Vintages Release: September 15, 2012

Château des Charmes Vidal Icewine 2009
VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake $24.95 (565861) 200 mL 9.5% alcohol
A stunning expression of icewine, not cloying or tiring on the palate, balanced and simply delicious. Peel marmalade, apricot and spun sugar on the nose, it dishes up palate-coating flavours of grilled pineapple, concentrated blood orange and honeyed pit fruit. It finishes full of nerve and verve with a lingering, lip-smacking, mouth-watering aftertaste. A special treat on its own, it also pours well with crème brûlée or crème caramel. (Vic Harradine)

Vintages Release: September 29, 2012

Masi ‘Brolo Campofiorin Oro Appaxximento 2008
IGT Rosso de Veronese $24.95 (976092) 14.0% alcohol
Aromas of sandalwood, tobacco leaf and vanilla blend with dark berry fruit on the nose of this red blend—80% Corvina, 20% Rondinella. It’s medium-full bodied with generous mouth feel and endless waves of palate-coating, complex flavour—cassis, juicy dark Bing cherry and black plum compote mingling with ripe fig. It finishes lengthy and balanced in a blaze of flavour with ripe mulberry and bramble berry fruit, good structure and no shortage of finesse. (Vic Harradine)