Silver Leaf Chardonnay 2006
South Eastern Australia $14.95 1L (252635)
Packaged in an enviro-friendly PET bottle, this round and ready drop is very well-priced given the quality—just $11.21 for 750 mL. Aromas of vanilla, tropical fruit and hints of floral segue you into this medium-bodied Chard. There's good balance and lots of flavour with citrus, peach and ripe pear to the fore. The finish is medium in length. This pairs well with lightly-herbed chicken and veal. (VH)


Silver Leaf Shiraz 2006
South Eastern Australia $14.95/1 litre PET bottle (64840)
This is a straightforward, uncomplicated, fruity red. You'll find sweet fruit flavours of cherry, plum and red berries, hints of spice and mint, and a big, smooth texture. It's ideal for parties and for a wide range of meals, including burgers, pizza, and Mexican take-out. (RP)

Plantatree Chardonnay 2005
California $14.95 (65151)
The world's first carbon-positive wine—$2.50 from every purchase goes to Tree Canada to plant one tree. Lifford Wine Agency's owner Steven Campbell earns big kudos for creating this concept and developing the wines. It's made by Ironstone vineyards in California and shipped in bulk to be bottled in Ontario in an enviro-friendly PET bottle. This light- to medium-bodied Chard offers melon and pineapple aromas and flavours of spice, citrus and green apple. The medium-length finish is crisp and clean. It's a pleasant quaffing wine. (VH)


Plantatree Merlot 2005
California $14.95 (65151)
Steven Campbell, Lifford Wine Agency owner's plan is to plant 100 000 trees from this 2005 vintage as $2.50 from each sale goes to Tree Canada to plant one tree. Aromas and flavours of plum, toast and ripe cherry fruit abound in this medium-bodied red. It sports considerable structure and depth and adds on some pleasant spicy notes and moderating tanginess on the finish. A good concept and a good wine. (VH)

Arrogant Frog 'Ribet Red' Shiraz 2005
Vin de Pays d'Oc $13.20 (619296)
A dwindling share of this particular market segment has spawned the previously-unthinkable—French wine 'critter' labels. And why not, providing they fill the bottles with wine of this quality. Look for a smooth and silky drinking red that offers ripe juicy flavours of cherry, black berry and spice. It's drinking beautifully now—well balanced and offering a fruit forward finish. (VH)


Arrogant Frog 'Ribet White' Chardonnay/Viognier 2005
Vin de Pays d'Oc $13.20 (619718)
This blend offers more than a cheeky name and a memorable label; what's inside is no tadpole, either. Look for a gorgeously-textured wine that uses a creamy texture as its delivery system for alluring aromas and ripe flavours of melon, pit fruit and honeycomb. This is quite delicious sipped on its own and has the weight, texture and flavours to pair beautifully with roast chicken. (VH)


Château de Courteillac 2005
AOC Bordeaux $11.15 (360552)
This is a popular wine in the LCBO—and why wouldn't it be? For a very reasonable price, you get solid fruit (red cherry, plum, dark berries) with quite decent complexity. The wine has structure and is nicely balanced toward food. Drink it with gourmet burgers, lamb and chicken. (RP)


Léon Beyer Pinot Gris 2005
AOC Alsace $16.20 (165241)
After the aromatic nose, the thing that strikes me first about this wine is its balance. There's lovely citrus acidity here, along with luscious fruit flavours of sweet pear, white peach and apricot, with some notes of honey. It's a lovely sensory experience. The texture is smooth and hints at viscosity without reaching it, and the wine makes a great partner for slightly spicy chicken and pork dishes (think Asian spices). (RP)


Rafale Merlot 2006
Vin de Pays d'Oc $8.20 (526897)
Another good value from the Pays d'Oc, this is a mouth-filling, fruity Merlot that delivers a wallop of black plum and cherry with nice notes of spice and pepper. Tangy-textured and medium-bodied, it's a great choice for parties and for burgers. (RP)

Cavit 'Collection' Pinot Grigio 2006
IGT delle Venezie, Italy $11.20 (99218)
Remember the name 'Cavit' as there are a number of other wines on the way from this large cooperative. This is a pleasant offering of a light-bodied and refreshing white at a very attractive price. Aromas and flavours are in the citrus and apple zones with a medium finish and nice balance. Made for sipping as an aperitif—there's just a hint of sweetness—it also pairs well with grilled seafood under a squirt of fresh lemon.


