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Toronto Star

Our wine critic uses these 6 secret tricks to make every bottle taste better

A good wine is one that gives us the exact shade of pleasure we're craving right then and there. But there are ways to deepen that pleasure, depending on the wine style. Here are six trade secrets that let you do just that. Because wine — even the most serious wine — is always about the joy. Reach for the latest vintage Seldom does a still rosé improve with age. It's a wine meant to be drunk young and fresh — within a year or two of bottling. So, when reaching for a rosé, always glance at the vintage before buying it. The newly released 2024 Toro Bravo Rosado is a fine example. In its absolute prime, this inexpensive charmer offers outstanding value. With lovely energy and focus, the chiselled flavours flit from ripe red berries to ruby grapefruit with a sleek, streamlined texture. Easy refreshment but tastes more expensive than it is. (12% alc., 6 g/L sugar) 2024 Toro Bravo Shiraz Garnacha Rosado, D.O. Manchuela, Spain Score 92. (Vintages 14145, $10.50) 2024 Toro Bravo Shiraz Garnacha Rosado, D.O. Manchuela. Supplied Learn your wine's history Discovering a wine's backstory can deepen the experience of drinking it. Such is the case here. Triennes Rosé is made by Jacques Seysses, founder of Domaine Dujac, and Aubert de Villaine, co-owner of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti — two of the most prestigious estates in Burgundy whose wines can fetch thousands of dollars per bottle. Little wonder then this wine is sublime. It's a smart blend of Cinsault, Syrah, Grenache and Merlot that's dry and delicately complex, each sip suggesting white cherries and melon, nuts and nougat, orange zest and wet stones. Long, lean and lovely. (13% alc., 2 g/L sugar) ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 2024 Triennes Rosé Méditerranée IGT, France Score 94. (Vintages 409771, $21.95) 2024 Triennes Rosé Méditerranée IGT. Supplied Consider the cuisine Sure, wine and food pairing can be overrated. But some pairings seriously elevate the moment — such as Sauvignon Blanc and fresh asparagus. There's something magic about local, tender-crisp spears, brushed with butter, sprinkled with salt, and chased with a sip of that wine. Try for yourself with a glass of the 2024 Te Henga Sauvignon Blanc, which spirals with aromas and flavours of damp herbs, jalapeno, green apple and salted lime. Serve this pairing at a party with the new 1.5 L bottle. (12.5% alc., 6 g/L sugar) 2024 Te Henga Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand Score 91. (LCBO 41817, $29.95/1.5 L) 2024 Te Henga Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Supplied Feud and Forgiveness: A night of bold flavour and fine wine. Star FEUD AND FORGIVENESS Join Toronto Star wine columnist Carolyn Evans Hammond and Quinton Bennett, Michelin Star Executive Chef of Enigma Yorkville, for an exclusive four-course dinner inspired by the upcoming Prime Video series The Better Sister starring Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks. SEE DETAILS Shop for versatility Serving red at a party means appealing to a range of tastes while keeping costs down. It should be smooth and ripe, so it appeals to everyone, while offering enough complexity, structure and elegance to please seasoned drinkers. This bottle ticks all those boxes. It's a heady blend of Aragonez, Alicante Bouschet and Trincadiera. It sweeps in with both weight and lift, saturating the palate and cascading with crushed berries, poached plum and fruit cake scored with earthy minerality. Delicious crowd-pleaser. (14% alc., 7 g/L sugar) 2023 Bacalhôa Monte das Anforas Vinho Regional Alentejano, Portugal Score 91. (LCBO 37227, $12.70) 2023 Bacalhôa Monte das Anforas Vinho Regional Alentejano. Supplied Chill it down Fino and manzanilla sherry are excellent aperitifs, especially this time of year. But they're at their best served cold. As in straight out of the ice. Pick up a bottle of ever-popular Tio Pepe, chill it way down and see for yourself. You'll find each steely sip slips in cold and brisk, amping up the refreshment and lending a certain electricity to the experience. After the initial attack, the fino's briny tang and nuttiness emerge along with notes of green olive, apple and saltines. Perfect for patio season. (15% alc., 2 g/L sugar) Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Fine Extra Dry Palomino Fino Sherry, Jerez, Spain Score 91. (LCBO 231829, $19.95) Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Fine Extra Dry Palomino Fino Sherry. Supplied Add ice and bubbles How do you improve a white wine that has been kicking around for a few days and lost its finesse? You serve it on ice topped up with soda. It works especially well with unoaked styles, such as this bottle of Château des Charmes Cuvée Michelle Aligoté. When first opened, this local gem offers clear articulacy that nods toward salted lemon zest, lime slices and wet stones. When those flavours fade after the bottle has been opened for a few days, time to make a spritzer. Does not disappoint. (13% alc. 2 g/L sugar) 2023 Château des Charmes Cuvée Michelle Aligoté, VQA St. David's Bench Score 92. (LCBO 296848, $15.95) 2023 Château des Charmes Cuvée Michelle Aligoté, VQA St. David's Bench. Supplied