WINE ALL THE TIME: Cheers to holiday shopping season

We have just slipped past Hallowe'en and already merchants are gearing up for Christmas and the holidays. This holds true without doubt for the LCBO.

One indicator is that any shelves holding clearance items have suddenly been emptied. It may be in order to create space for Christmas items, or it may be part of the strategy to nudge us into being more generous in our holiday purchasing.

The LCBO has already published a 36-page catalogue of “Enjoyful Gifts”, and another sure sign that the Christmas push is upon us is that the Vintages catalogues are featuring more and more expensive wines, many of them finding their way to our shelves locally.

Part of the emphasis is on packaging. The Veuve Cliquot Brut Champagne normally sells for $86, but you can also buy it in a bright orange “Puffer Jacket” gift version for $100. It is cute, and I suppose it can be used to keep the bottle cool, but do I want to spend the extra $14 when a gift bag could be had for a few dollars? It all depends on the impression you wish to make!

Another example of clever packaging is the Hall of Fame Vodka from Kentucky. It is a corn-based Vodka that has been distilled 6 times and comes in a bottle which looks exactly like a baseball bat. Apparently, the company has plans for a Hall of Fame Rum, Whisky and other products, but this is the first release - $50.

Some of the packaging can leave us scratching our heads. Engine Gin, from northwestern Italy, is made organically with botanicals such as juniper, lemon, licorice, rose, and sage. It comes in a can much like the one in which we used to buy our 10W30 motor oil for our cars! It retails for $55. Key to remember here are the botanicals, as they may represent a profile many aren’t accustomed to in their gin.

The Ugly Mulled Wine, $15, comes in a bottle wearing just that – the traditional ugly Christmas sweater. Made in Spain, it is very sweet (124 grams of sugar per litre) and is meant to be served warm when you get in from your winter activities.

Also available will be the many usual gift sets combining wine or spirits or beer with their own special packaging often including glasses. Among them are ports from Taylor Fladgate including the Late Bottled Vintage Port with two glasses at $28, or the Historic Limited Edition Reserve Tawny in its replica bottle for $52.

The Queen’s Quay store in Toronto has the only bottle left of the Taylor Fladgate Kingsman Edition Very Old Tawny Port, for just $5,000. I don’t think that they ship, but if you can afford the wine, you can probably afford to fly down to pick it up!

For the most part, it makes good sense to select good wines which you believe the recipient will enjoy, and then wrap them up yourselves.

From the November 2 Vintages release, here are some suggestions.

Sidewood Sauvignon Blanc 2023, $18.95, is an Australian wine that should challenge New Zealand examples of this varietal. Calling it an “aromatic powerhouse, full of passionfruit and pine-lime nasal excitement”, Tony Love of wineplilot.com goes on to explain that “the palate reverbs those exotic flavours with salivating acidity and pithy textural balance filling out the finish.” -  95.

Mezzacorona Trentino Riserva Pinot Grigio 2022, $19.95, is a cut above typical Pinot Grigios and has earned excellent scores and 'best buy' reviews. There are tropical fruit notes not usually expected in a PG, yet the wine remains appropriately crisp. It has good texture and carries a vanilla note thanks to 60% of the wine being fermented in small oak barrels. It has earned Gold and scores of 90.

Susana Balbo Signature White Blend 2023, $22.95, is a fine complex wine that timatkin.com considers one of the best white blends from Argentina. “It's a stony, pithy, deftly wooded white with layers of pear, citrus, lime and pink grapefruit and some skin tannin structure.” It is suggested that to enjoy now, first, decant for an hour – 94.

Ventisquero Queulat Single Vineyard Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, $17.95, is a tasty new Vegan red from Chile which jamessuckling.com explains is “medium- to full-bodied with a luscious dark berry character and velvety tannins. Mellow and succulent with hints of spices at the end.” -92.

Michele Chiarlo Cipressi Nizza 2021, $26.95, is an excellent Barbera from Italy’s Piedmont. Barbera is a lighter grape than the Nebbiolo used for Barolo and Barbaresco, but this is a gem. It earned the full “3 glasses” from Gambero Rosso in Italy, as well as a 92 from the Wine Enthusiast in the U.S. where the suggested retail price is $32 – About $45 Canadian. Gambero Ross references freshness and expressive fruit as well as “uncommon complexity”, while the Enthusiast describes “A captivating blend of spice and cigar-box aromas mingle with dark fruits. Plum compote and violet perfume perk up the senses. The palate is giving and generous, with an abundance of fruit and moderate tannins. A zip of acidity on the finish keeps the wine lively and balanced.”

J. Lohr Pure Paso Proprietary Red 2021, $42.95. Only a few bottles remain of this exceptional red from the popular J. Lohr winery in Paso robles California, but more can be ordered easily on-line for delivery to the store at no cost (if you spend $50.) “Aromas of blackberry jam, violet extract and root-beer floats proceed from the nose into a comforting palate of strawberry, cola and peppery spices. Firm, lingering tannins lead through the caramel-laced finish.” – Wine Enthusiast – 93.

