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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 - November 26, 2020
WHAT TO BUY? See our just-updated VINTAGES RELEASE LINKED 2020 BUYERS GUIDE

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NOW AVAILABLE

JUST-UPDATED 2020 BUYERS GUIDE
2,108 VINTAGES RELEASES
SEE OUR 390 TOP CHOICES
notes & scores fully-linked selections
from APRIL 4 to NOVEMBER 14 and now even more

New postings starting Friday
November 28 Vintages Release
see our linked NOVEMBER 28 Summary with cases

see our linked NOVEMBER 28 Summary with cases

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See hidden recent delistings
Save up to $116 on a special reserve Rum
More great Savings
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
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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


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PREVIOUS VINTAGES RELEASES
Updated November 14 Buyers Guide
FULLY UPDATED ON NOVEMBER 21
see November 14 Vintages Catalogue

see linked October 31 Buyers Guide
see October 31 Vintages Catalogue

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417 NEW PROMOTIONS
Our Exclusive NEW Linked PT9 Summary
105 Bonus Airmiles Offers valid until November 28
plus 312 LTO Offers valid until November 29
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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

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Madeira Anyone?
see my National Post feature
it really was a lot better 20 years ago!
only 8 in Vintages releases in past 5 years

(see Michael Vaughan's Oyster feature)

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and/or quotation (electronic or otherwise) of anything that appears on this website.
Copyright Michael Vaughan 2020
Contact Michael Vaughan at mbv@uniserve.com