Lower your budget, not your expectations

January can be a tough time of year financially.

Maybe, despite your best budgeting, you spent a little too much on gifts. Perhaps you hosted a big holiday dinner and sprung for a not-inexpensive 11-kilogram turkey and all the trimmings. Or could it be that one of your cats developed a mystery ailment, and had to undergo tests and stay for a number of days at the emergency veterinarian, setting you back thousands of dollars?

Yes, I experienced all of the above over the last month (and said cat is at home now, hopefully on the mend).

Suffice to say, the purse strings round these parts were quite loose over the holidays and have since been tightened to the point of strangulation. So the focus when it comes to drinks has been the best bottles (and cans) for a frugal budget.

Not all drinks sold for rock-bottom prices are created equal.

Many of the three- or four-litre bag-in-box wines in our market, for example, are bottled and blended in Canada from a blend of bulk domestic and international juices. They’re serviceable but typically not overly interesting — and in writing a weekly drinks column, I like to try a range of products rather than the same wine, over and over.

There are countries and regions that tend to deliver better value than others. Bottles from Chile and Argentina continue to offer great bang for your buck in the quality-to-price ratio, as do many of those hailing from Spain and Portugal.

And lesser-known regions tend to over-deliver for the price — a $16 bottle of red from the more obscure Abruzzo region of Italy, for example, will deliver a better quality-to-price ratio than wines in the same price range from the sprawling, more popular Chianti region.

Beer lovers needn’t settle for low-priced, mass-produced (and generally boring) international brews either. Many local brewers have beers in our market that compete with the big corporate breweries price-wise, and are fresher (and taste better).

Bargain hunters should keep an eye out for limited-time offers and monthly sales, which offer a chance to test drive relatively pricier drinks for a decent deal.

Check around at private wine stores to see what’s on special, or visit the Liquor Marts website (liquormarts.ca), click on “promotions” and then on either “hot buy” or “limited time offers” to see what’s on sale there.

Bargain hunters should also be keeping an eye on bin end/delisted wines, beers and spirits — products that are seasonal, last of their kind or simply didn’t sell well enough to keep around, and which tend to be discounted for quick sale.

Liquor Marts recently delisted a new batch of products; click “last chance” under “promotions” on their website to see what’s being cleared out; once you click on an item you can see what stock levels are like by store.

These products tend to go fast and may not be seen again, so stock up if you can — once they’re gone, they’re likely gone for good.

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Drinks of the week

Here are six well-priced drinks to get you through the long month of January without breaking the bank…

Barn Hammer Final Draft Lager

(Winnipeg — $2.99/473ml cans, brewery, beer vendors, Liquor Marts)

Medium straw in appearance, Barn Hammer’s Final Draft lager offers biscuit, bread dough, fresh malt and subtle peppery notes aromatically.

It’s light-bodied and dry, led by flavours of biscuit/crackers/bread dough, a hint of lemon zest that arrives with some chalkiness and underlying malty notes that come with the modest finish (it’s 4.5 per cent alcohol). 3/5

Nonsuch Brewing Co. Beauty Lager

(Winnipeg — $2.89/473ml cans, brewery, beer vendors)

Pale gold in appearance, there’s a subtle nuttiness and some pear notes that come with the cracked wheat and malty notes on the nose.

It’s a light-plus bodied and dry lager, bringing slightly more weight, bigger fruit notes and more complexity than the Final Draft, with the apple notes working well with the dough/biscuit notes, a notable peppery/hoppy edge and a decently lengthy finish (it’s also 4.5 per cent alcohol).

Also available in a 15x355ml can box from from the brewery, beer vendors and Liquor Marts. A beauty indeed. 3.5/5

Astica 2024 Chardonnay Chenin

(Argentina — $13.99, Jones & Company Wine Merchants)

Pale straw in appearance, this unoaked Argentine white, a blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, brings a fresh fruit salad of apricot, mango and pineapple on the nose along with a citrusy marmalade component and hints of spice.

It’s dry, light-bodied, easy-going and fresh, with the tropical and stone fruit flavours backed by hints of green herbs and spice and a modest finish. 3.5/5

Artisan Wine Co. 2023 & Evermore Chardonnay

(Niagara Peninsula, Ont. — $9.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Made by Artisan Wine Co., which has a range of brands in Canada (including Diabolica), there’s not a lot of info out there about this Niagara Chardonnay — although it’s listed on the LCBO website for $16.95, meaning Liquor Marts must have got a one-time deal on this wine (as well as the matching Pinot Noir, also $9.99).

The Chard is medium straw in appearance, with tangerine, ripe red apple, cantaloupe and peachy notes on the nose.

It’s light-plus bodied, dry and seemingly unoaked, bringing ripe peach and red apple flavours, light acidity, a slightly creamy texture and, at 12.7 per cent alcohol, a relatively modest finish. A well-made white, particularly for this rock-bottom price — unheard of when it comes to VQA wines. 3.5/5

Valle Andino 2022 Carmenère

(Maule Valley, Chile — $14.99, Calabria Market)

Bright purple in appearance, this well-priced Chilean Carmenère offers black cherry, dark chocolate, plum, eucalyptus and herbal, minty aromas.

It’s medium-plus bodied and dry but fairly jammy, with blackberry, plum and raspberry flavours coming with dark chocolate and black tea components, medium acidity and light tannins.

Doesn’t likely see time in oak barrels, and the 13 per cent alcohol seems just right. Drink now. 3/5

Finca Flichman 2024 Poncho Criollo Malbec

(Mendoza, Argentina — $15.99/1L bottle, Liquor Marts and beyond)

This Malbec pays tribute to Argentine “gauchos;” it’s inky purple in colour and aromatically brings blackberry, blueberry skin, mocha and plum notes.

On the dry, medium-plus bodied palate the dark fruit flavours shine through, with no discernable oak but with modest tannins, medium acidity and a moderate finish (it’s 13 per cent alcohol).

Not the biggest, grippiest Malbec you’ll try, but landing in the one-litre bottle makes it a solid value. Chill for 15 and enjoy now. 3.5/5

 

winnipegfreepress.com/bensigurdson