No matter the occasion, there’s a beverage that can enhance the holiday experience and make each moment memorable.
As we gather around the table to share festive moments, the right beverage can elevate the experience and add a touch of warmth to the occasion. Whether planning your holiday party, in for a meal pairing, finding the perfect gift or looking for the right bottle to celebrate with, this is your wine, spirit and beer guide for every holiday moment.
Cin-Cin! It’s Party Time
Gathering your friends and family, it is party time! These moments call for drinks that suit the mood. Be they red, white, or even a cocktail, the best party drinks are lively and can be well-liked by many; they are the conversation starters and carriers.
For a simple and easy serve, go for a festive signature cocktail, the Pomegranate Punch with White Claw Premium Vodka. In a pitcher, combine 3 cups of pomegranate juice, 2 cups of orange juice, 1 cup of cranberry juice, ½ cup of lime juice, 1 cup of orange liquor and 2 cups of White Claw Premium Vodka. Top with ginger beer and sparkling water. Add rosemary, star anise, orange slices and pomegranate arils to taste. Then, serve over ice to all your guests.
Every party needs a crisp and lively white wine at the ready. Made in Trentino, Italy, the Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio brings to life the vibrancy of the dolomite springs. This fresh, fragrant, truly delightful Pinot Grigio is filled with white raspberry, pear, cantaloupe notes, and watercress. It is a perfect aperitif and party wine.
Having some range in the beverages offered always equals a better time for all, especially if they are delicious. The Alt Dealcoholized Cabernet Sauvignon by Magnotta offers flavours of blackcurrant, blackberry, and cherry notes with pepper spice and herbal touches. Long lasting on the palate and great with snacks, this dealcoholized wine is bolder than you might expect.
There is nothing like popping the top on a magnum. For the right-sized crowd, a magnum is fun and economical. The Negrar Valpolicella DOC is a versatile, light-bodied red filled with bright red berry notes, spice and floral aromas. Coming in a double-sized bottle, this Valpolicella is easy on the palate. It is a red wine made for sipping with the conversation.
Ideal Wines For Gift-Giving
Ready for a bow on top, whether wrapped in a gift box or with a stellar label, the best wines for gifting are always the bottles that remind you of who you are buying for. Price-wise, aim for mid-range to high-end bottles, but the best wine gift is a bottle that says I care about you.
From the Cachapoal Andes region of Chile, the Sideral Red Blend by Viña San Pedro is a flawless synergy in a constellation of exceptional taste. With its eye-catching label that captures the sky of its exceptional origin, this wine is filled with ripe red and black fruit aromas intertwined with cedar and spice notes. Bold on the palate, Sideral is made for those who go for wines with a long, velvety finish.
Always putting forth the best of Piemonte is Michele Chiarlo. Maker of fabulous Barolo wine, the Michele Chiarlo Palás Barolo is a 100% Nebbiolo wine that blends vineyards from Monforte, Verduno and La Morra. Making for a complex wine that communicates balsamic, rose, licorice and tobacco notes with a harmonica finish in every sip. It is truly a wine lover’s wine.
Dave Phinney’s Orin Swift Winery has earned a cult following in Napa. Each wine tells a story, and the Orin Swift Abstract showcases the winery’s ethos of great vineyards crafting wine for great conversations. Based on the grape Grenache, this bold wine has dark berry and chocolate notes, leading to a ripe and plush palate with chewy tannins and an oh-so-pleasing finish.
The Passito Holiday Gift Pack by Magnotta is wrapped up and ready for a bow. This Vidal Passito is a fragrant wine with notes of melon, peach, white flowers, and apricots. On the palate, it is sweet but complemented by a bright acidity, which gives this wine a great structure. Coming with some delicious white chocolate and cranberry biscotti, these two are a match made in heaven.
Pair Up That Holiday Meal
Holiday dinners run the gambit from potluck style to sit-down dinner parties. Having a good range in your wine selections is a must. With options from lighter wine styles to heavier ones, you can guarantee a good time for guests from the first course to the last.
For light nibbles, snacks and leafy-green foods, Sauvignon Blanc is an easy match. The Eradus Sauvignon Blanc is a delightful production showing off the Awatere Valley of Marlborough in New Zealand. Bringing to the glass notes of starfruit, pineapple rind, apple, line, passionfruit and a fresh, dewy morning vibe. It is zesty and expressive on the palate, making it the perfect complement to a lighter fare.
Chardonnay is a versatile wine for food pairings. With the heavier dishes served during the holiday season, a bold Chardonnay is always the way to go. The G. Marquis Silverline Chardonnay by Magnotta brings to life the terroir of Ontario winemaking. This creamy and luxurious wine is buttery and expressive with notes of oak spice, Anjou pear, yellow apples, and soft spices.
Made in the Sambuca di Sicilia region of the province of Agrigento, the Feudo Arancio Cabernet Sauvignon is not your average Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in French oak barrels, this wine has a unique Italian sensibility in the glass. It is filled with bold aroma notes of blackcurrant, ripe cherries, and hints of spice, followed by a powerful palate with rustic tannins. This wine is meant for the main course, pairing great with meat and roasted veg.
The Domaine Lafage Syrah Grenache ‘Bastide Miraflors’ is a mix of Grenache and Syrah. The main attraction is the fruit, which ranges from blueberries and mulberries to darker flavours of plum and dark chocolate with subtle touches of mint. Its mild tannins make it incredibly smooth and elegant to sip. From the Cote Catalanes region of Roussillon, France, this is the wine to serve with the holiday roast to match every flavour note.
Bring Out The Bubbly!
Every celebration has a moment when popping the right bottle of bubbly is vital. Cheers to the year to what’s to come in 2024, family and friends! The holidays encompass all moments of celebrations, and having bottles of bubbly on hand is a must.
The Magnotta Starlight Venture Series VQA Sparkling screams ‘Open me for the holidays’ in its gold-wrapped bottle. A blend of Riesling and Vidal grapes, this is a fresh and zesty wine with notes of apple, peach, lemon and orange that finishes a touch off-dry. Delicious in the glass but good for the season of giving too, part of the Venture series of wines by Magnotta, this is a wine that gives back With proceeds from every bottle going to the G. Magnotta Foundation for Vector-Borne Diseases to fight Lyme Disease.
If Champagne is what you are dreaming of, but more bottles are what you are after for your celebrations, it is time to learn about the delicious Crémants made across France. Made in the same style as Champagne, the Montgueret Crémant De Loire Rose communicates the Loire region’s fruity aromas and bright flavours. With a soft pink tone, this wine has raspberry, wild strawberry, apricot and green melon notes with a softly fruity finish.
With a name that is very fitting for the holiday season, the Indie Alehouse Ritual Madness Flanders Red Ale is the beer you need to mark your celebrations. Wine is not for everyone, which is ok, but having a baller celebration is. Ritual Madness is made in the style of traditional method sparkling winemaking, crafting a rich ale with woody and leather notes, highlighted by touches of cherries. Topped with a cage and cork, this beer is sweet, sour, and simply stellar.
Keeping in the flow of bringing new bubbles to the party, the Kechris Afros Retsina will question all you know about the Retsina wines of Greece. This unique and unfiltered one has only a touch of bubbles. That soft frizzante vibe opens into a bombastic combination of aromas and flavours featuring pine, rosemary, citrus, melon, and hints of stone fruit. This vibrant dry wine has a memorable touch of bubbly to celebrate with.