Consider gifting wine, beer or spirits Advent calendars

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This article was published 25/11/2022 (1421 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With the holidays looming in the coming weeks, it’s high time to start thinking about gift giving, party hosting and all that kind of fun stuff.

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for the wine, beer or spirits lover in your life, you don’t need to settle on another pack of wine charms, whisky rocks, bottle openers/stoppers and such (although those all make fine stocking stuffers).

This year’s bounty of drinks-related Advent calendars available locally, for example, is bigger than ever. Private wine stores such as The Pourium (formerly De Luca Fine Wines, 942 Portage Ave.), De Nardi Wines (1360 Taylor Ave.) and Calabria Market (139 Scurfield Blvd.) have all assembled their own wine Advent calendars, which typically offer two dozen 375 ml (or thereabouts) bottles for wine lovers to explore and enjoy daily in December. Kenaston Wine Market (1855A Grant Ave.), meanwhile, carries a port Advent calendar featuring two dozen variations (in 50 ml bottles) of the fortified wine.

For hop heads there’s the ever-popular Craft Beer Advent Calendar, which typically compiles 24 award-winning brews from Canada and beyond and which is available at Liquor Marts and some beer vendors. Over at the Beer Boutique beer vendor (910 Regent Ave.), they’ve pulled together their own 12-day craft beer Advent calendar which features a number of local brewers. Stiegl’s craft beer Advent calendar is also returning to Liquor Marts this year, while the locals at Neepawa’s Farmery Brewery have done up an Advent calendar of their own.

For those who prefer the harder stuff, meanwhile, there’s the Boutique-y whisky Advent calendar available at Liquor Marts; the same company also offers a gin Advent calendar, with a new 30 ml bottle of the hard stuff to try daily.

As always at this time of year, the number of pre-packaged gift packs featuring popular wine, beer or spirits and some sort of accessory (usually branded glasses) seems to grow every year. Liquor Marts have all manner of these types of pre-made gift packs (search “glass” on their website for plenty of options), while most private wine stores typically pull together their own special bundles and gift baskets. (With enough notice, the private stores can often custom-make baskets in most price ranges.) Even some of the local craft beer producers, such as Little Brown Jug (336 William Ave.) and Nonsuch Brewing Co. (125 Pacific Ave.), have gotten in on the gift-box/basket action this year.

For the gift that keeps on giving throughout the year, a subscription package is a solid option. Locally, Patent 5 Distillery’s Gin Club features a mixed box of spirits and liqueurs delivered three times a year, while Nonsuch Brewing Co. has multiple monthly subscription options that offer a wide range of beer from them as well as sister brewery Vessel. Some of the local private wine stores such as Jones & Company (1616 St. Mary’s Rd.) also have monthly or quarterly subscription packages as well.

Hosting a holiday party, organizing a work shindig or dishing up a festive dinner? Many of Winnipeg’s private wine stores offer mixed cases (or half cases) in a range of prices featuring some of their most popular pours. And, if you act fast, you might still be able to snag some Black Friday deals wherever you buy your booze.

Before rushing out the door to stock up, do yourself a favour and check retailers’ websites for prices and availability, or call ahead to see if they’ve got what you’re looking for.

uncorked@mts.net

Twitter: @bensigurdson

 

Drinks of the week

Fantini 2020 Cerasuolo D’Abruzzo (Abruzzo, Italy — around $15, private wine stores)

Made from red Montepulciano grapes grown in the eastern region of Abruzzo, this Italian rosé is deep pink in colour, offering big bright strawberry, cherry, watermelon and floral aromas. It’s dry but quite ripe on the light-plus bodied palate, with ripe strawberry, cherry and melon flavours showing well along with hints of spice and just a touch of tannin from the skins of the red grapes. A pink wine with enough weight and structure to serve in winter with anything from ham to turkey to teriyaki and beyond. Nice value for the price; available at De Nardi Wines. 3.5/5

Le Bonheur 2021 Chardonnay (Western Cape, South Africa — $16.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

This South African Chardonnay is sourced from relatively cool-climate vineyards; aromatically it’s quite pretty, offering all manner of ripe apple, peach and lemon zest notes, with subtle saline and vanilla notes in there as well. It’s light-plus bodied and quite fresh, with those tree fruit flavours fleshed out by hints of vanilla thanks to a portion of the wine spending time in oak. There’s still plenty of zip, however, that’s delivered in this quite complete and elegant package. Excellent for the price. 4/5

FullGeek BrewLab Void Stout (Winnipeg — $3.99/473ml can, Stone Angel, Liquor Marts, beer vendors)

Inky dark chocolate in colour with a beige head, this latest release from FullGeek BrewLab (who brew out of Stone Angel’s Pembina Highway facility) brings rich cocoa and vanilla aromas along with roasted malt and just a hint of smoke. It’s full-bodied, rich and chewy, with pronounced roasted malt and smoky flavours, and with chocolate and vanilla notes taking a back seat while providing a hint of sweetness. There’s some decent but balanced bitterness here (it’s 37 IBU), while the 5.5 per cent alcohol seems just about right. A well-made stout for cooler-weather sipping. 4/5

Mitolo 2018 Jester Shiraz (McLaren Vale, Australia — $22.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Deep blackberry and cherry aromas show well with cocoa, white pepper, earth and violet notes on the nose of this McLaren Vale Shiraz. It’s dry and full-bodied, with the cocoa and spice notes from barrel ageing delivered in decent balance with the lush, ripe berry and cherry flavours. A black tea/white pepper component comes through with modest tannins on the long, slightly aggressive finish (it’s 14.5 per cent alcohol); aerate in a glass or decant for half an hour before serving, or tuck away for 2-4 years to let things mellow out a bit. A decent value while on sale for $19.99. 3.5/5