Bargain bottles to ease those tax-season woes

Filed your income taxes yet? I hope you get a major refund. While I'm at it, if the good person assigned to review my file at Canada Revenue Agency is reading, please accept my warmest and fondest regards. If you haven't yet approved my return, it would be my pleasure to send you a bottle from my cellar. Just email me your address. Maybe an old vintage to commemorate a birth year or anniversary? Name it.

I can't help but think about wine when I think about tax time. Not just because alcohol itself is a harsh form of taxation in Canada but because I could never face the pain of all that agonizing paperwork without the accompanying refreshment of, say, a decent chianti or chablis.

There were wine stains, I dare say, on at least one T4 slip back in the day. That was before I caved in and hired a professional to do the work. I figured it couldn't hurt to have a chartered accountant's reputable signature behind my submission when deducting such questionable expenses as wine and whitening toothpaste ("for the petite sirah stains, Mr. Tax Man").

If you're indeed expecting a refund thanks to the smart accounting of a certified pro, send her or him a bottle of wine (or olive oil if they don't drink). For those less lucky, I offer modest seasonal relief in the form of a few bargains below. Note: Several British Columbia-available products are on sale only until end of day April 29.

Yalumba Y Series Viognier 2016, Australia

SCORE: 90 PRICE: $13.95

It's a bargain every year, but the 2016 frankly seems like a gun-free way to rob your liquor store. Medium-full and ripe, this silky-oily, wild-yeast-fermented white offers layers of stone fruit, orange, jasmine tea and lemongrass. The 2016 vintage, now rolling out in the East, is about to come on-stream in the West in May. Available in Ontario at the above price, $16.99 in British Columbia, various prices in Alberta, $15.45 in Quebec, $17.99 in Nova Scotia.

Montes Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Chile

SCORE: 89 PRICE: $12.95

I took this recently to the home of a well-off, Italian-born home renovator who dislikes Chilean wine and professes mainly to like only European reds. He loved it – and that was before I revealed the price. Do your wallet a favour. Treat it to this structured cabernet, brimming with cassis, mint, mocha-chocolate and cinnamon. Available in Ontario.

Trivento Amado Sur Malbec Bonarda Syrah 2014, Argentina

SCORE: 89 PRICE: $15.99

Crowd pleasing in its fruity, grapy intensity. Smooth and chewy, with aromatic pepperiness for interest. $15.99 in British Columbia (on sale for $14.99 until April 29), various prices in Alberta, $14.99 in Manitoba, $19.49 in New Brunswick.

Cusumano Nero d'Avola 2015, Italy

SCORE: 88 PRICE: $12.95

Sicily's signature red grape delivered with good harmony for the money. Medium-full, plummy and polished, with a welcome savoury depth of herbs, pepper and licorice. Syrah-like. $16.49 in British Columbia ($14.99 till April 29).

Château d'Aigueville Côte du Rhône-Villages2015, France

SCORE: 88 PRICE: $14.95

Sweet centre, medium body. Cherry liqueur and a rich savoury depth suggesting smoked meat, herbs and licorice. At 15-per-cent alcohol, one could call it a little monster – and for the money, a friendly monster. Available in Ontario.

Don David Reserve Malbec 2015, Argentina

SCORE: 88 PRICE: $15.95

Juicy and youthful, with an essence of fresh-crushed grapes and sweet berries along with toasty oak, espresso and spices. Supple yet slightly and pleasantly grainy in texture, with dried herbs and a woodsy whiff suggesting an autumnal walk in a hardwood forest. Available in Ontario at the above price, $14.49 in British Columbia ($13.49 until April 29), various prices in Alberta, $15.34 in Saskatchewan, $16.95 in Quebec, $15.99 inNew Brunswick, $17.40 in Newfoundland.

Piqueras Black Label Old Vines Garnacha, Spain

SCORE: 88 PRICE: $12.10

For the record, the "garnacha" here is not the more famous and widely planted garnacha of Spain or grenache of France; it's the less vaunted garnacha "tintorera," a.k.a. alicante bouschet. And yet, this is an impressive-value red, medium-bodied, with a savoury streak reminiscent of tarry nebbiolo and spicy syrah. Available in Ontario.

Tini Sauvignon Blanc 2015, Italy

SCORE: 88 PRICE: $7.95

Barganissimo. If it's not an Italian word, it should be. Light, crisp and clean, this shames many sauvignons costing twice the price. Punchy and fresh, with lemon-grapefruit and grassy characters on a relatively smooth texture. Available in Ontario.

Henry of Pelham Pinot Grigio 2016, Ontario

SCORE: 88 PRICE: $14.95

Coppery tint, signalling skin contact with the "grey" grape. Smooth and gently fleshy, with pear and apple fruit supported by good acidity. Way better than your run-of-the-mill $15 Italian pinot grigio. Available in Ontario at the above price, $16.66 in Saskatchewan, $13.45 in Manitoba.

Cesari Adesso Chardonnay 2015, Italy

SCORE: 88 PRICE: $7.95

It would cost me more than $7.95 to get a single bottle home by cab from the nearest liquor store. It's shocking they can make, bottle, ship and tax this Italian wine and still keep it under $8. Medium-bodied, round and polished, with hints of pear, apple and vanilla. A "house" wine at a trailer park or tent budget. Available in Ontario at the above price, $8.50 in Quebec.

C'Est La Vie Pinot Noir Syrah 2015, France

SCORE: 88 PRICE: $12.95

Loud label and cheesy name – I was predisposed not to love it. And they're blending delicate pinot noir with sturdy syrah? Blasphemy! But give it a whirl. Light-medium bodied and juicy, it shows a cherry-raspberry centre with peppery lift and a subtle licorice note. Available in Ontario at the above price, various prices in Alberta $12.55 in Quebec.

Castillo de Monseran Garnacha 2015, Spain

SCORE: 87 PRICE: $10.10

Medium-bodied and seductively supple yet with vibrant acidity and peppery spice and herbal notes for lift. An easy-drinking yet interesting red. Hide the bottle (and price) from your guests and ask them what they think. Available in Ontario at the above price, $9.49 in British Columbia, various prices in Alberta, $10.21 in Saskatchewan, $8.85 in Quebec, $10.48 in New Brunswick, $11.99 in Nova Scotia.