HolIDAY

GIFT

GUIDE

2023

Gabriella Bergsten – Garneau Block

Wines: Alessandro Viola - Sinfonia Di Bianco

(also – Vivanterre – Orange SGU and Anders Frederik Steen and Anne Bruun Blauert’s – C’etait le premier jour de Vancances d’été. J’avais seize ans”)

Picking a favourite wine is always so hard for me – I love every wine we bring in so much.

All of these wines are magical. The salty, herbaceous notes of the Sinfonia di Bianco is the perfect wine for your charcuterie plate; the pet nat from Ander’s and Anne is so rich and buttery and gorgeous you absolutely need two bottles to share with friends; and obviously, if you can find any bottles of the Vivanterre Orange, buy them all- I’ve yet to find anything it doesn’t work with.

I’ll be pairing these with making my mom’s (very top-secret recipe) Cappuccino cookies and watching Die Hard with my friends fam. Yippee-Ki-Yay :)

Jason Purcell – Glass Bookshop

Wine: Plot – Cab

It's a pop song for adults: nocturnal and moody and laced with droll humour. Uncork it when it’s cold outside and heating up inside. Pairs perfectly with Jessie Ware, a good bass line, disco strings, and someone to crush on.

Justin & Derrick Jones – Darling Wine Bar

Wine: Furlani - Altopiano Rosso

We’d like to choose the Furlani Altopiano Rosso. It was also a guest favourite for us and we loved watching their reaction when first sipping it!

For the holidays, we’d enjoy the Furlani Altopiano Rosso on our Christmas Eve cheese and charcuterie night. We spend the evening enjoying great wines and great food with our family.

Hot tip: Get your fresh bread and cheeses from Ivan at Bonjour Bakery, your charcuterie from the Italian Centre and your olives from Darling!

Dianna Funnell– Sherbrooke Liquor

Wine: Jutta Ambrositsch - Revision

It's probably no surprise that I'm choosing to feature Jutta Ambrositsch's Revision.  For me, there are so many reasons to choose this remarkable Gruner Veltliner.  First of all, I love to support outstanding female winegrowers. Not to mention that this one of the most beautiful wines I got to taste this year and coincidentally:  The grapes come from 60 year old vines. I turned 60 this year!

The vineyards are just on the outskirts of Vienna... I dream of spending time in Vienna. 

While the fruit is organically grown it is not certified... Having worked as an agent, rep, bartender, sommelier and retail purchaser in the wine industry, I too am happily uncertified.  

This wine presents perfect, pin point balance. I'm quite sure that the maintenance of balance in my life is what has allowed me to learn and grow in this business for the last forty years. Revision is authentic and unique, exactly the kind of wine I would be if I were a wine, I think. The perfect foil for rich, savoury foods, I will be pairing it with friends, family, turkey dinner and some late nights around the fire.

Whitney Van Manen & Jordon Jeschke – Highlands Liquor

Wines: Little Brunswick- Lock, Stock, and Teardrops and Anders Frederik Steen and Anne Bruun Blauert’s - “I guess this is what I would have said”.

Whitney’s favorite Garneau Block wine of 2023 is Little Brunswick’s “Lock, Stock, and Teardrops”. She will be sharing it with her mother as they eat shortbread cookies and watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation for the 57th time.

Jordon’s favourite Garneau Block wine of 2023 is Anders Frederek Steen and Anne Bruun Blauert’s “I guess this is what I what would have said”. He would pair it with late-night cheese fondue with friends in front of a roaring fire.

Devin Rigaux -

Milpa

Wine: Little Brunswick - Tidy Town Pet Nat

My favourite Garneau Block wine this year. This is an exceptionally tough question because there have been so many fantastic wines. One of the best experiences I had with Garneau this year was at the Class Clown pop-up, where I finally had the opportunity to try the Little Brunswick Tidy Town Pet Nat. This wine is outrageously aromatic, tropical, and delicious. Even better, I was able to enjoy it with friends, and good food, which is my suggestion for this wine (if you can find it), for the holiday season. Cozy up with your loved ones, pop a bottle, dream of warmer days.

Kaitlyn kwochka – Pop Wine Bar

Wine: Das Juice - Maceration

It has to be the Das Juice Maceration for me! There's so much to love here - tropical fruit salad, baked stone fruit and woody herbs. It's refreshing and decidedly moreish, with delicate floral notes and white pepper rounding it all out. Delicious in the summer but even better in the chilly Saskatchewan winter with plenty of savoury, chalky tannic backbone to carry you through a holiday feast. This is my fruit cake in a bottle!

Kelsey & Juanita Roos – Color de Vino

Wine: Athletes du Vin – Gardien de Bulles

Juanita and I love bubbles and this well-valued sparkling Chenin from Loire is perfectly refreshing and crisp. You can find us enjoining a glass while we prep our holiday buns, a recipe from my Grandma who is always missed around the dinner table. Cheers to our loved ones who are lost and to your next glass of bubbles.

XOXOXO Juanita and Kelsey

Justin Benson- ACE Coffee/ Sepp’s Pizza/ Garneau Block/ 9000 other jobs

Wine- Furlani Rosso Frizzante

Sheeeeeeeeeeeesh. I pop bottles of this beauty 369 days a year. This blend of Pavana, Rosara, Negrara tastes more like a raspberry Jolly Rancher and than a raspberry Jolly Rancher. Pairs perfectly with a Jr. Chicken in the parking lot with buds when you need a break from the in-laws.

Shawn Nest and Emily Lobo – Slow pour beer bar

Wine: Les Athletes du Vin-  Pineau D'Aunis

Our favourite wine this year was the Les Athletes du Vin Pineau D'Aunis - it was expressive and interesting, yet delicate and zippy. 
Pairs well with watching reruns of Kitchen Nightmares, at 2am, after 10-hour shifts behind the bar, and leftover lasagna. 

Nicola Lapp- Twinflower Studio

Wine: Delinquente – Tuff Nutt

I’m a fan of the unusual and unique, and Delinquent delivers both with its bold Pet Nat - Tuff Nutt. This wine’s going to be making an appearance at the family Christmas gift exchange and I’m sure there’s going to be much present-swapping with this gem in the mix. There’s also a high probability I’ll be investing in a bottle for myself! Wishing you and yours a Christmas to remember!