Since most Champagnes are expensive/overpriced, it becomes obvious that seeking out sparkling wines from California, Burgundy, Spain or Italy should be your priority during this upcoming Holiday season !
All the products recommended in this article have been crafted in the traditionnal Champagne method : a second fermentation in the bottle to produce a lovely creamy froth from tiny bulles.
Here are my suggestions of fine sparklers for the Holiday season. All of these fine bubblies should be readily available in many SAQ outlets. Cheers !
SPARKLERS :
If you’re looking for gifts in the last home stretch before Christmas, fine spirits are perfect for the Holiday season. These lovely bottles should enhance your celebrations and family gatherings. And if you’re lucky the bottles might be opened when you are around.
With the cold weather, the Holidays and New Year festivities just around the corner, here are some spirit suggestions to heat up your season celebrations. Your friends and family members should enjoy these fine high quality spirits.
Here is a selection high quality spirits, in some cases a tad more expensive, but let’s not forget, tis the Holiday season!
Tequila Silver, Patron, Mexico 40% alc. 10689981 79,50$
For those of you who start Xmas shopping early, here is a list of lovely wines for the Holiday season. These celebrations with family, friends and work colleagues are great opportunities to enjoy good food paired with fine wines.
This list of tasty wines should move quickly. I recommend you not wait last minute to purchase some of these, as they might dissapear from the SAQ shelves. A Champagne, a sparkler, a lovely California Chard and reds that should satisfy the most demanding palates. They might also make great gift ideas. Enjoy !
Two effervescent wines for starters and hors-d’oeuvres :
A sparkler :
Surprising vintage, 1986 produced wines with great aging potential. As is often the case in Bordeaux, the left bank wines offer more structure and potential. Ideal climatic conditions in the latter part of the season helped the Médoc and Pessac-Léognan acheive perfect ripeness. Outstanding vintage for cabernet sauvignon, there is no doubt the left side of the Gironde with its gravelly soils succeded. The 86 Bordeaux have evolved favorably and are showing superb complexity. The 86 left bank wines offer a classic Bordeaux profile as many continue to improve. A selection of reputed châteaux was chosen to evaluate the high quality and evolution of this excellent Bordeaux vintage.
@ Les Conseillers du Vin, thirty years later, we revisited this classic Bordeaux vintage that should be at its peak. To verify the evolution, structure and balance of this fine Bordeaux vintage, a group of 16 experienced tasters analysed 7 outstanding Chateaux plus a mystery wine in the usual blind tasting format.
Results: Overall the wines faired very well! To establish the order of preference of the tasting panel, 3 points were awarded for a first place vote, 2 pts for a 2nd place vote and 1pt for a 3rd place vote.
This tasting was a unique opportunity to compare 4 vintages of the reputed, rare and expensive Petrus to four (4) 1er Crus Classés from the Médoc and Saint-Émilion. As you probably know, with recent inflation of fine wine prices, finding a bottle Petrus for less than $1000 has become impossible. Recent bottlings go anywhere betwen $1200 and $5000 per bottle. What should we expect from such a «Grand Vin»?
Petrus is a merlot dominated (95%) wine from the reputed district of Pomerol in the Libournais area of the right bank of Bordeaux.
@ Les Conseillers du Vin: in the usual blind tasting format, a group of 16 experienced tasters analysed four (4) vintages of Petrus compared to four (4) 1er Cru Classé from the same vintages. At this point one must remember that wines from the 80’s and early 90’s were not produced with grapes as ripe and concentrated as today’s more recent vintages (2000+). Wines from that era usually offer higher acidity and firmer tannins and tend to be fresher, leaner and more elegant.
Results: To establish the order of preference of the tasting panel, 3 points were awarded to a first place vote, 2 pts for a 2nd place vote and 1pt for a 3rd place vote.
Tasted five years ago @Les Conseillers du Vin, this reputed Burgundy vintage seemed at its peak. This time a new line-up (except for Corton Pougets) would help us confirm its evolution. Excellent vintage for whites and reds, the 1996 Burgundy harvest produced wines with great character, freshness, good extract and aging potential. Can they continue to evolve or are they starting to decline? Some tasted recently were still surprisingly fresh and well balanced.
Twenty years later, at Les Conseillers du Vin, we decided to revisit this 20 years old Burgundy vintage by tasting a selection of wines from reputed producers to verify the evolution of this excellent Tuscan vintage.
