If you’re not finished Christmas shopping, why not treat your family and friends to a gift of their favourite tipple?
After deciding to check out “the best” alcoholic wines, beers, spirits and liqueurs of the holiday season, I discovered there may be no such thing.
Don’t get me wrong. There is an endless supply of phenomenal bottles on St. Albert’s liquor store shelves from under $20 to luxury gift items. Pedigree, quality, quantity, age, colour and even a bottle’s shape determine the price point.
But sometimes the greatest vintage or the priciest bottle may not be the best to fully enjoy the experience of a specific occasion. Relishing a good drink isn’t just about quality or boasting about the lavishly priced bottle.
It’s more about the people you share it with, the food you eat and ultimately about the memories you make.
“Wine and spirits are always best enjoyed with friends and loved ones. When a person opens a bottle of wine, they are making memories with all the people around them,” said Rosanne Winter-Repchuk, a certified sommelier (trained wine professional).
She and husband Richard Repchuk, also a sommelier from Straight Up Marketing, a company that promotes the wine industry, visited Campbell Liquor Store last Saturday to lead a tasting session.
The range of alcoholic drinks concocted around the world is huge and you can find something to satisfy any palate. Listed below are a few choices to keep in mind.
If you have a few extra coins in your pocket, ask to see Liquor King’s Bowmore Islay’s single malt whisky priced at $6,380.
Sold in a wooden box with a lock and key, the amber coloured liquid matures in a bourbon cask to develop a creamy, sweet essence.
This blue chip ambrosia is “universally regarded as the best balanced of all Islay malts,” said owner Parvinder Jassal.
Instead Michel Camus Royale Cognac, presented in a Baccarat Crystal decanter retailing at $2,853, is the byword of French elegance. It is a blend initially created for the Camus family’s own consumption. Produced in limited quantities, it is also sold in restricted outlets across the world
“This is something you don’t sit down and drink. This is something you sip occasionally,” noted Jassal.
Over at Campbell Liquor Store, the Balvenie Distillery produces a single malt Scotch whisky aged 30 years and priced at $1,149.95.
This master of the malt is “one of the last distilleries to have its own malting floor using peat,” explains Repchuk.
An eye-catching champagne is Taittinger’s Nocturne going for $69.95. The purple, disco-ball styled packaging screams ‘party.’ It is a fitting sparkler to be consumed and shared in groups to round out an evening in style.
“The difference from other champagnes is it’s sweeter. This is something nice to serve with desserts – an apple crumble or a apricot pear tart,” Winter-Repchuk said.
In the wine aisle, 21 Gables at $26.95, a white wine produced by Spier has a rich and complex flavour created from vineyards that are more than 40 years old.
“This grape comes from the Loire Valley, but the South Africans do a bang-up job. It’s reasonably priced, has a good flavour and can pair it with any food from fish to fowl to cheese.”
For a more full-bodied red wine, Amarone della Valpolicella from Bertani winery is a timeless wine with a classic style that is always up-to-date. With a more limited production, it goes for $46.95.
“The wine is made from dry grapes that are set aside to dry for three or four months. Imagine the intensity. The dry grape loses a lot of water and you get really incredible intense flavour.”
Fermented and aged up to six years in barrels, Winter-Repchuk suggests pairing Amarone with Italian foods and cheese.
Some of the more basic liquors to consider as a gift are tequila, vodka, gin and rum both light and dark. At this time of year, Liquor King sees Bailey’s Irish Cream (with 17 per cent alcohol content) fly off the shelves.
Not everyone enjoys wine or liquor. Beer is growing in popularity and consumers are developing a more sophisticated palette.
For the discerning beer drinker, Scottish brewers Innis and Gunn have created a special craft beer holiday four-pack available at Campbell for $19.95.
“This was an accident. They put the beer in barrels of wood soaked in whisky. A few of the boys decided they didn’t want the beer to go to waste. The manager tried it and the rest is history,” said Repchuk.
“It’s very tasty, very rich. For me if I drink one, I’m full. It’s almost like a dessert.”
Returning to Liquor King, one of their more popular holiday beers was Stiegl’s specialty Advent Calendar priced at $92. Simply punch out the date on the box’s side and yank out a beer.
A tip for gift buying success. Shop where staff is knowledgeable about the product. If staff is just available to ring the cash register, you might consider shopping elsewhere.
