header


Welcome to this not-for-profit educational resource database & website created by Michael Vaughan PhD
An award-winnng weekly columnist for Canada's top newpapers including the National Post, Globe & Mail and the Financial Times
This not-for-profit website is dedicated to providing readers with independent non-advertorial reviews
Thursday - September 24, 2020

About Vintage Assessments
check it out here
Supporters receive exclusive advance detailed reviews for each biweekly Vintages release + special summaries & hidden LCBO sales

SUPPORTER-ONLY SECTION
CLICK HERE TO SIGN IN


JUST-UPDATED BUYERS GUIDE
OUT OF 1,514 VINTAGES RELEASES
SEE OUR 298 TOP CHOICES
notes & scores fully-linked selections
from April 4 to September 19 and now even more
* * * *
See the hidden 82 delistings
which started last week
Save up to $116 on a special reserve Rum

OCTOBER 3 VINTAGES CATALOGUE

see our linked October 3 Summary with cases

414 NEW LCBO Promotions

Our Exclusive NEW Linked PT7 Summary
76 Bonus Airmiles Offers valid until October 11
plus 338 LTO Offers valid until October 10

SEE OUR LINKED AUG 15 BIN END SUMMARY
slim pickings from last year's 2019 releases
Discover a new delisting
A Classic Cognac Bites the Dust
Save $50.30 on a $181.65 bottle
or better yet
A new Best Buy Chard - Only $21.25
* * * * *
Remembering
The First Week of March
It's hard to believe that I was in the beautiful Touraine town of Blois on the Loire Riverjudging the 2020 Concours Mondial du Sauvignon. As the only Canadian judge, I joined 74 colleagues from 24 countries and we worked our way through 1,110 sub-missions on Friday and Saturday (March 6 and 7).  Getting up at 2 am to start tasting wines is not much fun - but I survived. 

It really helped that I brought two dozen of my ISO tasting glasses (vs. the larger glasses used at the competition) as the ISOs really concentrated the aromatics and provided me with a level playing field for the thousands of other wines I taste annually. This was the LAST major international tasting event of 2020!
Here are the tasting results

NEW VISITOR RESOURCES
FREE PANDEMIC ACCESS
use our updated search engine

ACCESS TO ALL RELEASES
61,000+ LINKED SCORES & NOTES
click here to see database

See our Sept 19 Linked Buyers Guide
SEPTEMBER 19 VINTAGES CATALOGUE

see linked September 19 Summary with cases

* * *
MEET OUR CHIEF TASTER

A happy Michael Vaughan at Thornbury's Beaver River
FISHING FOR THE TRUTH
"THE ONE THAT DIDN'T GET AWAY"
real reviews for people who know & love qualiity

* * * A blast from the Past * * *
See the results of Canada's
1st tasting in London England
with top critics Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson, Steven Spurrier & many more
READ MORE FROM MY TORONTO LIFE FEATURE

* * * History in the Making * * *
THE BIRTH OF VINTAGES


In 1974 the LCBO opened its first Vintages outlet.  In those days it was called the Rare Wines & Spirits Shop & was initially located in a tiny small third floor room at 43 Freeland Street. It then moved to an upscale location across from St. Lawrence Market.
READ MORE FROM MY NATIONAL POST FEATURE
See the original Toronto Life feature from March 1974
when BOLLINGER CHAMPAGNE BRUT RD 1961 was only $16.45

* * * * * * *
See my National Post feature on Madiera
it really was a lot better 20 years ago!
only 8 in Vintages in past 5 years

Site Search
Products, subjects & weekly articles
Total History Search

Article Archives
includes National Post, Financial Post, etc.
to see the list of articles

(see Michael Vaughan's Oyster feature)

Prior written permission is required for any form of reproduction
and/or quotation (electronic or otherwise) of anything that appears on this website.
Copyright Michael Vaughan 2020
Contact Michael Vaughan at mbv@uniserve.com