LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2022

Red Handed Ontario reds can make spicy pairings for robust poultry dishes.

› Coffin Ridge Back From the Dead Red VQA VINTAGES 260463, $21.95 Overlooking Georgian Bay, Coffin Ridge is blazing new trails in Ontario wine. Combining Baco Noir and Marquette grapes with the Cabernet Franc and Merlot you’d find in a classic Bordeaux red, this blend balances blackberry and plum fruit with white-pepper spice.

› Peninsula Ridge Shiraz VQA LCBO 70052, $16.95 Though plenty of spicy Shiraz has taken root in Australia, and its identical twin grape Syrah is at home in Southern France’s Rhône Valley, Shiraz is rarely grown in Canada. This wine is a treasure. It has a ripe berry nose, with whiffs of violets and spicy leather, and turns to dried fruit with a black-pepper dusting.

› Speck Bros. Revel Cab Noir Dark Red VQA LCBO 575662, $15.95 Made in St. Catharines, this big, silky red combines Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes with Ontario’s famed Baco Noir. It has date, fig and prune notes on the nose, with creamy chocolate and earthy, peppery spice on the finish. VALUE PICK

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