Change is coming at the LCBO

If you visit the LCBO online, you will notice a number of changes, many designed to promote online purchases. 

Navigating the LCBO site is not difficult, and it retains the features it previously provided. One feature, however, that is much more cumbersome involves searching for the monthly limited time offers. Previously, you could navigate easily from page to page, backwards and forwards.  

Now, however, you only get one page at a time. You can load more pages, so that you can scroll up and down several pages at once; however, if you click on an item when you try to go back to the product list, it reverts to the first single page, and you have to start all over again, like poor old Sisyphus in Greek mythology who was condemned to pushing a rock up a hill, only to have it roll back down every time it reached the summit. Tedious. 

Not only that, each time I tried to scroll entirely through the list, it would freeze part way through, and I would end up starting all over again. Complete frustration. 

Still, if you come upon an item you would like to buy, you can click on the image, and a box will appear on the right-hand side of the screen telling you if it is available at your favourite store. If you haven’t previously identified one, it will prompt you to do so. It will also let you know if the item can be ordered online. 

The one curious change here has to do with the feature that lets you search nearby stores. If another local store has it, a box will pop up and give you the necessary information. In the past, “nearby” meant “nearby”. If there wasn’t anything in our vicinity, you would be messaged "none available." 

Now, however, the site identifies the nearest store anywhere in the province that currently has that product. When I looked for one item, it identified a “nearby” store as one in the far west end of Toronto, only 491.5 km away! Technically, it is the nearest store, so I guess I can’t complain. 

You can still check availability in all the stores in the province. Click on this feature, and the entire list of stores carrying it will come up. 

For some time now, the vintages catalogues which have been published twice a month have included a number of wines which have been designated online exclusives. The April 30 catalogue identifies 40 such wines, most of them in the $30 to $40 range. 

From now on, through August at least, there will only be one vintages release a month in stores instead of two, and one release that will be exclusively online. The first releases totally online will be May 12 and June 5. Normally in-store releases are out on Saturday, but the online versions are slated for Thursday.  

The first exclusively online release features just 41 items. Only two are at the $20 mark, and another 10 are priced between $20 and $30.   

If you are currently receiving e-mails from the LCBO, you should be notified in advance regarding the items on the online releases. 

Of the products on a normal release, Sault Ste. Marie only receives about half. Being able to order online gives us the opportunity to buy something we like that isn’t making its way here. 

Recently, I put in an online purchase, just to be sure that my account is in order as things move ahead. I was asked to create a new password; this will apply to any customer who previously had an account prior to this LCBO makeover.  

In addition, a new wrinkle requires that, in order to complete your order, you type in a confirmation code that the LCBO texts to your smartphone. In the past, the LCBO just sent a confirmation to your email. Not anymore. Enter the texted number first. When the order is completed, you’ll get the email confirmation. 

A minimum order of $50 is required, but then, shipping to an LCBO store for pick-up is free. It is the most convenient option, as you don’t have to pay a shipping charge or be home to receive the shipment. 

Of the items on the May 12 online release, there are a few that catch my eye. 

Chateau Miraval Blanc 2020, $24.95, is made in France’s Provence region by La Famille Perrin. The property was owned by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but there is currently a dispute as Pitt is contesting Jolie’s attempt to sell her share to a third party, rather than to him. While the circumstances may be awkward, there is nothing wrong with the wine. It is 100 per cent Rolle, a grape known in Sardinia and elsewhere as Vermentino, and the winery contends that the wines promise to be magnificent, very pure and straightforward, with good acidity, great minerality, tension and delicious aromatic notes of citrus. A previous vintage was described as “opulent”: this may well prove to be the same. 

Chateau Vincens Origine Malbec 2017, $19.95, from Cahors in France consistently earns scores in the ’90s. Of this vintage, the Wine Enthusiast writes, “this pure Malbec wine is solid, dark with tannins and blueberry fruits. It is full and rich, dense with ripeness and serious concentration. With its richness still coalescing, the wine could age further, so drink from 2021. – 93.”  

