PARTY PLEASERS OR GREAT GIFTS TO KEEP THE SEASON IN GOOD SPIRITS
Different occasions and varying budgets demand a wide selection of options
It’s hard to top the month of December if you’re a wine lover. Between the holiday parties, meals and gifts, the opportunities to showcase a favourite bottle are endless.
But picking the right vino for an office party or your special someone can be intimidating. Luckily, the private stores in Alberta are filled with people who are passionate about wine and eager to help.
I thought I would add my two cents, or scents, with a few options that have impressed me in the past year. I hope a few of these might work for you.
PARTY PLEASERS
You’re heading to a friend’s place and need a bottle, stat. Chances are it will be opened that night, and not necessarily with food. What should you take? Let’s face it, the focus at a holiday party isn’t the wine. It’s the group. The gathering. The atmosphere. There’s no sense going wild with an expensive wine. You just want something with some verve at a fair price.
The Torres 2015 Vina Esmeralda rosé, from one of Spain’s preeminent wine families, will kick off a party right. Light pink in colour, this wine from Catalunya brings some sweetness to the glass, but in a fresh way. Made from Garnacha (also known as Grenache), it offers appealing flavours of rose petal, pear, watermelon and nectarine.
Price: $17. Look for it at Co-op Wines Spirits Beer, 12th Avenue Liquor Barn and Willow Park Wines and Spirits.
When it comes to consistency, it’s hard to top the Wente Vineyards Morning Fog Chardonnay. No matter the vintage, this wine from California’s Livermore Valley over-delivers. The Wentes have operated the winery since 1883, so they know a thing or two about consistency. The 2016 exudes flavours of pineapple, nectarine, pear, lemon, vanilla and butter. A classic California Chardonnay, with a more restrained use of oak than some.
Price: $17. It’s widely available, check your nearest liquor store.
In my books, it’s hard to beat Pinot Noir. But a good bottle can be expensive.
That’s why I am so impressed with the Bench 1775 Pinot
Noir from the Okanagan Valley. Pinot Noir is really becoming a standout in the Okanagan, particularly in the middle to northern parts of the valley. This Pinot from the glorious 2014 vintage, which is beefed up with a shot of Syrah, hails from the Naramata Bench on the east side of Okanagan Lake. The flavours run from black cherry and black raspberry to earth and spice.
Price: $25. Look for it at Aspen Wine and Spirits, Calgary Liquor Store, Crowfoot liquor stores, Mission Wine and Liquor Merchants, Point McKay Wine Store, Star Liquor and Wine Boutique, Sundance Wine Market, Vine Styles, Willow Park Wines and Spirits.
GREAT GIFTS
If you’re planning to put a bottle or two under the tree, you might want to up the ante a bit. But you don’t need to take out a second mortgage for Grand Cru Bordeaux or a cult California Cabernet. The biggest consideration should be what your special someone likes — a lush Malbec, racy Riesling or something a bit more off the beaten path — there’s something for everyone at a variety of prices. Also, consider the time horizon. Do you want to wait a couple of hours or one or two decades before you crack it?
Here are a few gift-worthy bottles from different price ranges:
Talk about versatility. This wine will knock the socks off your party guests, pair perfectly with turkey dinner or age gracefully in the cellar. The Dr. Loosen 2015 Erdener Treppchen Riesling
Kabinett is a wine for all seasons and reasons. Winemaker Ernst Loosen’s portfolio highlights some of Germany’s top Riesling sites in the Mosel Valley. The Erdener Treppchen vineyard, which is so steep that steps were carved into the red slate hill, delivers powerful flavours of lime, lemon, mineral, green apple and apricot. The finish lasts forever and the zesty acidity tames the 46.6 grams per litre of residual sugar.
Price: $30. It’s not often you can land a high-quality, single-vineyard wine like this at such a low price. That’s the kind of bargain you can find with under-appreciated Riesling. Look for it at Aspen Wine and Spirits, Bin 905 and Silver Springs Liquor Store.
Situated near Vaseux Lake, the Mavety family’s Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars has been producing elegant and powerful wines from estate vineyards in Okanagan Falls for 26 years. The
2014 Reserve
Pinot Noir is one of many stars in a lineup that includes knockout Chardonnays and sparkling wines. Built to last but enjoyable now, this balanced Pinot features flavours of black cherry, loamy earth, allspice and black raspberry, with soft, round, well-integrated tannins. Price: $45. You can find it at J. Webb Wine Merchant.
If there’s no rush to open the bottle, and your recipient is a major wine geek, you’ll gain
bonus points with the Paolo Conterno 2012 Barolo Gines
tra. From the Ginestra vineyard in the Barolo region of Piedmont in northwestern Italy, this is a great introduction to the paradox of the Nebbiolo grape, which produces lighter coloured wines with surprisingly powerful tannins. Softer than some of the big bruisers, you’ll find flavours of rose petal, black raspberry, cherry, leather, earth and mineral. You could drink it now with a good decanting but it’s best to set it aside for six or seven years.
Price: $60. Check for it at Bin 905, Co-op Wines Spirits Beer, Craft Cellars, Highlander Wine and Spirits, J. Webb Wine Merchant, Rocky Mountain Wine Spirits Beer, VR Wine, Willow Park Wines and Spirits, Zyn the Wine Market.