Holiday Gifts For Him
Top holiday gifts for men, from booze and snacks to clothing and games
Check out the rest of our Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide
The Best Value Wines from Lesser-known Wine Countries
The best wines from the lesser-known wine-producing countries at the Wine Access 2012 International Value Wine Awards
It’s a hodge-podge of reds, whites, a fortified wine, single varieties and blends: Best of the Rest rounds up loose ends that don’t fit elsewhere. While Greece, Germany and South Africa showed respectfully in this category, Portuguese wines — mostly red table wines blended from indigenous grapes — dominated. Portuguese red blends tend to be earthy and rustic, with balanced acid and tannins, making them ideal food wines. Many Portuguese table wines are also priced at $15 or less, making them potential killer values. South Africa’s showing in this category is split 50-50 between white and red wines. Some reds, though, suffered from that smoky, rubbery, meaty component on the nose that’s jarring when tasted among reds from other countries. (Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson)
How to Gift Wine
Tips for giving wine as a holiday present
You’ve run out of time and you have no idea what present to gift to your nearest and dearest.
Top 5 Wines for Nov. 26 - 30
Our best wine recommendations of the week
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The Best Value Wines from Spain
The best wines from Spain at the Wine Access 2012 International Value Wine Awards
Spain is in the midst of renewal, and a corresponding resurgence of popularity among knowledgeable consumers and sommeliers. Yet it is hard to define what Spanish wine actually is, other than being from Spain. As evident in our list of winners, there are many styles, from fortified sherry to sparkling cava to rosada. But Spain’s red wines really carry the ball, most made either from tempranillo, garnacha, monastrell or a combination thereof. And small, formerly unknown appellations such as Calatayud, Carenina, Toro, Montsant and Ribera del Duero in north-central Spain are leading the way. (David Lawrason)
Top Modern Songs About Wine
A collection of some of the best wine songs from the 90s and beyond
Wine and song go together like...well, like wine and most things. That is to say, very well. Seriously, what doesn’t go well with wine? So it is not surprising that wine finds itself in the lyrics of many songs the world over. But in the music of the last twenty years or so, drinking elderberry wine and staying close to red, red wine, have been replaced with sipping Hennessy, passing Courvoisier and drinking Cristal by the case. But wine purists still exist, even in song. Here is an eclectic mix of songs from the Nineties and the Noughties that make reference to wine. (Lynn Wayling)
Top 5 Wines for Nov. 19 - 23
Our best wine recommendations of the week
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The Best Value Wines from Italy
The best wines from Italy at the Wine Access 2012 International Value Wine Awards
As usual, this was a challenge between the myriad of indigenous varieties from all over Italy and the blends made with them. With so many varieties to choose from in Italy, it’s no surprise to find many of the regions produce quality wines in the value category. For the first time, two whites vied for top honours, a Gavi and a moscato. However, in the end, a valpolicella — a blend of corvina (and corvinone) with some rondinella and molinara grown in the Verona region — came out on top. Wines from this region offer fruit, subtle tannins and fresh acidity, made to balance well with food. (Stuart Tobe)
5. Road 13 Vineyards
Winery number 5 in the Wine Access 2012 Canadian Wine Awards Winery Performance Report
Address: 13140 316A Ave. (Road 13), Oliver, BC, Canada
The Best Value Wines from Canada
The best wines from Canada at the Wine Access 2012 International Value Wine Awards
This is a tough category to sum up. Canada still insists on growing just about every grape imaginable and blending them in just about every way. Red wines didn’t fare quite as well this year as in the past, with very few winning awards and most judges commenting on harder tannins and sometimes-excessive oak. Nonetheless, we have the Red Rooster Cabernet-Merlot securing the win for Canada, proving we make some great reds. Arrowleaf’s pinot gris took Canada’s top white spot. Canada ruled the roost with balanced, stylish examples of some grapes that we judges long to compare to wines from more traditional producers around the world. (Tom Firth)
