Cheap and cheerful wines at the LCBO to stock up on for your next party

Wait. Did you hear that? It’s the sound of prices soaring at the LCBO and everywhere else. Now that party season has arrived, here’s your list of delicious yet affordable wines to serve at large gatherings to save you some money — they work out to less than $20 per 750 ml bottle. Including a brilliant, bestselling Italian Pinot Grigio that’s now available in magnum.

The 2022 Cavit Collection Pinot Grigio delle Venezie DOC from Italy in magnum (LCBO $27.95/1.5 L) just hit shelves. This wildly popular label has been available in 750 ml format for eons and sells like hotcakes at $15 — so you save a couple dollars when you purchase the larger bottle, which works out to about $14 per 750 ml.

On the nose, the Cavit Collection Pinot Grigio exudes fluttery scents of lemon zest and chalk with a touch of white flowers. The attack is crisp and citric starting with lemon then moving toward grapefruit before finishing with a sifting of cool chalk and quiet notes of bitter orange pith and almond. Light-bodied, dry tasting wine with a silky mouthfeel and mere 12.5 per cent alcohol. Score: 92

If you’re looking for red wine in magnum that won’t let you down when company comes, serve the 2020 Toro Bravo Tempranillo Merlot from Valencia, Spain (LCBO $18/1.5 L). This format saves you money because the wine sells for $9.95 in 750 ml size.

The 2020 Toro Bravo Tempranillo Merlot is attractively jammy on the nose calling to mind poached blackberries as well as ripe raspberries and roasted hazelnuts. The entry is smooth, round and dry tasting with more complexity and character than most wines at this price point. The plush centre fans out with fleshy fruit — blackberry, blackcurrant and black cherry — laced with a note of creamy chocolate and charred earth before tapering to a black olive finish. The 13 per cent alcohol is completely cloaked by rich fruit. Great buy. Score: 94

I scored the 2020 Toro Bravo Tempranillo Merlot in 750 ml bottle 89 points recently, but the same wine in magnum is showing better. Wine tends to evolve more slowly in larger format bottles, which may account for the difference. This magnum offers outstanding value.

This time of year, it’s tough to beat a ripe, juicy rosé served in the sunshine — especially one with a kiss of sweetness and lip-smacking acidity enjoyed cocktail style with salty snacks. So if you’re planning an afternoon do, pick up the 2022 Featherstone Rosé VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (Vintages $16.95). This local gem teems with the tantalizing fragrance of strawberry rhubarb pie before streaming in with more of the same along with sweet cherries and a glossy, satiny texture. This off-dry, deep-pink rosé tastes sweet-fruited but finishes crisp and clean. Just so easy to enjoy — and very well-priced. This Vintages release will sell out quickly — so act fast if you want some. Score: 93

The 2022 Casas del Bosque Sauvignon Blanc Reserva from the Casablanca Valley of Chile (Vintages Essential $18.95) smells like summertime in a glass with immediate aromas of cut grass, sliced pears and lemon-lime. Then it speeds in like a thing possessed. Each sip beams in with a ripe swell of invigorating vinosity. Flavours suggest lemon-lime sorbet, a crush of damp herbs and a wispy note of sea spray on the finish. Bone-dry, flavour-packed wine with 13.5 per cent alcohol. Score: 92

A shockingly good-value red on shelf is the 2022 Tavernello Sangiovese Cabernet Rubicone IGT from Emilia-Romagna, Italy (LCBO $11.60). This wine combines the quaffable, dusty cherry appeal of Sangiovese with the velvety appeal of Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s dry but not too dry. Each sip is fruit-driven and supremely drinkable yet obviously Old World with savory allusions of charcuterie, black earth and nuts. The value proposition of the medium-bodied red with 13 per cent alcohol is high. Buy a case. Score: 94

If you’re wondering how much wine you’ll need for a party, the general rule is to plan on one 150 ml glass of vino per person per hour. Consider keeping a few extra bottles on hand just in case you need them — you can always return them to the LCBO.

According the LCBO.com: “Customers may return any product (except gift cards) that is in saleable condition (including Vintages products and beer purchased as a Regular or Specialty Customer Sale) to any LCBO store provided it is accompanied by the original receipt within thirty (30) days of purchase.”

The website also notes, “There is no limit to the number or value of products that may be returned at any given time as long as items are accompanied by original receipt within 30 days of purchase.”

Carolyn Evans Hammond is a Toronto-based wine writer. Wineries sponsor segments on her YouTube series but don’t select the wines she reviews. Her opinions are her own. Prices subject to change. Reach her at: carolyn@carolynevanshammond.com