Holiday Wine Guide
By Mireille Sauvé for TASTE Magazine – December 2006
There are an abundance of good reasons why people drink wine, all
on top of the fact that it tastes so darned good. We drink it at
home, we bring it to dinner parties, and it makes an ideal BYOB
beverage. This holiday season, when selecting your perfect bottle
for whatever occasion, consider that your wine choice might fall
into one of three categories.
When you want a wine to drink at home, be it with a meal or on
its own, you may wish to keep the price modest, thereby allowing
many happy days of wine consumption in your future. I call these
the “Wines to Have”.
If the wine you are selecting is to bring to a host or hostess
for a seasonal shin-dig, perhaps some signature wines will fit the
bill, offering unique wines as gifts that are impressive representations
of their origins. These fall under the “Wines to Give”
category.
And finally, there are the “Wines to Bring to My House”
– personal predilections of mine! Some of these wines are
great with food, others I prefer on their own, but one thing is
certain, you will receive heart-felt thanks if you arrive at my
house bearing one of these gems.
Wines to Have
Banrock Station Sparkling Shiraz +575902 $16.99
This delightful sparkling wine is made exclusively from Shiraz grapes
from South Eastern Australia and boasts every bit as much bubble
as a Champagne might. But it’s red – and juicy too.
Lingenfelder Bird Label Riesling +568634 $16.96
A medium-dry white wine, this Riesling offers an array of delicate
fruit flavours, paired with notes of elegant flowers. Made in Germany,
this is a lovely companion to spicy Asian cuisine.
Sumac Ridge ‘Private Reserve’ Sauvignon Blanc +593087
$14.49
A little taste of home. Sourced from B.C.’s renowned Black
Sage Vineyards, this dry white wine exhibits flavours green apples
and wild sage. Great with halibut, sole or cod.
Mission Hill ‘Five Vineyards’ Pinot Noir +118844 $16.99
Explore the charm of five small Okanagan vineyards in this dry red
wine. Light and delicate with flavours of black cherries and a hint
of cinnamon, this wine is delicious with pork.
Boekenhoutskloof ‘The Wolftrap’ +138479 $14.99
Bold and robust, this South African wine is made from a blend of
six different red grapes. Concentrated red fruit flavours combine
with smooth oak to make this wine a truly great value.
Wines to Give
Summerhill ‘Cipes’ Brut +314419 $22.28
Grown and crafted right here in B.C., this sparkling wine boasts
classic Champagne aromas of fresh yeast and green apples while delivering
a vigorous mouthful of fine bubbles on the palate.
Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards ‘See Ya Later Ranch’ Pinot
Gris +75739 $19.99
This Pinot Gris is a classic white wine from the Okanagan Valley.
Dry and crisp with flavours of peaches and spice on the finish,
this is a fine example of what B.C. does best.
Villa Antinori Toscana IGT +104885 $21.99
Who says you have to be a Chianti Classico to be delicious? With
this dry, smooth red wine, Antinori shows us that designation doesn’t
matter – it’s what’s inside the bottle that counts.
Beringer Founders Estate Merlot +534255 $19.81
Beringer has been making Merlot for a long time in California’s
Napa Valley and they are going strong. Well-structured with tannins
and plummy fruit, this wine is a tribute to steak.
Quails’ Gate Late Harvest Optima +390328 $29.99
Grown in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley, this sweet white wine features
ripe peach and pear flavours and a clove-like spice at the finish.
A match made in heaven for pumpkin pie.
Wines to Bring to My House
Mumm ‘Cuvee M’ Napa Brut +285072 $25.76
This Napa valley bubbly epitomizes joy in a glass. Lively with a
slight pink tinge, this is a crisp dry wine with distant aromas
of raspberry fields. Delicious.
Chateau de Sancerre Sancerre +164582 $27.71
This French Sauvignon Blanc features a dry, crisp acidity and classic
flavours of fresh basil and pungent gooseberries. A classic pairing
with rich cream sauce atop fish or pasta.
Rodney Strong ‘Chalk Hill Vineyards’ Chardonnay +275552
$27.75
This is a rich, luxurious Chardonnay featuring flavours of toasted
hazelnuts, baked apples and tropical fruit. An excellent companion
to the classic preparation of broiled lobster with drawn butter.
Ravenswood Lodi Zinfandel +599381 $24.99
Jammy and full-bodied only begin to pay tribute to this delicious
red wine. Soft oak and abundant red berry flavours make this a gem
of a wine, from the vineyards of Lodi to your lips.
Piramimma Shiraz +607093 $28.95
If you like bold then this is a wine for you. Ripe with flavours
of raspberries and pomegranates, this is a concentrated red wine
that would pair well with roasted rack of lamb.
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