Last-minute wines for Valentine’s Day I’m counting on the Nonvintage La Crema Brut Rosé Sparkling Wine from the Russian River Valley to ignite a little romance. The blend of 73% pinot noir and 27% chardonnay equals 100% romance. Aromas of summer raspberries and cherries are highlighted on the aromatic bouquet, while flavors of tangerine, red plum and raspberry dance on the palate. The bright, delightfully fresh acidity on the finish makes it an excellent companion with chocolate covered strawberries.

Your classic oaky California Chardonnay. Deep gold. Medium nose with lots of fruit: papaya, pineapple, apricot, pear and vanilla from the oak. Full body with more oak on the palate, a bit of grapefruit bitterness and good acidity offsetting the sweet apricot nectar, apple and pineapple flavours. Best served not too cold to those who like their wines a bit over the top. Did I mention the oak? Drink up.

8 awesome drinkable gifts to pick up in Vancouver this season If your colleagues appreciate a rich red, this is the wine to buy. For a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s reasonably priced and unsurprisingly elegant. Think black currant, blackberry, black licorice, and wood spice with good tannins. It’s basically the kind of gift you’ll want to buy two of (one for yourself, obviously).

Anthony Gismondi’s top wine picks for holiday gifting and entertaining BIG RICH AND RED This is likely to be a massive sector of the wine market because red wine, or “big” reds as they are often described to me, are highly prized. The go-to wines here are Merlot, Malbec and Shiraz or most any red blend that is dominated by any of the three varieties. Think California, Australia, Chile or Argentina and spend $20 to $30 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Napa Valley, California, US

Uncorked: Recommendations for gifts and go-to wines for your holiday table Affordable best-bang-for-the-buck Pinots include 2017 Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve…

Salut!: Anthony Gismondi's best entertaining wines under $25

West Wines: Holiday Shopper’s Guide to West Coast Wines The five-acre DuPratt vineyard was planted in 1983 and sits on a ridge in California’s Anderson Valley at an elevation of 1,550 feet. The fruit reflects its mountainous locale, yielding wines with notable acidity and an appealing, rigid structure. This chardonnay is minerally fresh, leaving traces of pear, vanilla spice, lemon zest and stone fruit on a creamy finish. It’s got long-term cellaring appeal but if you absolutely must have it now, pair it with your Christmas turkey meal with all of the fixings.

Wines of the Week Bursting with bright, fresh cherries and raspberries as soon as you pour it into the glass, this is a silky and vivacious Pinot Noir with just enough of a savory edge—blood-orange pith, wild strawberries, tobacco leaf—to work beautifully alongside a broad range of foods. There’s energy to spare here, but never at the expense of depth. And at less than $35, this is a steal.

Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2019 - #79

Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2019 - #9

25 Splurge-Worthy California Reds This is the kind of wine you could smell for hours and be perfectly happy: Wild strawberries, black raspberries, herbes de Provence, and the subtle spice of excellent French oak.The palate is perfectly balanced, generous and broad, yet precise at the same time, with flavors of cherry clafoutis, cacao nibs, cigar tobacco, and sweet spice, as well as nods in the direction of blackberries, cassis, and black raspberries. Lingering notes of pencil lead and cedar make this remarkably food friendly even this early in its evolution.

25 Splurge-Worthy California Reds Star anise, Chinese five-spice powder, and hints of currants and cedar precede flavors of mixed mountain berries, candied violets, and blueberries that ripple out on the palate. Amazing acidity and elegant tannins promise a very long life ahead.

Legacy: A Jewel in the Crown of Jackson Family Wines 2013 Legacy Red Wine, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County — bright ruby in the glass with aromas of cedar and red fruit. Rich red and dark fruit flavors include blackberries, tart cherries, pomegranates and raspberries. Fruit and cedar flavors, along with a lingering slate-like minerality, are supported by bright acidity. Tannins are smooth in this agile Cabernet blend.

Legacy: A Jewel in the Crown of Jackson Family Wines 2015 Legacy Chardonnay, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County — medium yellow in the glass with citrusy, grapefruit aromas lightly scented with toasty notes. Citrusy flavors with melon, yellow apple, a hint of toast and lingering minerality are supported by nice acidity. The body is on the light side of medium.

