We may not be gathering for the holidays this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t leave a boozy gift at a friend’s front door. Why not send your friends and family a bottle of the good stuff, even if you’re just meeting over Zoom? And, in this abnormal year, have a little fun with the bottles you gift.
La Collina Fermentum Lambrusco 2019
Lambrusco can be hit or miss. If it’s overly sweet then it gets sickening. If it doesn’t have the right amount of fizz, then you may as well be drinking any other wine from northern Italy. But, when this wine from Emilia-Romagno is done right, it’s effervescent, dry, acidic and full-bodied. Something bubbly is always fun around the holidays and lambrusco is more unexpected than prosecco or champagne. Stock up and keep it pouring all December long.
La Collina, Italy. $23.25/750 ml. Get it at the LCBO (lcbo.com)
Maestro Dobel Tequila
Three aged tequilas are blended together and double-filtered to make the final product crystal clear. It’s completely disarming, unlike anything I’ve tasted. It has a creaminess to it, with very forward vanilla, caramel and honey. The oakiness from the añejo is a surprise on the palate, considering it looks like a tequila blanco.
Maestro Dobel, Mexico. $64.95/750 ml. Get it at the LCBO (lcbo.com)
The Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Based on looks alone, this whiskey is a nice addition to any bar cart. The eye-catching hexagonal bottle does a lot of the work here, but the spirit inside is worthy of praise, too. Triple-distilled in copper pots and then aged for four years in sherry casks, it’s ridiculously smooth and amber in colour. Toffee, citrus and allspice tickle the nose and oak and dried fruits dance on the tongue.
Bushmills, Ireland. $49.95/750 ml. Get it at the LCBO (lcbo.com)
