‘Tis the season to pop corks with abandon, so why not add some refinement to the usual rotation. It’s possible to up your drinking game—and impress friends and relatives—without completely blowing your holiday bonus. Here, six bottles that are worth the splurge.
<p><strong>$34.95 | Niagara Peninsula | 91 points</strong></p><br />
For openers, oysters and New Year’s celebrations, look no further than Niagara and Prince Edward County, where bubblies are rapidly ascending to Champagne heights but at a fraction of the price. Winemaker Jean-Pierre Colas leads the way at 13th Street with complex, vibrant, aged sparklers that are bracing and intriguing. Vintages. LCBO 142679.
<p><strong>$48.95 | Burgundy, France | 93 points</strong></p><br />
When it’s turkey time, only one wine style works equally well with white meat, dark meat and all the stuffing. That wine is pinot noir. This vibrant young Burgundy steers between ripe, generous cranberry, cherry and spice aromas and tight, mineral-driven food-matching structure. Aerate in a decanter one hour or more. Vintages. LCBO 354332.
<p><strong>$89.95 | Napa Valley, California | 92 points</strong></p> <br />
Coveted Napa cab is an ideal statement-making gift for friends and colleagues. The Leap is <br />
a best-barrels selection from estate-grown fruit at the iconic Stags’ Leap—a rollicking, dense cabernet with rich cassis fruit and herbal flavours that pour through its tannic structure. Will cellar a decade, at least. Vintages. LCBO 142844.
Stags’ Leap 2009 The Leap Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Stags’ Leap 2009 The Leap Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
<p><strong>$79.95 | Veneto, Italy | 92 Points</strong></p><br />
There is nothing like a magnum bottle of rich, warming red to light a fire under a big holiday party. This is a whopper, with 15 per cent alcohol boosting the rich, ripe prune and black olive fruit, trimmed with cedar and leathery complexity. Great for a hearty roast or stew, or after dinner with a plate of parmesan and figs. Vintages. LCBO 187369.
<p><strong>$22.95 | Quebec | <br />
90 points</strong></p> <br />
Very sweet wines, including icewine, are ideal for a dessert buffet laden with fruit flans, <br />
tarts and pies (including pumpkin). Switch it up this year with a scintillating ice apple cider made from apples frozen on the tree, a drink that’s shining a spotlight on Quebec. Catchy packaging and <br />
an arresting drinking experience. Vintages. LCBO 39305.
La Face Cachée de la Pomme 2011 Neige Première Ice Cider
La Face Cachée de la Pomme 2011 Neige Première Ice Cider
<p><strong>$22.95 | Jerez, Spain | <br />
96 points</strong></p><br />
This is sensational: an aged brown sherry with a big bouquet of dried fig, raisin, walnut, orange and chocolate. At 20 per cent alcohol, it’s a full, sweet, thick and warming dessert in a glass, best matched with mincemeat tarts, a yule log or any chocolate confections. It’s also ridiculously affordable—in other words, buy more than one bottle. Vintages. LCBO 342931.