LCBO on strike: Our wine critic found the best bottles at Wine Rack and the Wine Shop

Ontario makes excellent sparkling wine at reasonable prices. See for yourself with a bottle of the NV Trius Brut Rosé VQA Niagara Peninsula ($29.95/750 ml), a traditional-method sparkling that shines pale pink-gold with soft scents of strawberry cream tart. The attack is lively and brisk but delicate, too, with tiny bubbles and a creamy mousse. This is an elegant, dry, sheer-tasting blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Gamay. The flavours mirror the aromas while layering in allusions of apple and lemon meringue, then persist on the finish. Just a lovely bottle of bubbly that delivers excellent value. A beauty. Score: 94

A bottle of this in the fridge means you’re always ready to celebrate. But it’s more than a toast tipple. It’s also marvellous with a mushroom omelette, smoked fish or even a sliver Comté cheese.

The 2012 Thirty Bench Winemaker’s Blend Riesling, VQA Beamsville Bench ($22.95/750 ml) proves again how well-suited this province is to Riesling. So splash this in your glass and enjoy the off-dry, lip-smacking eruption of tangy lemon-lime and pineapple sorbet laced with a light, cool salinity. Great tension between sweet and sour keeps each sip delicious with a dry finish. The wine doesn’t linger, but it certainly keeps you sipping. Score: 92

Serve this Riesling well chilled before a meal with salty snacks. It sets you up for summer happy hour. Every wine drinker in the room — or on the patio, dock or balcony — will love it. Adds glow to the moment and beats the heat. 

The 2021 Trius Red “The Icon,” VQA Niagara Peninsula ($27.95/750 ml) in its tall, handsome bottle is one to count on when you need something deep, dark and sophisticated. It’s a mid-weight blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot full of complexity and finesse, balance and richness. Each glass opens with a gorgeous perfume, suggesting blueberries and blackcurrant, cedar and tobacco with a touch cherry-vanilla. Then it rolls in, saturates the palate and unfurls slowly and with articulated intent. Find everything on the nose as well as graphite, hazelnut and black earth. Delightfully undervalued. Score: 94

The best wines at Wine Rack

If you’re looking for a dry, pale rosé, pick up the 2021 Saintly “The Good Rosé” VQA Niagara Peninsula ($19.95/750 mL). It gleams a light rose-gold hue and sweeps in smooth and glassy with fleeting suggestions of red currant and cherry, just-ripe strawberry and a sprinkle of salt somewhere. The flavours are wispy and shifting — so not at all forward. But it’s well-made and well-balanced with understated elegance. Score: 90

This Niagara rosé is perfect tucked in the picnic basket with a chilled salmon, ham sandwiches or quiche.

When you need a white wine to water a crowd, something cheap and cheerful, crisp and dry, the NV Jackson-Triggs Proprietors’ Selection Pinot Grigio ($20.95/1.5 L) fits the bill. It’s a light and lively international blend from imported and domestic wines (IDB) that’s crisp and clean, nodding toward lemon and apple on the nose and palate. The mouth feel tastes polished to a high sheen. And it delivers decent value for the equivalent of about $10 per bottle. Score: 89

This Pinot Grigio goes with anything and everything at the table. It’s quenching and supremely drinkable at a mere 12 per cent alcohol. And it works well cocktail-style: Pour it over ice with sparkling water and a wedge of lemon or lime for a spritz.

If you’re watering a larger crowd — or maybe going camping or cottaging — a box of red wine may be in order. So pick up the NV Jackson-Triggs Proprietors’’ Selection Cabernet Sauvignon IDB ($44.95/4 L box till July 21 reg. $47.95). This easy-drinking red tastes light with just 12.5 per cent alcohol and off-dry with 8g/L of sugar. Each sip slides in with mixed-berry juiciness and a hint of blackcurrant liqueur. Not a bad wine for the money, which works out to the equivalent of about $8.40/bottle. Score: 88

With about 100 locations of the Wine Shop and about 165 Wine Rack stores, there’s probably one near you. But if you’re popping out to pick up one of these recommended bottles, call ahead to confirm availability because selection can vary by location.