‘Tis the season! For you to walk into the liquor store trying to find a special bottle and have no idea where to begin.
We’ll let the experts from Surdyk’s in Minneapolis step in. Peter Plaehn is the chief wine buyer for Surdyk's and he shared a few tips with Drivetime with DeRusha on what to look for when searching for gifts or a nice bottle to share at Christmas and New Year’s.
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Last minute gift splurge:
Good glassware with a nice thin rim, not the cheap chunky stuff. Riedel, Schott Zweisel, Zalto, etc. Will amplify your experience with whatever you put in it, whether it’s a wine glass or cocktail tumbler. Also, you can enjoy it year-round.
Liquor gift that overperforms:
Asian whiskey! Consistently overperforms for the price. A wide range of prices for all budgets. Specifically, Kavalan (around $80) from Taiwan is tremendous and relatively undiscovered in Minnesota.
CELEBRATION WINE IDEAS FOR CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S
Champagne Splurge:
Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose (around $89.99). A perennial favorite and consistently one of the best pink bubbles around.
Overperforming Mid-priced Champage:
Charles Ellner Carte Blanche Brut. Local importer Domaines & Appellations brought this one to Minnesota and it quickly made its mark as a very solid true Champagne for around $45.
Bagain sparkling wine:
French Cremant. It's made the same way as Champagne for a fraction of the price and can be found in almost any quality wine shop. Cremant de Jura (on the Swiss border), Cremant de Bourgogne (Burgundy) and Cremant de Limoux (Pyrenees foothills, in southern France) are favorites. Also, grower-producer Spanish sparkling like Raventos I Blanc, Pere Mata and AT Roca are the next frontier of under-$30 high-quality sparkling wines.
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