LCBO Sale Pick of the Week: White Wine (Essentials)

Flat Rock 2014 Twisted White
VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

Sale: $16.15
Regular: $17.15
Discount (until Sept. 11, 2016): $1.00
Vintages (Essentials) #1578 | 750 mL bottle

Tastes like: Crisply tropical flavours of banana, grapefruit, mango, melon and apple, with lots of lime and sweet honey overtones.
Pairs with: Pad thai or pho, spicy calamari, pulled pork, lobster/crab, very good cheeses.
Good for: Mid-week take out or trolling Netflix for some good stand up.
Drink: Ready right now.

Why were drinking this
We’re huge fans of anything Twisted. Flat Rock has arguably pioneered creative blending in Ontario and this fetching mix of Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay is a perennial favourite. It’s just this side of off dry, which means you’ll notice the sweetness but it’s wonderfully balanced with the fruit and acidity. Truly, you can’t not like this wine.

Tasting note
A really pretty nose of lime and tropical fruits, green apple and honey, and lots of mango and melon. Yeah, it’s a bit of a fruit salad, until you take a taste and notice that there’s also alcohol in there. (OK, arguably, Grand Marnier in a bowl of cut fruit would get you pretty close.) But don’t sell this wine short: it’s a seriously crafted and thoroughly delightful blend, drawing on Ontario’s best-performing white grape varieties and giving them a sweet little symphony to play along with. Sip this wine and you’ll be happy. Or pair it with some creatively spiced dishes or serious cheese and get ready to have some fun.