LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2023

Popular varietals are no-fail selections when stocking your bar or gifting. With a range of price points, flavour profiles and styles, there really is something for everyone. TOP SHOPS By JAMES CHATTO Photography by STACEY BRANDFORD E ven the most famous varieties in the world occasionally generate a word or two of bad press, sometimes from envy, often just a case of sour

grapes. Here, we acknowledge these grapey gripes and then refute them. There are so many excellent reasons why Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Riesling are grown all over the world, and why these varieties are loved and revered. Each one is used to produce wines that vary dramatically in style and inten tion, price point and personality, so the grouping offers something to please everyone. Of course, we all relish hard-to-find wines from obscure local grape varieties, but sometimes it’s good to celebrate the superstars, and to remember why they earned such love and respect in the first place. Here, we explore some of the different faces each of our five top varieties shows to the world and throw in a couple of useful wine cocktails for good measure!

FOOD STYLING BY ESHUN MOTT; PROP STYLING BY SHELLY SHNIER

136 FOOD & DRINK HOLIDAY 2023