As usual a group of 16 experienced tasters analysed seven (7) red Burgundies plus a mystery wine in the usual blind tasting format. As previously mentioned we must keep in mind that winemaking techniques have dramatically changed since the mid 90’s and grapes today are harvested much riper. Wines from the 80’s and early 90’s offered from the outset higher acidity and firmer tannins. Wines from that era tend to be fresher, leaner and often more elegant. But in some instances, some wines can become a bit thin, aggressive and austere.
Results: To establish the order of preference of the tasting panel, 3 points were awarded to a first place vote, 2 pts for a 2nd place vote and 1pt for a 3rd place vote.
Unfortunately the 1996 Bordeaux vintage was overshadowed by its reputed 95 predecessor. As it often happens in Bordeaux, following a superstar year, a quality vintage can go unnoticed (1962, 2001) ! An outstanding vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon, the sub-regions of Médoc and Pessac-Léognan deliver the best results. But the Libournais should not be forgotten, the merlot dominated wines of St-Émilion and Pomerol seduce with soft texture and complex maturity. On the left bank, more structured wines should continue to improve. A selection of reputed châteaux was chosen to evaluate the high quality and evolution of this excellent Bordeaux vintage.
@ Les Conseillers du Vin, twenty years later, we revisited this underrated vintage that should be at its peak. To verify the evolution, richness and balance of this fine Bordeaux vintage, a group of 16 experienced tasters analysed 7 outstanding Chateaux plus a mystery wine in the usual blind tasting format.
Results: Overall the wines faired extremely well! To establish the order of preference of the tasting panel, 3 points were awarded to a first place vote, 2 pts for a 2nd place vote and 1pt for a 3rd place vote.
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A very good vintage from a prestigious appellation that just celebrated its 20th anniversary! According to La Revue du Vin de France, the 1995 Châteauneuf-du-Pape vintage produced «lovely rich complex wines that are ready for drinking». When compared to recent vintages, the 95’s are charming more elegant wines that are surprisingly reminiscent of mature Burgundies from a warm vintage. Superb but lighter Châteauneufs that should satisfy the fan of «terroir expressive» wines. Twenty years later, at Les Conseillers du Vin, we decided to revisit the 1995 Châteauneuf vintage by tasting a selection of wines from reputed producers to verify the evolution of this excellent Southern Rhône vintage.
As usual a group of 16 experienced tasters analysed 8 Châteauneuf-du-Pape reds in theal blind tasting format. At this point we must keep in mind two important factors: 1-winemaking techniques have dramatically changed since the mid 90’s. 2-grapes today are harvested much riper. Wines from that era tend to be fresher, leaner and often more elegant. As mentioned earlier, in some instances, some evolved Châteauneufs can be reminiscent of mature red Burgundies.
Results: Is it time to open all remaining bottles of 95 reds CDPs or should we leave some for future drinking? To establish the order of preference of the tasting panel, 3 points were awarded to a first place vote, 2 pts for a 2nd place vote and 1pt for a 3rd place vote.
The Holiday season creates numerous opportunities for celebrations with family, friends and work colleagues. Usually around a table, most of these gatherings include great food and lovely wines.
To help you find some tasty wines at affordable prices I’ve prepared a list of great deals for your Holiday celebrations. A Champagne, a sparkler, some whites and reds that should satisfy the most demanding palates. Here are some great deals to be purchased during your last few days of Christmas shopping :
Two effervescent wines for starters and hors-d’oeuvres :
A sparkler :
With the cold weather, the Holidays and New Year festivities just around the corner, here are some spirit suggestions to heat up your season celebrations. Your friends and family members should enjoy these fine high quality spirits.
If you’re looking for gifts in the last home stretch before Christmas, fine spirits are perfect for the Holiday season. These lovely bottles should enhance your celebrations and family gatherings. And if you’re lucky the bottles might be opened when you are around.
Here is a selection high quality spirits, in some cases a tad more expensive, but let’s not forget, tis the Holiday season!
Uva Viva di Poli, Jacopo Poli, 40% Italy, 57,75 $ 454199
Jacopo Poli is an outstanding distiller reputed for his remarkable grappas, but also produces high quality spirits. For the fan of youthful, crystal clear, unoaked eau-de-vies, this superb Uva Viva is a winner! Intense fruity nose displaying pear and mandarine. Offering a seductive velvety texture and good length, this excellent eau-de-vie should be served neat and slightly chilled. Score : 92/100