Valpolicella Classico 2020 Speri
A lovely Valpolicella that remind us of another era, when these wines offered more character. From the traditional grapes of the appellation (60% Corvina, 30% Rondinella, 10% Molinara), this Valpo displays generous fruity flavours that linger. Typically light, Speri’s well crafted version exudes charming cherry and spicy aromas. Well balanced and quite flavourful, it twill match perfectly with your favorite Italian antipasti. Buon appetito !
Country : Italy
Price : 21 $
Code SAQ: 14199938
Score : 89/100
The 2020 harvest is the third consecutive high quality vintage in Beaujolais. Quite an accomplishment by Mother Nature : ripe fruit balanced by refreshing acidity ! This Cru from Beaujolais in a «nature» style, brims with ripe berry flavours while remaining fresh and elegant. The fruity juvenile nose also exhibits floral and animal hints. Typically light and well balanced, this excellent red offers good length with some aging potential (3 to 5 years). The perfect companion to enhance a grilled red tuna steak. Enjoy ! 
Here are the results of the 1996 horizontal tasting of eight (8) reds from around the world. During this blind tasting participants were asked to identify as many wines as they could. The person successfully identifying all eight wines would have received a gift certificate for a future tasting at les Conseillers du vin. Since no participant successfully identified all eight wines, a bottle of Champagne was awarded to the person who recognized the most wines. Our winner, Bruno Petrozza, identified four of the eight wines. Bruno is well known @Les Conseillers du Vin, participating to tastings for 15+ years. Congrats Bruno !
From the outstanding 2019 vintage, this deeply coloured red offers great value! The nose displays charming ripe field berry aromas, enhanced by floral and animal hints. A perfect blend of Syrah (50%) and Grenache (50%) produced in the high elevation vineyards of Valréas, which maintains refreshing acidity to assure balance and elegance. This fleshy, tasty organic Côtes-du-Rhône brims with lingering ripe fruit flavours. Try with a pancetta pizza. Enjoy !
Originally from Bordeaux, the Carmenere variety has become the flagship red of Chile. Offering amazing value, this version from the reputed region of Colchagua bursts with ripe youthful flavours. The nose displays typical currant and bell pepper scents. Medium bodied, well balanced, soft and velvety with surprising acidity that adds refinement to this elegant red. Difficult not to be seduced by this well crafted Reserva! A superb match with the simple beef flank steak with shallots. Enjoy !
Are you a fan of «Orange» wines ? These whites that have gone through maceration with the skins are very trendy. Since it bleeds colour and is quite flavourful, Pinot Gris is often chosen for this «Orange» category. This lovely example from New-Zealand displays an amber/copper/orangy colour. The nose exhibits scents of apple, cider, sponge toffee with floral and animal hints. Quite tasty with good length, some residual sugar (6,4 gr/li) adds volume and mouthfeel. Soft acidity and a touch of bitterness assure balance. A great match with grilled salmon and veggies in a light teriyaki sauce. Enjoy!
Comparative blind tasting of Napa Valley reds versus Crus Classés from Bordeaux always reveal surprising results. As is often the case such tastings can stump many experts and aficionados alike. This high quality comparative tasting of wines from (respectively) reputed vintages (92 & 95) @Les Conseillers du Vin sheds light on the evolution of these fine reds. 
This organic Pinot noir from Austria displays perfectly ripened fruit flavours, partly due to global warming of course ! Usually this country’s Pinots are light and often a bit thin, but not this 2019 warm vintage version : light to medium bodied, very elegant, well balanced, flavourful and good length. Seductive fruity nose of ripe raspberry and cherry. This very enjoyable Austrian Pinot should match perfectly with simply grilled chicken. Enjoy!
This lovely blend of Corvinone (40 %), Corvina (40 %) and Rondinella (20%) is crafted according to biodynamic farming practices. Far from the many «Ripasso» styled Valpolicellas available at SAQ, this rather traditional version is reminiscent offerings from another era ! Discreet nose displaying fruity and spicy aromas enhanced by floral and animal hints. Light bodied as expected, it remains quite flavourful, soft and easy drinking. A seductive red for fans of refined, elegant classics. Enjoy with braised veal cheek pasta !
For consumers looking for «clean» or if you prefer «natural» wines, check out this superb biodynamic Alsatian Pinot Noir! The 2020 reds from Alsace are surprisingly rich and flavourful, no doubt global warming is partly responsible! Ripe nose displaying red berry scents (cherry, raspberry) and floral hints. Remarkably charming with good length and mouthfeel, while remaining soft and supple. Some aging potential : 3 to 5 years. Minced poultry with shiitake mushrooms should match perfectly. Enjoy!