Brett happens

It appears that 17 of the wines and spirits in the LCBO’s January 22nd release are also available at the SAQ (“appears” because the monopolies’ listings for three of the wines – asterisked below – differ slightly and, despite visits to the producers’ websites, I’ve not been able to confirm that they are exactly the same bottlings).

SAQ / LCBO

$12.30 / $11.95 Beauvignac Picpoul de Pinet 2009 Coteaux de Languedoc*
$15.10 / $14.95 Château de Nages Réserve 2009 Costières de Nîmes
$16.50 / $16.95 Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Palomino Fino Extra Dry Sherry
$16.60 / $15.00 Donnafugata Anthìlia Bianco 2009 Sicilia
$16.95 / $16.95 Tommasi Vigneto Le Prunée Merlot 2008 delle Venezie
$17.95 / $18.95 Altesino Rosso Toscana 2008
$18.40 / $17.95 Buil & Giné Priorat Giné Giné 2007
$18.50 / $18.95 Nino Franco Brut Prosecco di Valdobbiadene
$19.55 / $17.95 Kilikanoon The Lackey Shiraz 2007 South Australia
$19.60 / $18.95 Weinert Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Mendoza*
$19.85 / $19.95 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 California
$22.15 / $19.95 Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel 2008 Lodi*
$22.55 / $21.95 Rocca Delle Macie Chianti Classico Riserva 2006
$29.70 / $29.95 Beringer Pinot Noir 2007 Napa Valley
$29.80 / $29.95 Perrin et Fils Gigondas La Gille 2007
$35.25 / $34.95 Mission Hill S.L.C. Merlot 2005 Okanagan Valley
$90.00 / $99.95 Ardbeg 10 Years Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

SAQ 7, LCBO 9. Advantage Ontario for the second release in a row.

Reflecting the post-holidays zeitgeist, the latest issue of Vintages (January 8th release) is slimmer than usual and focuses on low-end wines and spirits, ten of which are also sold at the SAQ.

SAQ / LCBO

$10.05 / $9.95 Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Marlborough, Kim Crawford (375 ml)
$13.35 / $10.95 Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2008, Ripasso, Tommasi (375 ml)
$14.00 / $14.95 Minervois 2008, Cuvée Mathilde, Château de Gourgazaud
$14.65 / $12.95 Touraine 2009, Sauvignon Blanc, Domaine Bellevue
$15.10 / $14.95 Costières de Nîmes 2009, Réserve Blanc, Château de Nages
$17.90 / $14.95 Viognier 2009, North Coast, Cline Cellars
$19.30 / $16.95 Côtes du Rhône 2009, Nature, Domaine Perrin
$19.75 / $17.95 Ménage à Trois red 2009, California, Folie à Deux
$21.15 / $19.95 Merlot 2007, Mendocino County, Bonterra
$25.90 / $24.95 Ron Abuelo Añejo Reserva Especial

SAQ 1, LCBO 9. What’s more, the SAQ is often 10% and even 20% more expensive. The results appear to confirm the widely held belief that inexpensive wines are generally cheaper in Ontario.

What gives? Probably a combination of factors. The monopolies’ different markups on low-end bottles. Also, all these products are new arrivals at the LCBO but have been listed by the SAQ for a while, meaning the Ontario monopoly may have benefited from the recent, more favourable exchange rate. In addition, the prices include sales taxes, which rose by more than 1% in Quebec on January 1.

Twenty-nine of the wines featured in the latest issue (December 11th release) of the LCBO’s Vintages magazine are also available in Quebec. Time for another shoot-out.

SAQ / LCBO

$14.60 / $14.95 Juan Gil White Label de Cepas Viejas Monastrell 2009 Jumilla
$15.55 / $13.95 Alamos Torrontès 2009 Mendoza
$16.00 / $16.95 Tommasi vigneto Le Rosse Pinot Grigio 2008 IGT delle Venezie
$17.95 / $17.95 Château de Gourgazaud Réserve 2006 Minervois La Livinière
$19.25 / $18.95 Pittacum Mencia 2006 Bierzo
$19.85 / $17.95 Coriole Redstone Shiraz 2007 McLaren Vale
$19.95 / $19.95 Clos du Bois Zinfandel 2007 North Coast
$19.95 / $19.95 Wolf Blass Gold Label Riesling 2008
$20.90 / $19.95 Yalumba Shiraz/Viognier 2008 Barossa
$22.35 / $21.95 Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
$23.15 / $23.95 Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut Sparkling Wine
$25.70 / $28.95 Tenuta San Guido Le Difese 2008 IGT Toscana
$25.75 / $24.95 Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Blue Label Merlot 2008
$26.50 / $22.95 Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc 2008 Napa Valley
$27.30 / $28.95 La Valentina Spelt Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2005
$27.90 / $24.95 Nk’Mip Cellars Merlot 2007 Okanagan Valley
$29.60 / $29.95 Kim Crawford Rise-and-Shine Creek Pinot Noir 2007 Central Otago
$37.50 / $41.95 Tenuta Sant’Antonio Selezione Antonio Castagnedi Amarone della Valpolicella 2006
$42.00 / $39.95 Boekenhoutskloff The Chocolate Block 2008 Western Cape
$44.00 / $47.95 Delamotte Brut Champagne
$44.75 / $44.95 Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino 2004
$49.25 / $52.95 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2008
$53.25 / $49.95 Heidsieck Monopole Blue Top Brut Champagne
$54.00 / $54.00 Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha Vintage Port 1996
$60.50 / $64.95 Glenafarclas 12 years old Highland Single Malt
$64.00 / $69.95 The Yamazaki 12 years old Single Malt Wiskey
$75.00 / $69.95 Tenuta Sette Ponte Oreno 2007 IGT Toscana
$99.00 / $99.95 Gaston de Lagrange XO Cognac
$147.25 / $119.95 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Napa Valley

