Montenegro Amaro
Amaro is Italian for bitter and it’s a category of Italian herbal liqueurs customarily consumed after dinner as a digestif. I came across one at Vintages over the holidays which is absolutely delicious: Montenegro Amaro. Coppery-orange in colour, it offers an intense bouquet of rose petals, orange and sweet herbs. Medium-bodied, sweet and spicy, it explodes on the palate with flavours of cardamom, orange peel, cinnamon, clove and rosewater. Notes of honey and caramel carry the flavours to a long finish. It costs $27.80 a bottle at Vintages outlets and may just convert you to the Italian way of life. That’s Montenegro Amaro from Emilia-Romagna in Italy. For Post City Magazine, I’m Tony Aspler, 680 NEWS. (Vintages #601484, $27.80)  (92)

Sacred Hill Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018
The 2018 vintage of Sacred Hill Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is one of the best Sauvignons from New Zealand I’ve had in years. Pale straw in colour, it has an enticing nose of ripe passion fruit and gooseberry. Medium-bodied and crisply dry, these flavours are augmented by notes of nectarine and sweet grass. It costs $18.95 on the LCBO’s general product list. A wine worth chasing down. Serve it with oyster or goat’s cheese. That’s Sacred Hill Sauvignon Blanc 2018 vintage from New Zealand. For Post City Magazine, I’m Tony Aspler, 680 NEWS. ($18.95, LCBO #489112) (92)