• Order the following wines by the case for home, restaurant or office delivery in Ontario from VinoLuna wine agency. Contact via VinoLuna website, by Email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or, in the GTA phone 416 587-6691. 

• The following 2016 Domaine Épicuriale ‘Cuvée Gourmande’ is a 70% syrah/30% grenache blend sourced from stone-littered vineyards from vines averaging 25-years old. Fruit was de-stemmed and foot trodden then macerated for 12 to 15 days with delicate pump-overs.

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Domaine Épicuriale ‘Cuvée Gourmande’ 2016
AOP Côtes Du Rhône, France $14.95 13.5% alcohol
Fresh and lively on the nose, there are red fruit, black berry fruit and piquant spice aromas galore. It rides over the palate with more sharp spice, crunchy red cherry fruit and a lick of black plum compote. This is medium-full bodied with good texture, balance and charm and it finishes with more of the same. This makes a terrific dance partner with grilled steak, burgers or ribs. You can pick up the tab and invite the entire gang at this price. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2016 Domaine Bolchet Costières de Nîmes was fashioned by 6th generation vigneron, Béatrice Bécamel. She sourced fruit from premium estate vines averaging 40 years of age—55% grenache, 40% syrah, 5% carignan—grown in terraced, pebble-strewn vineyards.

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Domaine Bolchet Costières de Nîmes 2016
AOP Costières de Nîmes, France $14.95 13.5% alcohol
This punches well above its price. Muted aromas of spice box and red berry fruit provide segue to a tang-laden, chalky/mineral river of palate-bathing flavour with red and black cherry decorated with warm black plum to the fore. It’s light on its feet re weight and texture while palate flavours replay on the mid-length finish and aftertaste. Pour with pasta puttanesca. (Vic Harradine)

• Fruit—70% grenache/30% syrah— for the following 2016 Jas du Lauzon was de-stemmed, foot trodden and fermented in concrete vats with 7 to 8 days of mild extraction. ‘Jas du Lauzon’ is a Provençal phrase referring to the dry-stone sheep barns found along rivers in this region.

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Jas du Lauzon Luberon 2016
AOP Luberon, France $14.95 13.5% alcohol
Lively aromas of red cherry, exotic spice and licorice abound. It’s medium weight with good mouthfeel and plenty of delectable fruit flavour. A balanced and beautiful palate-wash of pie cherry and ripe black plum mingle with delicious tang and a supple tannin underpinning. It finishes with lip-smacking tang, clean and dry. Pair with burgers, pizza or wings. (Vic Harradine)

• The fruit—60% syrah, 20% grenache, 15% carignan, 5% cinsault—sourced for the following hi-octane 2017 Domaine D’Agues Luberon was sourced from vines averaging 25 years of age. A traditional vinification of full de-stemming, three-day cold soak and three-week fermentation ensured optimal extraction.

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Domaine D’Agues Luberon 2017
AOP Luberon, France $14.95 15.0% alcohol
Strawberry, red cherry and sandalwood aromas leap from the glass. It rolls over the palate with a medium-full bodied, creamy smooth stream of black and red currant, blueberry and dark cherry interwoven with deft balance, excellent tang and oodles of charm. Palate flavour persist through the lingering and luscious finish. Pour alongside roast leg of lamb, crown roast of pork or grilled beef tenderloin steak. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2016 Rhône to the Bone red blend—65% grenache/35% syrah—was sourced from vines averaging 40 years of age that enjoyed a four- to five-week vat maturation with lees stirring and 12 months maturation in stainless steel vats on their fine lees.

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Rhône to the Bone Grenache/Syrah 2016
AOP Côtes Du Rhône, France $15.95 14.0% alcohol
The price-quality ratio skews wildly in your favour. Dark berry fruit, spice and tarry/licorice note aromas set the table for a gusher of ripe, luscious fruit—bramble berry, black currant and juicy black Bing cherry—interlaced with excellent acidity, supple tannin and wisps of kirsch liqueur. This is medium-plus bodied with generous mouthfeel and lingering finish that’s balanced, fruit filled and bountiful… it’s delicious. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2017 Valpanera ‘Album’ Bianco is a white blend—40% chardonnay, 40% malvasia istriana, 20% riesling renano—that was harvested and immediately de-stemmed, crushed and stored at a controlled temperature of 5 C followed by gentle pressing, racking and cool fermentation at 15 to 16 C to retain freshness in the finished wine.

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Valpanera ‘Album’ Bianco 2017 
IGT Trevenezie, Italy $16.95 13.0% alcohol
The price-quality balance in this white blend tips in your favour. Aromas of tropical fruit, orange blossom and wisps of honey precede a medium-bodied, nicely textured wash of palate flavours with lemon-lime, pineapple and grapefruit pith to the fore. It’s refreshing on the palate, finish and aftertaste. Sip on its own or pour alongside your favourite seafood dish. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2015 Valpanera ‘Atrum’ Rosso is a Ripasso-styled red sourced from 40% refosco dal peduncolo, 30% merlot, 30% cabernet sauvignon vines with an approximate average age of twenty years. The second fermentation lasted three or four days over freshly crushed pomace, aka skins and pulp, of refosco dal peduncolo grapes. This wine matured approximately 10 months in large oak barrel. Trivia: The refosco dal peduncolo grape is one of a handful of the thousands of varieties in existence in which stems also turn red when the fruit ripens.

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Valpanera ‘Atrum’ Rosso 2015 
IGT Trevenezie, Italy $16.95 13.0% alcohol
This Ripasso-styled red leaps from the glass with aromas of black licorice, sweet vanilla and baking spice. It delivers an elegant, beautifully balanced river of flavour that captures the palate with ripe black currant, blueberry and tangy red cherry mingling with mocha and wisps of mineral notes. It’s balanced from start to finish showcasing persistent purity of fruit from cork pop to last drop. A sure-fire crowd pleaser at an exceptional price. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2015 Valpanera Refosco Dal Peduncolo - Rosso is 100% refosco dal peduncolo was sourced from vines with an approximate average of twenty years. After pressing and fermentation it rested and matured up to two years in stainless steel tank. The refosco dal peduncolo grape is quite rare in that stems turn red as grapes mature.

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Valpanera Refosco Dal Peduncolo - Rosso 2016 
DOC Friuli, Aquilea, Italy $16.95 13.0% alcohol
This is very good value and uncomplicated; it’s loaded with tang and showcases persistent red fruit and a lengthy, lip-smacking finale. Red and black berry fruit aromas meld with mocha and red licorice on the nose. It washes over the palate with lively, crunchy red fruit—currant, cherry and cranberry—supported by excellent tang and good balance, followed by a lingering finish and aftertaste. Pour alongside meat-laden, red pizza, pasta Bolognese or baked, green poblano peppers stuffed with rice, tomato and minced beef. (Vic Harradine)