SAQ 13, LCBO 12. That said, several of Ontario’s wins are decisive, approaching and even exceeding 10%.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the new year, when Quebec wine and spirits lovers get hit with a double whammy: the Quebec sales tax jumping from 7.5% to 8.5% on January 1 and a small increase in the SAQ’s fixed markup in early February.

Have notes from the November MWG tasting, two tastings with François Barmès and the Salon des vins d’importation privée to transcribe and post but won’t get around to them until my head clears from this nasty cold. In the meantime, another issue of LCBO’s Vintages magazine, this one covering the November 27th release, has shown up in the mailbox. Of the 160-odd wines in the release, 27 are also listed by the SAQ.

SAQ / LCBO

$14.65 / $13.95 Lillet blanc
$14.95 / $13.95 Beaujolais Nouveau 2010 Mommessin
$16.95 / $17.95 Bodega François Lurton Reserva Malbec 2008 Mendoza
$19.55 / $17.95 Robertson Winery Wolfkloof Shiraz 2007
$23.70 / $24.95 B Crux 2006 Bodegas y Vinedos O. Fournier Valle de Uco
$24.05 / $21.95 Clos de los Siete 2008 Mendoza
$24.30 / $25.95 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2006 Tomassi (375 ml)
$24.85 / $25.00 Palazzo Della Torre 2007 Allegrini IGT Veronese
$25.35 / $25.95 Il Grigio da San Felice 2006 Chianti Classico Riserva
$26.15 / $28.95 Tenuta di Capraia 2006 Chianti Classico Riserva
$27.35 / $21.95 Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese 2003 von Kesselstatt Qmp
$27.95 / $24.95 Coldstream Hills Chardonnay 2008 Yarra Valley
$30.50 / $34.95 Heitz Cellar Chardonnay 2008 Napa Valley
$34.75 / $31.95 Tenuta Sette Ponti Crognolo 2007 IGT Toscana
$41.25 / $43.95 Caparzo Brunello di Montalcino 2004
$44.50 / $49.95 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2006 Tomassi (750 ml)
$48.00 / $29.95 Sandeman Vau Vintage Port 2000
$49.75 / $37.95 Le Vieux Pin Époque Merlot 2006 Okanagan Valley
$52.25 / $49.95 Catena Alta Malbec 2007 Mendoza
$65.75 / $71.95 Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut Champagne
$75.75 / $76.95 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe 2007 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
$77.25 / $73.95 Ribera del Duero 2006 Bodegas et Vinedos Alion
$82.75 / $84.95 Warre’s Vintage Port 2007
$96.00 / $69.95 Delaforce Vintage Port 1994
$133.95 / $139.95 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Napa
$197.50 / $214.95 The Balvenie Portwood 21 Years Old Speyside Single Malt
$271.25 / $269.95 Krug Grande Cuvée Brut Champagne

Score: SAQ 14, LCBO 13. However, when it comes to the average difference, the LCBO is the clear winner. That’s thanks largely to the Delaforce and Sandeman ports, which are shockingly cheaper in Ontario. Both ports have been marked down in Quebec, though nowhere near as drastically, so I’m not sure what’s going on.

Note, too, that the release includes a product inexplicably absent from SAQ shelves: St-Germain Délice de Sureau, an artisanal elderflower liqueur ($49.95, 180695).

Showdown time again. The latest issue (November 13th release) of the LCBO’s Vintages magazine has arrived. And with the holidays looming, it’s a biggie.

