LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2023

BOUNTIFUL FRUIT, VELVETY TEXTURE Josh Cellars Merlot LCBO 638221, $19.95

Merlot “If anyone orders Merlot, I’m

Merlot shows its warm and cozy side! Lush, soft, generous and ripe to the brink of sweetness, this Californian favourite is laden with blueberry and raspberry flavours, overlaid with oaky vanilla and hints of spice. Perfect with spaghetti bolognese. THE RIGHT STUFF FROM THE RIGHT BANK Château Pipeau Saint-Émilion Grand Cru VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 302018, $45.95 A classic Merlot-dominated Bordeaux that’s rich but muscular, full of black cherry and plum, cedar, smoke and spice. It will open up with an hour or so in a decanter, flavours unfurling like an opening flower bud—or cellar it for years, if you pre fer. A great gift for the connoisseur. PURE BORDEAUX MERLOT WITH A NIAGARA CONNECTION Chombart & Speck Cave Mystère Merlot VINTAGES 17232, $19.95 Made in Bordeaux as a collabo ration between Henry of Pelham’s Speck brothers and the Chombart family of Château Lamothe de Haux, this is a medium-bodied, well-balanced mouthful of black berry, cherry and cassis, with impressive length.

leaving,” says Paul Giamatti’s char acter in Sideways , the 2004 movie that did wonders for Pinot Noir sales and took some of the shine off Merlot’s popularity. Grumpy Giamatti despised the simple, fruity, undemanding Californian and Washington Merlots that had shot to stardom during the 1990s after Americans heard that red wine had health benefits. He was not thinking of Château Pétrus, the world-­ famous Bordeaux that is almost pure Merlot, or of a host of other Pomerols and Saint‑Émilions from the region’s “Right Bank,” where it dominates the blend. The most widely planted grape in France— third in the world—Merlot lacks the tannin and acidity of Cabernet Sauvignon but makes up for it with body, colour and intense plum and blackberry fruitiness, precisely the characteristics that make it such a useful component in red blends. In Washington State and California, the quality of single-varietal Merlot has soared since the ’90s, while in Italy it runs the gamut of styles from simple crowd-pleasers to three-­ figure Super-Tuscans.

Take Your Sour to a New Level The Old York Sour p. 247 A Toronto take on the New York Sour, this cocktail uses Canadian whisky instead of bourbon, and maple syrup instead of simple syrup. The Merlot float is a colourful finishing touch that tastes great with the whisky.

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