Leira Albariño, 2009, Rias Baixas

Albariño is Spain's greatest white wine. Rias Baixas is the DO. Galicia in the Northwest of Spain is the region. Very unique wine. Medium to full bodied. Some of them are almost creamy in texture, with intense aromas of citrus, stone fruit, flowers and mouth-watering acidity that brings to mind wet Atlantic coastal rocks. These wines are both delicious and singular, mainly because Albariños manage to bring together many of the best things of various white-wine styles. It's one of those wines I can see Chardonnay drinkers enjoying as easily as Aromatic lovers. The result? Explosion in the culinary world. The question is how a rainy, green corner of Spain manages to produce a varietal able to harness all of these sensations in a single glass. The nose, so reminiscent of Viognier and Alsace riesling, has led more than a few to wonder if the grape was brought to Galicia from France.

Bodegas LAN, Crianza 2006, Rioja

The fact that I haven't yet featured a Spanish Rioja is amazing. I have a weakness for Rioja. A deep-seeded one. I'm always showing up with Rioja, buying Rioja, suggesting another one. I've been told it's repetitive and has a pigeon-holing impact on my persona, but I can't help it. It's really good. So it's pretty startling I haven't been pushing hard for wines from this part of Spain in this space. I've made strides. So yeah, lets drink one. Not so fast, trigger-happy. Instigator. Firebrand. There are a few formalities to take care of. First, a word about the grape. Tempranillo. It is only grown with success in Spain. It produces a wine of high acidity with medium body, more reminiscent of Chianti or a muscular Pinot Noir than anything else. At its best, a Tempranillo is tart, fresh, subtle, earthy - in other words, an excellent food pairing wine. Usually it is blended with a small amount of grenache, mazuelo or graciano. But tempranillo is the mainstay. The backbone.

Osoyoos Larose, Le Grand Vin, 2006, Okanagan Valley

I was in an elegant financial core restaurant a few days ago. At a corner table sat a some businessmen. Not any kind of businessmen. Expense account gladiators. A slowly dying breed. Some deal had been reached. Some return on investment coupe or other tax sheltered conquest. Their hands smacked down on the reclaimed wood table. When the check was dropped, a wrestling contest with corporate credit cards ensued. None of them would back down. Each insisted that their company's shareholders would be taking care of the bill. Ordering another bottle diffused the conflict and ended the questionable groping session. I did like what they were drinking. They were on their third bottle of the 2006 Grand Vin from Osoyoos Larose. It was being decanted and I caught the deep toasted chocolate and sunny black fruit curling over me in muscular waves. I decided that I had every right to try this wine. I didn't order it and swallow the 200 percent markup. There's no need to be foolhardy while getting into imaginary entitlement contests with white collar workers. Pick your battles, is my philosophy. I found the Grand Vin at the LCBO. At $45.00 CAN, Osoyoos Larose isn't the cheapest option, but it is a flagship Canadian wine - one that should be tried whether you're from Kamloops or Bordeaux or Napa.

Man Vintners, Chenin Blanc, 2010, Costal Region, South Africa

Chenin Blanc isn't a hugely popular grape with Canadian wine drinkers. Niche interest. Sommeliers like it, but they like every region, as long as it poses interesting questions and provides something distinct. Chenin Blanc is grown in quantity only in the Loire Valley and South Africa. The key to identifying Loire Chenin Blanc is its high acidity along with some honey and traces of summer flowers. Anjou, Saumur and Vouvray are parts of the Loire synonymous with Chenin Blanc - these would have been better places for me to start. I do not have a Loire wine in the substandard linen closet that serves as my cellar. What I do have in there is from South Africa. It's called 'Steen' on the Cape. Man Vintners is firmly on the value end of things. Grapes are sourced from 'bush-vine' or untrellised vineyards in the Agter-Paarl Region. This bush-origin is an important quality distinction for South African Chenin Blanc. Tropical fruit, crisp citrus and sharp acidity are said to be the defining tast-profile features. To be honest, this is my first Chenin Blanc. I'm matching it with snapper.

Pisa Range Black Poplar Block, Pinot Noir, 2007, Central Otago, New Zealand

I don't know many sommeliers, but those I have met swear by the greatness of pinot noir. 'Ethereal' is a word thrown about. I think the word means 'finesse' but with a little more metaphysical spunk. I don't know if this is accurate. What I do know is that Burgundy is the cradle of the elusive pinot noir. It's also home to the most expensive agricultural land on earth. The colour of pinot is the first giveaway in a blind tasting. Light. Bricky. On the nose, you'll generally find red fruit, earth, barnyard, stewed rhubarb, light spice. In the mouth, minerals and tight acidity dominate. As a grape, pinot is temperamental, but when done well it is so exciting - so ethereal, if you'll allow the word - that producers all over the world have been tempted to try the grape out at least once. Pinot is a tough grow. New Zealand, with its cooler growing climate, has had some of the best results to date and now produces some of the finest pinots outside of Burgundy. Pisa Range Estate is at the top end. The winemaker's name is Rudi Bauer. He's renowned, speaks English with a Austrian and New Zealand hybrid accent and drops the occasional f-bomb. Observe.