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Score 94

(LCBO 286195, $10.95)

This reliable label delivers easy pleasure year-in, year-out — so it’s always a bargain. But the 2023 vintage now on shelf is a just outstanding. A Syrah, Castelão and Aragonez blend, each sip starts with the seductive perfume of warm berries before rushing in with crushed velvet goodness. Think sweet cherries and macerated blackcurrants laced with grilled meat, chocolate and earth. Approachable, generous and long, this bottle might become your go-to party pour or house red. It’s a pizza night waiting to happen. (13% alc., 7 g/L sugar)

2024 Jacob’s Creek Classic Chardonnay, Australia

Score 92

(LCBO 286898, $13)

If you’re missing those rich Californian Chardonnays now gone from shelves, this is your wine. From the enticing crème brûlée fragrance to the satin-smooth entry, this wine will have you at hello. Expect a creamy-crisp swirl of lemon-cream, vanilla and toffee that tastes juicy, bright and clean. It doesn’t linger and there’s not a lot of subtlety here in terms of delicate complexity, but it’s pure-fruited, beautifully balanced and nails that oaked-Chardonnay style loved by many. Perfect with hot buttered popcorn, Caesar salad or just a sunset. Superb value. (12.5% alc., 5 g/L sugar)

2023 Zenato San Benedetto Lugana DOC, Veneto, Italy

Score 93

(Vintages Essential 707158, $19.95)

Lugana, a white from the shores of Lake Garda in the Veneto region of Italy, is having a bit of a moment in wine circles. So taste this bottle to see why. Entirely unwooded, this svelte, poised vino draws you in with Bosc pear, lemon peel and a gentle flintiness on the nose. More of the same unfurls slowly on the palate along with allusions of white flowers and white peach. Then, a cool saline undertow emerges, leaving the palate seasoned. Fabulous with fish. (13% alc., 7 g/L sugar)

NV Jackson-Triggs Proprietors’ Selection Cabernet Sauvignon IDB (International Domestic Blend)

Score 90

(LCBO 270884, $48.95/4-L box)

At the equivalent of roughly $9 per bottle, this boxed Cabernet Sauvignon is a no-brainer — especially for cottaging and camping. Each glassful teems with a clean, ripe mix of cherries and blackberries on the nose and palate, tasting juicy and fruit-driven, while a touch of earthiness and drizzle of cassis make it taste more expensive than it is. Rely on this clean, well-balanced wine to be enjoyed by everyone at the picnic table, on the dock or by the campfire. Bring on the hot dogs and hamburgers. (12.5% alc., 8 g/L sugar)

2024 Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand

Score 91

(LCBO 293043, $20)

For pure, full-throttle refreshment, splash this sassy Sauvignon Blanc in your glass. It beams in with a bright squeeze of ruby grapefruit tasting sweet-tart and saturated. Then, the flavour cascades with lime zest, jalapeno, sea salt and stone. Although you won’t find much persistence on the finish, it certainly keeps you sipping and topping up because it’s lip-smacking and delicious. Goes well with hot summer days at happy hour, without food. But also elevating grilled chicken, fish tacos or a simple goat cheese salad. (13% alc., 5 g/L sugar)

NV Mionetto Prestige Treviso Brut Prosecco DOC, Veneto, Italy

Score 91

(LCBO 483339, $19)

Keeping bubbles in the fridge door is always a good idea. And you can’t go wrong with this bottle, which is the bestselling Prosecco in Ontario. From the subtle scent of honey drizzled on sliced pears to the brisk, effervescent wash of orchard fruit, honeydew and grapefruit, this wine delivers an immediate, celebratory feeling. The sheer fruit on the attack soon shifts toward a long graham cracker finish with a touch of honeycomb somewhere. Precise, fresh, chiselled and seamless — so it’s popular for good reason. (11% alc., 10 g/L sugar)