It’s Labour Day—no better time to determine what’s worth spending your hard-earned money on and what’s not. Here are five to consider.

Tommasi Le Rosse Pinot Grigio 2020 — Veneto, Italy ($16.90)
A new wine at the LCBO, this is crisp and clean and bursting in ripe apple notes, with apricot and soft citrus in a supporting role. The texture is quite smooth compared to most Italian pinot grigios, as it inches its way into almost the medium-bodied realm. A nice pairing for shellfish, salads and light chicken dishes, but also a great sipper on its own. 88

La Mascota Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 — Maipú, Mendoza, Argentina ($15.95 on sale for $13.95 until Sept. 12)
Medium+ in body, this is a well-balanced Cab, with 15 months of oak aging and an expressive nose of spicy black cherry, blackberry and cassis. In the glass, the tannins are tight, the acidity medium+, and the texture very smooth, with more dark berries and spice. It just tastes pure and unmanipulated. It can definitely handle a rib-eye steak or lamb, but at the same time not too overpowering for turkey or chicken. A strong value amplified by a current sale for $13.95 until September 12. 89

Smoky Bay Cabernet Sauvignon — Southeastern Australia ($9.70)
Now available in a 1.5L format, this is a lighter cabernet—barely midweight in body. Unusually, it’s a non-vintage red, meaning they combine leftover juice from the previous years. Still, I appreciate the fact that it leans to the dry side and lacks any off-putting aftertaste, given the very low price point. Look for dark fruit—blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry—on both the nose and palate, with a little smoke thrown in and some gripping tannins. 86

Smoky Bay Shiraz — Southeast Australia ($9.70)
This medium-bodied, non-vintage Aussie shiraz is an easy drinking entry-level red. At 10g of sugar per litre, there’s some sweetness coming into play, but there’s a hint of mint that helps keep the plum/cherry/cranberry jam notes and flavours in check. Good pizza wine. 13% alc. 86.5

Passion of Chile Reserva 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot — Chile ($9.95)
There’s something called reduction in wine, where a wine denied of sufficient oxygen can develop sulphuric compounds, which leads to a temporary rotten-egg/sulfur smell. It’s a rare occurrence, but that’s what happened with this one. The good news is that if you ever encounter this foul scent, simply recapping/recorking it and giving it a day for the fumes to blow off (or decanting it) usually works. Sure enough, on Day 2, this medium-bodied red was back to normal. It lacks the punch and complexity of the Passion of Portugal red blend, but still offers nice balance in its cherry/plum character for less than $10. 85