Spirited advent calendars to satisfy local drink fans

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/11/2024 (318 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With December creeping ever closer, advent calendar season is in full swing and there’s a growing range of options for drinks lovers.

In addition to the beer and spirits advent calendars imported by Liquor Marts and the wine advent calendars assembled by select private wine stores, two local breweries have gotten in on the action.

Neepawa’s Farmery Estate Brewery has once again pulled together two dozen of their beers for an advent calendar of its own. The 24-pack costs $129.95 and is available via farmery.ca, or you can pick it up at the brewery’s Winnipeg store (2 Donald St.) — it also offers free delivery in the city.

Torque Brewing, meanwhile, is offering a 15-day advent calendar available as of today from the brewery taproom (830 King Edward St.) for $79.99 plus taxes while supplies last. The collection features nine Torque brews, including core pours and seasonal brews such as the Bellhop vanilla bourbon porter, as well as a half-dozen beers from Namesake Brewing and Dastardly Villain Brewing Co., both of whom brew their beers at the Torque facility.

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With just over a month until the man in the red suit with the white beard slides down chimneys everywhere, it’s not too soon to be thinking about stocking stuffers — and two of Winnipeg’s biggest drinks festivals have you covered, with early-bird pricing to boot.

The 2025 Winnipeg Whisky Festival sees the fest move from its long-standing digs at the Fairmont Winnipeg to the RBC Convention Centre (375 York Ave.) for the first time. The 2025 festival takes place Feb. 28 and March 1; early-bird tickets start at $226.34 plus tax for individual tickets, with VIP and group ticket options available. To get yours see winnipegwhiskyfestival.com.

The Winnipeg Wine Festival’s 2025 theme appears to be sparkling wine, and early-bird tickets to the public tastings, which take place Sept. 26-27 at the RBC Convention Centre, are now available starting at $75.08 including taxes and fees. For more info and to buy tickets see winnipegwinefestival.com.

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Patent 5 Distillery is rolling out the first bottling of a larger-batch whisky that will be available at Liquor Marts this coming week. The Radinger & Erb Whisky is named after the former Manitoba distillery, which operated for a few brief years in the 1870s; Patent 5’s whisky is inspired by Radinger & Erb’s recipe. It retails for $67.95 plus taxes — check liquormarts.ca or patent5.ca for availability.

Patent 5 has also launched a new brand in collaboration with the folks behind marketing group Grape Labs. The first product released under the new Acoris line of spirits is a brandy called Violet — it’s a Portuguese-style, grape-based spirit called aguardente, in this case made from Ontario Gewürztraminer grapes. The first run of Violet is limited to 150 bottles, and retails at the distillery for $104.95.

The Acoris line is slated for a wider launch in 2025; the next product to be released will be Rouge, a Campari-like apéritif. For more, visit drinkacoris.com.

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It’s been one year since Brat Cat Mead Co. launched in Devil May Care Brewing Co.’s facility at 155 Fort St., and a one-year anniversary celebration takes place today starting at noon. There will be six different test batches, food from Loaf and Honey and more throughout the day.

The folks at Barn Hammer Brewing Co. (595 Wall St.), meanwhile, are throwing the first-ever Caskivus on Saturday, Nov. 30, which will feature five small-batch cask beers, mulled wine, food from Prairie Wolf Bakery, local makers and more. The festivities get underway at 2 p.m.

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Two updates/corrections to the Nov. 16 Uncorked about Beaujolais Nouveau, which was released on Nov. 21.

I wrote “Liquor Marts will likely bring in one or maybe two (probably from Georges Duboeuf)…” In fact, Liquor Marts didn’t bring in any Beaujolais Nouveau this year, so if you want the stuff, you’ll have to ask around at local private wine stores.

However, buyer beware: I also wrote “These days it tends to sell for around $25-$27 a bottle — a bit steep for what you get.” While that’s about what the stuff is selling for in B.C., the dribs and drabs of Beaujolais Nouveau we got in our market is actually selling for between $35-$40. Ouch. (And apologies for the confusion.)

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Wines of the week

Jabber 2022 Sauvignon Blanc (Casablanca Valley, Chile — $18.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

In addition to making wine in New Zealand under the Loveblock name, Kim Crawford is also making wine in Chile under the Jabber moniker. (Crawford no longer makes Kim Crawford wines, as the winery was sold some years back.)

This Sauvignon Blanc is very pale straw in colour, offering gooseberry, lime oil, grassy, grapefruit and chalky aromas. It’s light-bodied, dry, crisp and excessively racy, with fresh citrus, crunchy crabapple and gooseberry flavours showing well with subtle hints of bell pepper and grassy flavours, zippy acidity and a medium-length finish (it’s 13.3 per cent alcohol).

Vibrant, with tart green fruit and mineral-driven undertones. 4/5

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La Posada 2023 Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina — around $14.99, Calabria Market)

Inky purple in colour, this organic, fair trade Argentine Malbec offers fresh violet, blackberry, plum and anise notes aromatically.

It’s medium-plus bodied and dry, and slightly lighter than your typical Malbec, with brambly (but not sweet) blackberry, plum and raisin notes, a hint of anise and savoury herbs, light acid and tannins and a modest finish.

Available at Calabria Market, and by the glass at The Common at The Forks. 3.5/5

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Tríbúm 2022 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (Abruzzo, Italy — $19.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

This organic red from eastern Italy is bright purple in colour, with floral, blueberry, earth, plum, cocoa and subtle barnyard notes.

It’s dry and medium-plus-bodied, with dark berry and plum flavours wrapped in grippy tannins that deliver black tea and white pepper notes. There’s not much to speak of here in terms of barrel influence, and the 13.5 per cent alcohol doesn’t get in the way of the deep, dense fruit flavours.

Fans of big dark Malbecs, Zinfandels and Grenache, take note. 4/5

uncorked@mts.net

@bensigurdson