjones.cornervine.com