If you’re in Canada, and more specifically in Ontario, you undoubtedly know the LCBO.  How can you not?  With over 660 retail locations, the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) is THE place to buy alcohol in Ontario.  It also happens to be ubiquitous - every Ontario resident has undoubtedly seen the green LCBO sign at some point. 

Even if you buy your liquor at the grocery store, chances are it’s coming from the LCBO’s wholesale division. The LCBO is one of the world’s largest buyers and retailers of alcohol, offering more than 28,000 products from over 80 countries to its customers.  Yes, you read that right - I said 28,000!

As a wine lover, this is a real gift because you can get really great wines, at all price points, from the LCBO.  And the stock keeps rotating constantly, so there’s always something new to explore and try.

Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the LCBO Vintages section.  Vintages is the section of the LCBO where you can find incredible wines from all around the world, often at very reasonable price points.  In fact, Vintages does a new release every two weeks - so there is never a shortage of new wine for wine lovers to try here in Ontario! :) 

Are you wondering how you can find out more about all of this?  It’s easy!  All you need is the Vintages magazine, which you can get at any LCBO store, have mailed to your house or check out online (click here).  It’s literally one of my favourite reads - I get pretty excited when it turns up in the mail (yes, I’m a wine geek and also a dinosaur who still uses snail mail, lol!).  I love the Vintages magazine because it is always chock-full of great articles, features on types of wine or wine regions, and detailed product write-ups. It’d a true wine nerd’s dream come true!

Having said this, I recognize that as much as I love it, for others the whole thing can be overwhelming.  New wines every two weeks, wines from all around the world, a magazine full of wine talk, varietals you’ve never heard of….and perhaps many people have already tuned out, or have decided to reach for some good old California Cab that they already know (not that there’s anything wrong with that, by the way!). 

If this is you, let me help you by sharing a few of my favourite picks that are new in store! 

Picking favourites is always tough because there are so many great choices…but I think a few still do stand out. Here’s what I think is interesting in the current Vintages release (August 22, 2020 release) and I think you should check out too!

NOTE: I haven’t tried all of these wines and I may not buy all of them because I can only buy and consume so much! I’m also not getting paid to recommend these wines - I’m recommending them because they look good to me. I’ve tried to indicate why below, and also share any major ratings the wines have received, in case that is of interest to a reader of this blog.

ANOTHER NOTE: Product availability will vary across LCBO locations, and not all products last very long.  Be sure to use the product numbers noted to check availability of products you like, before you decide what you’re going to purchase!  Also remember to check out online vs. in store shopping as product availability varies across LCBO’s various channels.

All photos below are courtesy of LCBO.com. Click here to visit the site directly.

TOP PICKS

And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed this run down of the August 22 LCBO Vintages release and get a chance to try one or two of these wines! If you do, be sure to let me know what you think!

Cheers and good health to you!