LCBO Food & Drink Travel 2026

GRAPE EXPECTATIONS

Puglia The so-called heel of the Italian boot in the south, Puglia is where Italians vacation to enjoy beaches, Baroque architecture and medieval churches. Forty per cent of the country’s olive oil is grown here, and it’s highly prized for its quality. KNOWN FOR Deeply concentrated wines that get heft and body from the warm climate, as well as a technique called appassimento that uses dried grapes for added concentration. Comforting reds can include grapes such as Primitivo, Negroamaro and Nero di Troia. They pair with Puglia’s rustic cucina povera (peasant cooking), largely made up of vegetables, pasta and olive oil, with proteins such as lamb or grilled fish. CLASSIC PAIRING Both of these wines are great matches for this classic Lamb from Puglia . Their tannic structures and complex flavours meld wonderfully with this rich dish’s savoury and earthy elements.

MUST TRYS

Rivera Il Falcone Castel Del Monte VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 177295, $26.95 Full-bodied but balanced by bright acidity, this wine features prominent red fruit and berries overlaid by cedar and smoke. Coarse tannins can balance rich and fatty dishes.

Passo Del Sud Appassimento LCBO 520254, $14.45 This full-bodied wine

balances concentrated plum, prune and earthy notes of smoke, tobacco and nuts. The tannins are ripe, the texture is supple, and the finish is generous.

Find this recipe at LCBO.com/fdtravel26

Abruzzo This region of central Italy is just 70 kilometres from Rome. Its beaches face the Adriatic Sea, and its rugged western landscape is shaped by some of the highest peaks of the Apennines. KNOWN FOR Both red and white wines are made here, with the increasingly known Pecorino grape much favoured for its body, crisp acidity and approachable fruitiness. CLASSIC PAIRING Pecorino, the cheese, meets Pecorino, the grape, in the simple shepherd’s dish of pallotte cacio e uova (cheese and egg balls) , recipe p. 91. The vibrant flavours are well-met by the dish’s tangy cheese and savoury tomato sauce.

MUST TRY

Ferzo Abruzzo Pecorino Superiore VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 573683, $17.95 The Pecorino grape delivers flavours of yellow apple, pear and lemon, and this wine wraps that all up in a well-balanced profile that’s clean, bright and purely delicious.

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———————— TRAVEL 2026