Tignanello 2021, $192.95, will be amazing. Tignanello is one of the very first super Tuscans. In fact, when it was originally made, there was no category for it, and it had to be labelled as simple ‘Vino di Tavola…Table Wine’. The category now is “Toscana”, and signifies wines from the general Chianti area that include grapes other than Sangiovese – in particular Cabernet Sauvignon. Monica Larner of robertparker.com believes that “the wine shows a quintessentially pretty taste profile with tart fruit flavours, redcurrant, tea leaf, heritage rose, crushed white pepper, licorice, nutmeg, clove and chopped mint. It opens slowly to reveal more richness and exuberance with time, becoming downright voluptuous and heady a short while later.” -  98. $200?? Aw, what the heck, it’s Christmas!

Coming to Vintages November 16 are more great options to enjoy yourselves or to gift to friends.

Among white wines, consider the Mullineux Kloof Street Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2022, $22.95, from South Africa. Assembled from three different vineyards, the grapes are fermented on native yeasts in stainless steel (85%) and old French barrels for up to 6 weeks before bottling. It carries fresh aromas of green apple, peach, and pear, followed on a medium-bodied palate with hints of honey and a flint-like minerality. A lively acidity provides balance. The wine has a textured mouthfeel and finishes clean with an impression of citrus zest.

Loveblock Sauvignon Blanc 2022, $27.95, is a New Zealand example with complexity and breadth. Pineapple and tropical fruit precede ripe peach on the back palate. Mineral and citrus crunch characterize the finish. At camdouglasms.com it is suggested the wine will drink well through 2027 – 94.

Chateau Jèrémie 2021, $18.95, from the Languedoc in France is not to be missed. A blend of Carignan, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, it is full-bodied and seductive. The wine carries the garrigue; that is, the sensation of wild herbs such as rosemary. Dominant flavours of cherry, plum and currant are supported by nuances of smoked meat and forest floor with impressions of black pepper and smoke on the finish. It ranked #86 in the Top 100 wines of 2023 for the Wine Spectator, scoring 92.

Westcott Estate Chardonnay 2022, $29.95, hails from the Niagara Escarpment. And from a Vintage full of challenges because of winter damage and significantly reduced crop. Nevertheless, writer Michael Godel says that the 2022 “arrives brilliantly, very young, not itinerantly fruity but sharp and hyper real.” I am not quite sure what that all means, but it may be an occasion for someone who really appreciates chardonnay to give this a whirl and to learn what winemakers can do under pressure. Godel gives it a 92.

Clos de los Siete 2019, $26.95, is a wonderful red blend from Argentina. The guru behind this wine is Michel Rolland, famous for exuberant, fruit-laden wines which became the darlings of Robert Parker Jr., himself. Here Malbec constitutes 55%, with the rest made up of smaller amounts such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and others. Rolland himself describes the wine thusly: “With a bright purplish-red colour, Clos de los Siete 2019 presents intense, seductive aromas, with lots of freshness and light spicy notes. The dry, cool weather enabled a good concentration of tannins as well as a pleasant acidity, giving the blend a fine structure. The palate is elegant and silky, with notes of red fruit and a hint of minerality. A very expressive wine with excellent potential for cellaring.”

Château Fonréaud 202, $34.95, is made in the Listrac-Médoc region of Bordeaux. Of the 2022, falstaff.com writes, “Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Delicate toasty aromas, black wild berries, dark cherries, a hint of cloves. Juicy, elegant, cherries, fresh acidity, mineral and lasting, subtle fruit expression on the finish, better than ever.” – 93.

Le Clos Jordanne Le Grand Clos Pinot Noir 2020, $52, is arguably one of the best Pinot Noirs in the Americas, crafted by Thomas Bachellder, a master at Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fashioned in the style of the great Burgundies. Of this wine, Thomas wrote, “As always, a gloss of reticent delicacy permeates the Le Grand Clos Pinot Noir, highlighting raspberry liqueur, wild strawberries, pomegranate seeds, fresh plum, and cloves. My wife Mary Delaney conjured a striking image, 'Imagine tasting the first spoonful of just-made, warm, red raspberry jam.' The polish and elegance on the palate allow the wine to wear its considerable weight quite lightly, and to finish with a taut and chalky, glycerine-laden finesse, so fine and long.” Exceptional, with a 93 from winealign.com.

Napa aficionados can choose between Duckhorn Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, $89.95, or Faust Cab Sauv from the same vintage and region, $74.95. Decanter calls the former “a bright, juicy, and lifted wine with succulent blueberry and black cherry fruits, black currants, clove, graphite, and new wood cedar.” (93) We learn from jamessuckling.com that the Faust is “full-bodied, creamy and structured with firm, polished tannins. Balanced and even with a lingering finish. –95. Take your pick!

There are oodles of other well-made and delicious wines on the shelves. Enjoy searching them out. Meanwhile, if you would like a simple but on-point Pinot Grigio to sip on while you mull over your choices, try the Mare Di Serena Pinot Grigio, $9.95. It is refreshing with lightly mineral and saline notes. You can close your eyes and pretend you’re on a terrace overlooking the Adriatic. Then go shopping!