LCBO Food and Drink Spring 2016

WINE  PASSAGE TO SPRING

F R A G R A N T ROSÉS

SIBLING RIVALRY PINK VQA LCBO 171033, $13.95 The Speck Brothers of Henry of Pelham winery in Niagara hit three home runs with their red, white and rosé blends. This one is more scarlet than pink, a juicy, fruity blend of Cabernet, Gamay and Merlot that smells and tastes like strawberries and raspberries with a faint floral note. It’s a wine for days when the sun shines and there’s no need for anything more complicated.

OGIER CÔTES DU VENTOUX ROSÉ LCBO 134916, $12.95

TRIUS ROSÉ VQA LCBO 341743, $1 5 .95

Sometimes you can’t precisely pinpoint the fruit that a wine’s flavour brings to mind. This classy coral-coloured sipper is a case in point—a complex fruit salad of berries, redcurrants, cherries and citrus that ends with a hint of tangerine peel. It’s made from Syrah, Gamay, Merlot and Malbec (the varieties change with every vintage) and has a subtly spicy sophistication that many wine lovers will find fascinating.

Such a pretty pale coral colour, this clas- sic Southern Rhône rosé comes from a renowned producer of Châteauneuf du Pape. Perfectly dry, with slightly more weight to it than might be expected, it has fresh summery aromas and flavours of strawberry and citrus. Try it on its own as an aperitif or with simple salads (and go easy on the salad dressing).

CHIVITE GRAN FEUDO ROSADO LCBO 165845, $11.95

The Spanish red grape Garnacha, known in most of the rest of the world as Grenache, is responsible for this juicy, fresh, dry rosé from Navarra, Spain. Twenty-four hours on the skins is enough time to leach a strawberry colour into the juice—and strawberry dances around in the wine’s aromas and flavours. If you’re planning the first barbecue of the year with shrimp or salmon, this could be the wine for you.

94  FOOD & DRI NK SPRING 2016