One of the best-selling Chardonnays in Canada, Lindeman’s Bin 65 is yet another example of why Australian wines are so popular. Medium-bodied, with an attractive blend of orchard fruits such as peach and pear and apple as well as some tropical and citrus notes, Bin 65 is smooth and round in the mouth.
Crisply refreshing and offering a buttery-oaky finish, this is an easy drinker and a definite crowd pleaser – especially with that $16 price tag.
Hailing from the Uco Valley in Argentina’s esteemed Mendoza region, the Doña Paula Estate Malbec is a fresh and tasty wine that is a fine patio sipper and equally impressive with food (try it with a barbecued lamb chop).
Supple, medium-bodied, and deeply coloured, the Estate entices with blackberry, cherry and plum flavours that include a top note of violets. There’s a nice balance of dryness and lively acidity that leads into a lingering finish. This is a lot of wine for $23.
The Monasterio de las Viñas is a satisfying red blend from Cariñena, a wine district (and city) in northeastern Spain. Ripe and structured, the las Viñas is predominantly Garnacha (a.k.a. Grenache) and Tempranillo, and is surprisingly complex and characterful for a wine priced at $18.50. There are lots of plush black fruits on the palate, smoothly delivered and leading to a long finish.
This is a five-year-old Reserva and benefits from being aerated and then left in a carafe for an hour prior to serving.
One of my sisters-in-law is a Sauvignon Blanc enthusiast, and she recently came up with a real winner: Havoc & Harmony. This family-owned winery in New Zealand’s Marlborough region makes wine that is notably fresh and zesty. The SB aromatics are fruity and floral, while the palate blooms with an intoxicating blend of orchard and tropical fruit flavours enlivened with a citrus jolt of grapefruit and lemon peel.
Balanced, boldly tart, and offering a delightfully long finish, this is an expressive wine you’ll be happy to pay $23 for.
(All prices include tax.)
