Highlights hidden on Vintages shelves

Thursday, 11 April, 2013
Toronto Star: Brampton Wines
The special spotlight in the April 13 release is New Zealand, with three merely decent reds, and nine whites.
It’s a Toronto tradition. As a wine lover kicking off your weekend you stroll into your local Vintages store at 9:30 a.m. Saturday to be greeted by a massive wall of new strange offerings.
 
That Bordeaux red looks intriguing, but the region is a minefield of broken dreams, or overpriced glam, like Burgundy. You know a few must be great, but as a Vintages veteran you also realize not many live up to their fame or pricetags.
 
To add to the confusion, hard working Vintage consultants often attach tasting notes of foreign wine critics, usually from an expert you’ve never heard of before from the originating country who gives the wine an astounding numerical score.
 
That’s where I come in. I’ve tasted more than 100 wines in each release and bring you the best. No $60 wines that taste like $10. No favouritism. What’s in the bottle has to live up to the pricetag.
 
Brampton 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon $15.95 (South Africa)
 
Forward intense brambleberry, plum and cedar aromas spill into rich vanilla-laced black cherry flavours. The style is overall very supple, with black olives and black plums filling out the finish.
 
Food Suggestion: Beef lasagna or manicotti.
 
Rating: 90
 
Click HERE to find out what Gordi Stimmel, Wine Critic's Top Five latest release vintage favourites are (pdf format).