SAQ / LCBO

$15.65 / $16.95 Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Sonoma
$15.95 / $13.95 Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2009 Casablanca Valley
$18.35 / $19.95 Kenwood Zinfandel 2007 Sonoma County
$18.55 / $15.95 Terra d’Aligi Tatone Monepulciano d’Abruzzo 2006
$19.25 / $19.95 Santa Rita Medalla Real Cabernet Savuignon 2007 Maipo Valley
$19.80 / $21.95 Campillo Reserva Rioja 2004
$19.90 / $18.95 Tabali Reserva Especial Chardonnay 2008 Limari Valley
$21.85 / $19.95 Oyster Bay Pinot Noir 2009, Marlborough
$23.85 / $23.95 Thorn-Clarke Shotfire Shiraz 2008, Barossa
$24.45 / $23.95 Lodola Nuova Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Ruffino 2007
$25.15 / $27.95 Tinto Pesquera Ribera del Duero 2007
$27.15 / $29.95 Travaglini Nebbiolo Gattinara 2004
$27.70 / $27.95 Guigal Gigondas 2006
$29.75 / $28.95 Le Volte Ornellaia 2008 IGT Toscana
$30.75 / $33.95 Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay 2007
$35.25 / $34.95 Bodegas Callia Grand Callia 2006 San Juan
$39.50 / $44.95 Domaine la Roquète, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2007
$41.50 / $43.95 Antinori Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Riserva 2006
$44.50 / $49.95 Torbreck The Steading 2006 Barossa Valley
$50.50 / $49.95 Montes Purple Angel 2007 Colchagua Valley
$56.50 / $54.95 Duckhorn Merlot 2007 Napa
$72.25 / $69.95 Inniskillin Riesling Icewine Niagara 2007 (375 ml)

The SAQ comes out on top again, albeit barely, with cheaper prices on 12 of the 22 overlapping wines. And, let it be noted, a couple of those wins are squeakers.

Another fortnight, another issue of Vintages (October 30th release). This time the overlap with the SAQ involves 16 wines.

SAQ / LCBO

$12.40 / $12.95 – Ormarine Carte Noire Picpoul de Pinet 2009
$13.30 / $12.95 – Illuminati Riparosso Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2008
$17.50 / $14.95 – Vinum Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch 2006
$17.75 / $17.95 – Cave de Tain Crozes-Hermitage 2007
$19.60 / $18.95 – La Montesa Rioja Palacio/Remondo 2007
$19.95 / $19.95 – Croft Pink Port
$23.80 / $24.95 – Condado de Haza Ribera del Duero 2007
$28.00 / $28.95 – Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut
$37.00 / $41.95 – Pesquera Riserva Ribera del Duero 2006
$40.50 / $39.95 – Elijah Craig 12-Year Old Kentucky Bourbon
$41.50 / $44.95 – Ridge Lytton Springs 2007
$43.00 / $45.00 – Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin Okanagan Valley 2006
$45.25 / $43.95 – Ruffino Ducale Oro Chianti Classico Riserva 2005
$45.25 / $48.95 – Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Pinot Noir 2008
$53.00 / $54.95 – Cervaro della Sala 2008
$59.00 / $59.95 – Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2008

Final score: SAQ 10, LCBO 5. Same as last time.

A year and a half ago, in response to unsubstantiated claims on Chowhound, I spent a lunch hour comparing the prices of identical wines at the LCBO and the SAQ. The results were strongly in the SAQ’s favour.

The latest issue of the LCBO’s Vintages magazine arrived today, showcasing the 126 wines in the October 16th release. Sixteen of the wines are also sold in Quebec. Here’s a comparison of the prices:

SAQ / LCBO

$14.30 / $14.95 – Capitel Nicalò 2008, Valpolicella Classico Superiore (SAQ marked down from $16.30)
$16.95 / $16.95 – Château d’Argadens 2006, Bordeaux Supérieur
$17.85 / $16.95 – VMR 2008, The Black Chook
$19.90 / $17.95 – Carmenère 2008, Arboleda
$22.05 / $17.95 – Nine Lives Shiraz 2007, Cat Amongst the Pigeons
$21.35 / $18.95 – Pierre Sparr Brut Réserve, Crémant d’Alsace
$20.95 / $18.95 – Viognier 2007, Bonterra
$18.05 / $19.95 – Seigneurs d’Aiguilhe 2006, Côtes de Castillon
$19.25 / $19.95 – Louis Bouillot Pèrle Rare Brut 2006, Crémant de Bourgogne
$23.50 / $24.95 – Château de Cruzeau (blanc) 2007, Pessac-Léognan
$23.50 / $29.95 – Côtes Rocheuses 2005, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
$23.90 / $24.95 – Meritage 2007, Coyote’s Run Estate Winery
$30.25 / $33.95 – Salmos 2007, Torres
$37.00 / $39.95 – Do Ut Des 2007, Fattoria Carpineta Fontalpino
$43.50 / $44.95 – The Tryconnell Single Malt Irish Whiskey
$47.75 / $54.95 – Guidalberto 2008, Tenuta San Guido

Disclaimer: It’s only a snapshot, albeit a current and impartial one.

Once again, the SAQ comes out on top, though the LCBO does appear to mark up low-end bottles less.

Several more of the wines in the release are available in Quebec but in different vintages, while others have been in the recent past and probably will be again in the not so distant future. That said, it’s interesting that the overlap is so small, that the two monopolies are more complementary than competitive. Great for those of us who live near Quebec’s western border.