I couldn't help but gawk at a man wheeling a shopping cart around the liquor store last week. Here is what the cart contained: six bottles of Dom Pérignon and three of Roederer Cristal. By my count, that's $2,180.55 worth of bubbles, minus $1.20 for bottle deposit.
Having reached the cash, he decided to leave the three Cristals in the cart. Sober second thought? Not at all. Turns out he needed more than three Cristals (you don't want to run out of Cristal and have nothing but Dom as a backup) and had already arranged with a stock person to have a full six pack hauled to the front.
Make that $3,041.40 worth of bubbles.
There are automobiles parked on my street worth less than that shopping cart. There was also some symbolism to the vignette. Economists like to wait for a full quarter of growth in gross domestic product before declaring the end of a recession. I need the proof of 12 bottles of superluxury vintage champagne in a shopper's cart.
So, is it safe to lay some pricey potations on you this week? Let's ease into the luxury life with a relative “value.” Landmark Overlook Chardonnay 2007 ($32.95, product No. 356501) was released in Ontario this month and is a blockbuster for the money. This well-known bottling from a chardonnay specialist in Sonoma blends fruit from Sonoma, Santa Barbara and Monterey counties and is the platonic form of California chardonnay. Full-bodied, boasting 14.6-per-cent alcohol, it's luscious and ripe, with a core of tropical fruit and crème brûlée, balanced deftly with toasty barrel notes and zippy acidity.
Gosh, if only that Cristal freak had noticed this instead of blowing the GDP of Djibouti on his party refreshments: a sale on Piper-Heidsieck! Well, at least in Ontario. The price on Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut (No. 462432) has just been dropped by $9 to a cool $49.95 (it's $58.98 in B.C. and $59.29 in Quebec, for example).
This is the famous red-label stuff that Marilyn Monroe supposedly bathed in, the house wine of Old Hollywood. The style is light and crisp, with lemon and green apple flavours and shades of toasted nuts and vanilla. Be sure to pronounce it “peeper,” not “pyper.” People in Canada may laugh, especially Scottish bagpipers, but you will be correct.
Speaking of Scotland, some whiskies if I may. This one, Ardbeg 10 Years Old The Ultimate ($99.95, No. 560474), was released on Nov. 7 in Ontario and it's a mark of a less-than-complete economic rebound that there's so much left on the shelves. Competition from emerging Scotch-drinking countries has been driving up prices, but it's nice to see supplies of products like this still making it to our shores. From the peaty island of Islay, this is a massively smoky malt, with big flavours of iodine and seaweed, yet the body is surprisingly lean, tight and well chiselled, with nice malty sweetness coming through and a sting of spice on the finish.
In a very different style but still delicious and slightly off the beaten track is Tullibardine Whisky Vintage 1993 ($69.95, No. 658054). At the bargain end of the vintage-whisky spectrum, it might make a nice corporate gift too. The aroma is a haystack face plant on a dry prairie day. The barley comes through in this smooth, lightly fruity 15-year-old Highland malt. The pale straw shade may be deceptive. This is one of the minority of malts that uses no artificial colouring. (The 1966 vintage is available in British Columbia for a mere $724.99.)
Moving back down the price scale, Altair Sideral 2004 ($24.95, No. 660837) would make a terrific premium red for holiday dinner entertaining. It's a Chilean joint venture with Bordeaux's Laurent Dassault (and Chile's Vina San Pedro) in the Rapel Valley, an unusual blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, carmenere and a few other grapes. Full-bodied and ripe, it shows notes of cherries and black fruit along with tobacco, earth, smoke and a slightly gritty texture.
From Argentina, a good buy in Ontario now is Kaiken Malbec 2008 ($14.95, No. 58339). Full-bodied, with lots of dark berry flavour, espresso bean and spice, with chewy tannins. A great choice for steak.
And while it's not Cristal, this is my current favourite six pack of bubbles: The OCB Discovery Pack . The Ontario Craft Brewers, an association of more than 25 small breweries, has put together a third-annual mixed case of large-format, 473-millilitre cans. This year's is terrific and includes the fabulous, hair-shirt hoppy Devils Pale Ale 666 from Great Lakes Brewery, fruity-malty Muskoka Cream Ale, Paddy's Irish Red from Trafalgar Brewing Co. and, one of my favourite lagers, the Nickel Brook Premium Organic Lager. The big-can six pack sells for $14.95.
Picks of the week
The Deal
A good Ontario buy from Argentina, Kaiken Malbec 2008 ($14.95, product No. 58339) is full-bodied with lots of dark berry flavour, espresso bean and spice and chewy tannins. A great choice for steak.
The Splurge
A well-known bottling from a chardonnay specialist in Sonoma, Landmark Overlook Chardonnay 2007 ($32.95, No. 356501) is luscious and ripe with a core of tropical fruit and crème brûlée.
The Domestic
The Ontario Craft Brewers - an association of more than 25 small breweries - has put together a third-annual mixed case of large-format, 473-millilitre cans. This year's OCB Discovery Pack ($14.95, No. 137067) is terrific and includes the hoppy Devils Pale Ale 666 from Great Lakes Brewery, fruity-malty Muskoka Cream Ale and the great Nickel Brook Premium Organic Lager.