Sean Thackrey XXVIII Old Vines Red, $39.95, from California is, I am presuming, the “Pleiades”. On the Pleiades website, we are told that Thackrey himself is an icon, an artist who has been making wine for almost 40 years.  

We learn that “Thackrey produces wines using largely self-taught methods, many of which rely on his own intuitions and sense rather than the dogmatic adherence to formulas, protocols and classroom-taught wine-making. Rather than looking to conventional vinification practices, Sean preferred to use ancient texts as reference points. His overall philosophy on viticulture and vinification can be best described as simple, natural, and non-interventionist.” 

Of this wonderful red wine, Wine.com  enthuses that “the Thackrey & Co. Pleiades XXVIII Old Vines is delicious, unique, a wine I drink without asking any questions about it, where it is from - its place, mindset, only Mr. Thackrey knows. I do know that Sean made it. TASTING NOTES: This wine brings enchanting aromas and flavours of brisk red fruit, bold black fruit, and hints of minerality to the table. Sit down with a friend and enjoy this wine. – 92.” 

April 30 vintages release 

White 

Petrichor Pinot Grigio 2021, $17.95, is a bit of a mystery. While this is a VQA wine from Niagara, I haven’t found any reference to the winery there; however, there is a Petrichor in B.C., and the labels carry the identical image. “Petrichor” is a term associated with the stone-like, earthy smell associated with rain. According to Vintages, this dry white is “lithe and crisp, with generous ripe green apple, peach, pear and apricot. Sleek and long.” Something new. Give it a try. 

Pencarrow Sauvignon Blanc 2020, $18.95, is one of half a dozen very good New Zealand SBs that we are receiving on this release. wineorbit.co.nz, describes it thus: “intense and delectably expressed, the wine shows nectarine, kaffir lime, green apple and fresh fig aromas on the nose, followed by a fabulously flavoursome palate delivering terrific fruit power and persistency.”  - 93. 

Alvear 3 Mirados Sierra de Montilla Vino de Pueblo 2019, $19.95, from Spain offers us something distinctive. Josh Raynolds of vinous.com explains that it is “light gold. Vibrant, mineral-tinged Meyer lemon and quince aromas are complemented by suggestions of honeysuckle, toasted nuts and green cardamom. Taut and energetic in the mouth, offering juicy, mineral-laced citrus and orchard fruit flavours that unfurl slowly and take on a smoky aspect on the back half. Shows very good focus and minerally cut on the impressively long, salty finish, which leaves behind notes of chamomile and fennel. – 91.” We hope for good warm weather; when it comes, this wine will be ideal.  

Red 

Tarima Monastrell 2019, $13.95, is produced by the highly respected Bodega Volver from fruit grown in the Alicante region of Spain. Monastrell is also known in France and elsewhere as ‘Mourvèdre.’ vinous.com tells us it has “ripe dark fruits and licorice on the nose and in the mouth, along with hints of woodsmoke and cracked pepper. Round and generous in style, showing good depth and a touch of jamminess on the smooth, gently tannic finish.” – 89. 

Casa Santos Lima Colossal Reserva 2018, $16.95, from Portugal’s Lisboa region always over-delivers for the price. The Wine Enthusiast says it is “big, bold and spicy” and “has weight, concentration and further aging potential. – 91. 

Duca di Saragnano Governo 2019, $17, from Tuscany has a 98 from Luca Maroni, who writes, “this wine is made according to the ancient Tuscan tradition of governo alla Toscana, whereby partially dried grapes are added into the winemaking after first fermentation. The result is a rich, full wine overflowing with ripe blackberry, dark cherry and spice,”  

Chateau Hyot Réserve 2018, $17.95, is a Bordeaux bargain. “This densely textured wine is concentrated and dark with a layer of tannins and plenty of toasty flavours from wood aging. Rich black-plum and –berry fruits are moving forward to become part of a wine that has good aging potential.” – Wine Enthusiast, 91.