No Fuss Wine Reviews. Always Under $20
Price: $9.15
Tastes Like:
Oak, Red Berry, Red Cherry
Chuck’s Take
Medium-Light body and quite oaky which throws it a little off balance for me. Not sure I’d believe the 96 rating on the bottle or the ‘best seller’ tag from the LCBO website. I’d skip this one.
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Price: $12.05
Tastes Like:
Plum, Vanilla, Smoke
Serve With:
Smoked Salmon, BBQ Ribs, Fallafel
Sean’s Take
There is some raspberry, plum, and even some dark cherry. The oak, which translates to smoke and vanilla is a bit heavy-handed. I think there was a really nice wine under there that got covered up. That being said, some folks really like a smokey, oaky, vanilla bean. If that’s you, enjoy!
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Alchymia Duca di Saragnano Primitivo 2019
Alchymia Duca di Saragnano Primitivo 2019 Alchymia Duca di Saragnano Primitivo 2019
Alchymia Duca di Saragnano Primitivo 2019
Price: $19.95
Tastes Like:
Black Grape, Blackberry, Warm Spices, Oak
Serve With:
Antipasto
Chuck’s Take
Let this wine breath in the glass or decanter while you make dinner and you’ll get a lovely, dry, old world but very juicy full bodied red similar to a California Zinfandel
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Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
Price: $16.95
Tastes Like:
Dark Plum, Blackberry, Oak
Serve With:
Roasted Red Meat
Chuck’s Take
It’s not a bad cabernet at all especially on the scale that they make this stuff. It was hugely popular many years ago so it does have it’s following. It’s alright…but for $17 you can find something more interesting. I wouldn’t avoid it though.
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Ironstone Petite Sirah 2018
Ironstone Petite Sirah 2018 Ironstone Petite Sirah 2018
Ironstone Petite Sirah 2018
Price: $17.95
Tastes Like:
Raspberry, Strawberry, Light Pepper, Light Oak.
Serve With:
Glazed Ham
Chuck’s Take
Firstly I thought Petite Sirah was akin to a baby shiraz but I was completely wrong, it’s it’s own grape variety that doesn’t get planted too much. This bottle could have fooled me if you told me it was a blend of Australian Shiraz and California Zinfandel (no surprise since it comes from Lodi Valley).
This wine was featured in Episode 013 How Much Sugar Is in a Glass of Wine? of the No Snob Wine Podcast.
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Cupcake Light Hearted Chardonnay
Cupcake Light Hearted Chardonnay Cupcake Light Hearted Chardonnay
Cupcake Light Hearted Chardonnay
Price: $15.95
Tastes Like:
Tropical Fruit, Melon, Tangerine Peel
Sean’s Take
A typical glass of white wine has around 120 calories in it. This wines labels boldly boasts 100 calories (per 188 ml). 188 ml? A standard glass of wine is 5 oz or 147 ml (appx. 5 glasses). So a hundred calories is a bit more than a glass, not a bad thing. However, if you divide 188 ml into a standard bottle of 750 ml you get 3.98 glasses. I suspect marketing just wanted “100 Calories” on the label.
Tropical Fruit, Melon, and Tangerine Peel sound delicious but they landed as flat and uninteresting followed by an intensely sour finish. Not sure if it’s the low alcohol volume (8%) or something else, but at the end of the day, this doesn’t really taste like Chardonnay. I’ll take the extra ~20 calories or whatever it is converted to a 5 oz. glass of wine.
This wine was featured in Episode 013 How Much Sugar Is in a Glass of Wine? of the No Snob Wine Podcast.
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Fuzion Alta Pinot Grigio 2021
Fuzion Alta Pinot Grigio 2021 Fuzion Alta Pinot Grigio 2021
Fuzion Alta Pinot Grigio 2021
Price: $12.55
Tastes Like:
Pear, White Peach, Rhubarb
Serve With:
Frittata, Jumbalya Rice, Smoked Sausage
Sean’s Take
Great flavours, bright and clean all around. I really enjoyed it after it warmed up a little. Solid 3/5 stars. An excellent wine to serve at an event with a lot of people to please.