The Tuscan Masters 2019: Gold

The Tuscan Masters 2019: Gold

The Tuscan Masters 2019: Gold

Sipping through California’s Sta. Rita region Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton have partnered to create acclaimed Burgundian-style pinot noir and chardonnay since 1995 and currently farm four “monopole” or single-vineyards with some of the finest stock in the appellation. I selected the 2016 Brewer- Clifton Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir ($40), that blends grapes from the 3D, Machado and Hapgood estate vineyards. Whole- cluster pressed and aged in neutral oak, it is an exceptional wine at a reasonable price.

How To Drink Like A Royal: California Wine Breaks New Ground At England’s Guards Polo Club This Cabernet Franc-dominant blend has 12% Merlot and a small bit of Malbec. Plush black fruit notes are tempered with cassis and clove –all wrapped in a structure that shows freshness and polish.

How To Drink Like A Royal: California Wine Breaks New Ground At England’s Guards Polo Club A Cabernet Sauvignon focused wine with a pinch of Merlot and bit of Petit Verdot. Dominant notes of red currant, plums and dried herbs are supported by beautiful structure and polished tannins.

How To Drink Like A Royal: California Wine Breaks New Ground At England’s Guards Polo Club A Merlot-dominant blend with a bit of Cabernet Franc and Malbec. The palate is rich with blueberries, blackberries, earth, cassis and chocolate. Finely tuned, built to age but polished enough to open now.

A little pricey, but worth it, complex fruit, layers of flavor, spice, cedar.

VALUE FOR THE MONEY $24 buys you a first class Napa Chardonnay.

Very well made SB, smooth with perfect bracing acid, bright flavors.

We may be going back a bit into the Global Masters archives, but with California Wine Month well under way, we wanted to celebrate a brilliant bottle that’s distinctly Golden State. This wine hails from our Sauvignon Blanc Masters in 2015, where it took the position as the outstanding sample of the day, becoming the only entry to gain the title of Master: the ultimate accolade for the very best examples of their type. The wine was from Stonestreet Estate Vineyards in Sonoma, a property spread across the Mayacamas Mountains on California’s north coast, and one that’s best known for its seductive and refreshing results with Chardonnay as well as Cabernet. But, as we discovered that day, this estate, with vineyards at around 300 metres above sea level, also produces first-rate Sauvignon Blanc in a similar mould to its other wines, and by that, I mean a style that is rich, but also bright. Indeed, this particular wine, a top-end, barrel-fermented Sauvignon, is more like a great white Bordeaux from Graves, with peach, passion fruit, and a touch of cleansing pink grapefruit, complemented by a lovely creamy taste and texture, along with a hint of vanilla. Think of a freshly prepared salad of citrus and yellow fruit, topped with a touch of ice cream, and you can imagine the flavour combination – this is a wine that is both indulgent and cleansing, and, in terms of foods, a brilliant match for a range of demanding ingredients, from herbal garnishes such as dill, to buttery sauces on a wide array of dishes, from fish to white meats, or vegetables such as asparagus or artichoke. The wine we awarded was from the 2012 vintage, and the current release is 2015, as this is a wine that benefits from a bit of time maturing in bottle before consumption. In terms of the technical details, the Sauvignon for the Aurora Point comes from north east facing slopes at 300m elevation, and the grapes are harvested by hand, pressed gently, and then fermented in oak puncheons (500 litre barrels), followed by seven months ageing in “neutral oak” puncheons, before bottling in April. Fewer than 300 cases are made of this wine. Finally, for those of you who might be surprised at the decision to ferment and age a Sauvignon Blanc in wood – after all, the grape is associated with linear, lemongrass and lime-zest whites – it follows a long tradition of marrying this grape with oak in both Bordeaux but also California, where Robert Mondavi coined the term Fumé Blanc in the 60s to reflect the smoky, toasty, dry, fresh character of first-rate barrel-influenced Sauvignon – differentiating it from lesser-quality, often sweet examples (the grape had come from Bordeaux to California in the late 1800s).