Montresor Amarone 2003
DOC Amarone Della Valpolicella, Italy $28.85 (240416)
Figs and raisins on the nose, this is a knockout price for an Amarone. Viscous, rich and warm (15% alcohol), the flavours reflect the style and the blistering '03 vintage—prunes, black plum compote, currants, spice and kirsch liqueur. The medium finish adds a hint of fennel. This earned its final half star on value. Stock up before it's gone. (VH)

Brancott Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Marlborough $14.25 (129528)
The '07 wines are receiving incredible accolades and this from a region that experiences very good vintages virtually every year. Savoury notes and herbaceous nettle aromas form the pungent nose of the medium-bodied and gorgeously-textured gem. The robust and focused flavours include herbs (dill and lemon grass), pink grapefruit and passion fruit. The finish is clean and refreshing, making seared scallops a great pairing. (VH)


Stoneleigh Chardonnay 2007
Marlborough $15.25 (288795)
Enjoyable aromas of tropical fruit, leesy notes and citrus open up this medium-bodied and nicely-textured Chard. You'll find flavours in the citrus zone as well as green apple and a hint of melon. The finish is quite zesty with a bite of fresh lime. Pair this with lemon veal or salt and pepper calamari under a squirt of freshly-squeezed lemon. (VH)


Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Marlborough $15.95 (293043)
Peach and citrus aromas provide segue to this light- to medium-bodied SB from the famed Marlborough region. You'll enjoy good balance with the flavours of citrus, mineral and white peach perfectly in synch with the moderate weight, hints of melon, and tanginess on the finish. Pair this with mussels steamed in herbs and white wine. (VH)


Villa Maria 'Private Bin' Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Marlborough $16.15 (426601)
The '07 vintage is fabulous, and so is this wine. It delivers pungent aromas of passion fruit, nettles and hints of tropical fruit. The fruit-forward flavours are quite racy with gooseberry, pineapple and lemon-lime to the fore. The texture is fabulous, oily and medium-bodied, while the finish is full of vim and verve—loads of citrus and herbaceous flavours. (VH)

Angels Gate 'Süssreserve' Riesling 2006
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.15 (620104)
This is Germanic in style (süssreserve denotes that a small portion of unfermented Riesling grape juice was added to the already fermented wine), right down to the moderate 9.7% alcohol level. It's also delicious and offers good value. The aromatic profile consists of sweet floral and grapey notes while the flavours are a mélange of sweet and tangy flavours—peach, pineapple, spice and citrus among them. This wine pairs extremely well with spicy Asian dishes. (VH)


Harbour Estates Winery 'Harbour Sunrise' 2006
VQA Ontario $11.15 (26880)
Vidal is a grape that shines in icewine but can often make for undistinguished table wine. In this blend, where it's paired with Chardonnay, it shows very nicely. 'Harbour Sunrise' is a just off-dry white that delivers flavours of ripe peach, melon, and sweet pear, with hints of spiciness. A dose of clean citrus acidity lifts the texture and cuts through the fruit sweetness, making this a pleasant sipping wine or a good partner for spicy seafood. (RP)


Harbour Estates Winery Baco Noir 2006
VQA Ontario $11.70 (26914)
This is an interesting take on Baco Noir. It's recognizably Baco, but it has a core flavour that's concentrated stewed plum, sweet plum and cherry, with slightly funky—and pleasant—notes of smoke and beet. It's very smooth textured, is dry, has a nice level of acidity, and pairs well with fairly rich meat dishes and burgers. (RP)

Golden Kaan Merlot
WO Western Cape $10.95 (649988)
A straightforward, medium-bodied Merlot that will be popular at parties and with meals of hamburgers or rich pizza. It's fruit forward and bold, with big flavours of dark plum, berries and spice, with underlying notes of smoke and tar. (RP)

Monticello Crianza Tempranillo 2003
DOC Rioja $14.75 (144493)
'Crianza' means this wine spent one year in an oak barrel plus two years in the bottle, aging in the winery, before being released for sale. Explore the red cherry aromas and red currant flavours then revel in the generous dollop of zesty tanginess in this medium-bodied red. Give it a go with a tangy, zesty dish such as pasta in a spicy tomato sauce. There's good value here. (VH)


Osborne Solaz Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Vino de la Tierra de Castilla $10.50 (610188)
This burgeoning Spanish region turns out value wine—it's a hot new region. It's hot in terms of temperature, as well, so expect rich and flavourful reds. Look for a lifted nose of leather and mixed berry fruit providing segue to a fruit-forward (cherry and bramble berry) well-balanced blend. The finish is warm and lengthy, redolent of cassis and spiced black plum. You must sit up when you find a red of this quality for ten dollars. (VH)