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Open Riesling Gewürztraminer VQA
Open Riesling Gewürztraminer VQA Open Riesling Gewürztraminer VQA
Open Riesling Gewürztraminer VQA
Price: $13.45
Tastes Like:
Pineapple, Golden Apple, Honey
Chuck’s Take
Low in acidity and somewhat sweet make this white blend a little off balance. While it goes down fast and easy there isn’t much to it. It could use a little backbone (read: acidity and structure). Also there is no year on the bottle so it’s non-vintage (made with new and older juices)
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Fresco Di Masi Bianco Organic Vegan White Blend
Fresco Di Masi Bianco Organic Vegan White Blend Fresco Di Masi Bianco Organic Vegan White Blend
Fresco Di Masi Bianco Organic Vegan White Blend
Price: $18.95
Tastes Like:
Green Apples, Pineapple, Golden Pear
Serve With:
Seafood, Paella, Onion & Goat Cheese Tart
Sean’s Take
Like its red counterpart, this wine is Vegan and Organic. Also, the bottle weight has been minimized to reduce its carbon footprint. All great things, but I’m here for what is in the bottle…
I took two sips and immediately texted Chuck “6/5 stars”. Yup, if I could give it a sixth star I would. One of the hallmarks of well-made wine is balance. When the flavours, acid, alcohol, sweetness, and body are perfectly balanced you have a winner.
Everything in this bottle just works. The pineapple, apple, and golden pear flavours are perfectly integrated. The nose is sweet and inviting. There is a slight grassy/green note and splash of floral that rounds everything out. Exceptional white wine under $20. This will be my “Official White Wine of Summer 2022”. I dare you to find someone who doesn’t like it.
Chuck’s Take
Pineapple, Papaya, Pomello. Fresh, tropical and nicely balanced. Highly Recommended
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Beringer Founders’ Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Beringer Founders’ Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Beringer Founders’ Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Beringer Founders’ Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Price: $16.95
Tastes Like:
Blackberry, Oak, Warm Spice Vanilla
Serve With:
American Food
Chuck’s Take
Yup. Checks all the boxes to be a California Cab. Very soft and juicy. Any rounder and It’ll be getting close to flabby (lacking structure, where juicy and soft is all you get with no backbone to it). Finishes dry with a medium oak note to it.
I think there are more interesting and complex cabs in our 4 and 5 star categories at this price point. This wine is VERY available. They make a lot.
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Waterdog Red
Waterdog Red Waterdog Red
Waterdog Red
Price: $12.80
Tastes Like:
Blackberry, Raspberry, Currants
Serve With:
Strawberry Shortcake, Chicken Burgers, Pan Seared Scallops
Sean’s Take
In the mood to try something new? Here we have 80% Castelāo and 20% Touriga Nacional, two very popular Portuguese wine grapes. Very drinkable, refreshing, and juicy. I would easily serve this at a lunch party as it’s so fresh and lively with a medium body and almost no aftertaste. A nice touch of sweetness with vibrant fruit, a slight hint of licorice and mild spice. Extremely versatile!
Chuck’s Take
A great find by Sean that I wouldn’t have pulled myself. I get notes of toasted oak, blackberry, cranberry and black grape skin. Full body, extra dry and very flavourful.
This wine is featured in Episode 11 Does the shape of your wine glass matter? of the No Snob Wine Podcast.
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LCBO | Wine Searcher
Montecillo Rioja Reserva 2013
Montecillo Rioja Reserva 2013 Montecillo Rioja Reserva 2013
Montecillo Rioja Reserva 2013
Price: $18.95
Tastes Like:
Raspberry, Oak, Licorice, Dark fruit
Serve With:
Tapas, Antipasto, Salami
Chuck’s Take
A good benchmark old world Spanish red. It’s the goldilocks of wine since its middle of the road on its oak, fruit, tannins, body and finish. If you don’t like it, you know to avoid most reds from Spain in your future shopping endeavours.
This wine is featured in Episode 11 Does the shape of your wine glass matter? of the No Snob Wine Podcast.