Vintages New Release Collection – August 29, 2026

SPIRIT OF SUSTAINABILITY

At LCBO, we’re focused on building a more sustainable future through our Spirit of Sustainability initiative, which celebrates trade partners who work to promote diversity and inclusion, community investment and sound environmental practices. Learn more at LCBO.com/sustainability .

LUBANZI CINSAULT WO Swartland, South Africa, sustainable “We see Cinsault as the Pinot Noir of the Swartland. It’s our low-tannin, chillable red wine. It leans into the berry notes, with strawberry and cherry. It’s 13.5% alcohol, so you do still feel the structure to it. This, I love with smash burgers – something with a little bit of fat – or a rich mushroom dish.” Josh Stanley 94 points ( The Tasting Panel Magazine )

You’d be hard pressed to find a winery with a more idealistic origin story. Two American exchange students, Charlie Brain and Walker Brown, fell in love with South Africa while hiking the Wild Coast. In 2016 they put down roots in the country, determined to express South Africa’s vibrancy by launching a winery with social and environmental responsibility built into its foundations. Their friend Josh Stanley, a South African, joined in 2021 as export director. He’s watched the business grow, and in the process, contribute nearly $600,000 to charitable causes. Many of those are environmental – Lubanzi is a Certified B Corporation, Fair for Life Fair Trade Certified, and a member of 1% for the Planet, the Change Climate Project, and Organic Wines South Africa – but the lion’s share of Lubanzi’s donations goes to the low-income families who live and work on South Africa’s wine farms. “The unsexy side of sustainability is the social side,” says Stanley. “A lot of people avoid it as a focus, but it is our main focus … It was embedded in the structure of the business from the beginning.” A whopping 50% of Lubanzi’s net profits goes to the Pebbles Project: a non-profit that provides aid to children and young adults in agricultural communities across the Western Cape. “There’s a lot of rural communities that don’t have access to education, health, nutrition,” says Stanley. “This project recognized that if you want to break these cycles of poverty and actually create an impact you have to do it in a very holistic way.” In addition to their essential health, nutrition and education services, the Pebbles Project o–ers a range of programs tailored to each key life stage. Seeing business as a solution to social problems rather than existing outside of them is a refreshing, revolutionary concept. And when philanthropy is embedded in your business model, your actions go so much further than individual giving ever could. “Because of the scale of 50%,” says Stanley, “it brings in everyone in that chain. Your importers, your distributors, the people on your sales floor, your consumer … even the smallest players are having an impact.” So the next time you enjoy one of Lubanzi’s delicious wines, know that you’re a part of some thing good.

Medium-bodied & Fruity 48242 (XD) 750 ml $18.95 2 New at Vintages

LUBANZI RAINBOAT PÉT NAT CINSAULT SPARKLING WO Swartland, South Africa,

méthode ancestrale, sustainable, vegan

“It’s got so much energy behind it. A real punchy wine. You get a lot of fresh fruits, stu– that’s got a bit of a zing to it, like fresh grapefruit, with a bit of an herbaceous note. A great wine for people that are interested in pét-nat. I really enjoy this wine with fish and chips.” Josh Stanley Medium-bodied & Flavourful 48243 (XD) 750 ml $29.95 2 New at Vintages 4 Organic product

FOR COMPLETE TASTING NOTES, SEE PAGES 26 TO 33.

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