LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2025

A New Breed

As recently as a decade ago, sommeliers might have advised staying away from so-called critter wines: cute animal labels seemed, at one time, incompatible with great wine. Times have changed, as have the animals. Instead of a regal forest stag or a fierce hawk, today’s wine labels are often populated with cute, more relatable creatures.

Porcupine Ridge Syrah (LCBO 595280, $16.95) is a highly acclaimed and food-friendly Syrah from the Swartland region of South Africa that boasts plenty of ripe fruit and a slightly prickly edge, much like the adorable critter on the label.

Fans of nursery rhymes will love Squealing Pig Rosé (LCBO 37213, $19.00), which plays on the classic “This Little Piggy” verse to cele brate Pride. “Love is love” at this winery in New Zealand’s Central Otago region.

Renowned designer Steven Noble did all the labels for this New Zealand winery’s 2024 releases, including the fictional sea creature the Flying Squidmill featured on Left Field Sauvignon Blanc (LCBO 487496, $17.00).

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———————— SUMMER 2025