For the wine guru on your list here a few suggestions that may knock their socks off. The 2000 Moccagatta Bric Balin Barbaresco ($40/750ml) is known as being one of the most prestigious wines produced in Italy, made from the Nebbiolo grape and aged in Slovenian oak this wine looks like rust and smells like roses and is something everyone should try at least once in their lifetime, especially since it is a 2000 vintage. A new wine out from the increasingly popular producer of the cult classic “The Prisoner” is the new Orin Swift Abstract ($25/750ml). A blend of Grenache, Petit Verdot and Syrah, it is what you would expect from Orin Swift; big, bold and fruity.
For the people on your list that enjoy a nice stiff drink to wine here are some spirits that will help keep them warm this winter. The Glenmorangie Nectar d’Or12 year old Single Malt Scotch ($60/750ml) is matured in oak whisky casks for ten years and is finished in used Sauternes casks giving this whisky a pleasant honey note that makes this single malt smooth and mellow with beautifully combined nutty sweetness, cinnamon and a delicate layer of apricots and honey. Or if you are looking for the perfect holiday liqueur to make your holiday cocktail more fun and festive try the Leopold Bros. New England Cranberry Liqueur ($32/750ml). Three pounds of New England bog-grown cranberries go into every bottle of this fantastic liqueur, mix 2 to 1 with either vodka or gin, add a splash of club soda.
For the beer lover in the family we have a few rare items that may peak their interest. From BrewDog in Scotland comes the Tactical Nuclear Penguin ($70/375ml) a 32% ABV monster of a beer, in which the beer is frozen over a weeks time, then the ice crystals are removed making the beer more concentrated while increasing the alcohol. Another rarity that recently came into stock is the Deus Brut des Flanders ($40/750ml) that is kind of a mix of a Belgium style Farmhouse Ale and Champagne. In fact the beer is brewed in the Flanders region of Belgium then transported to France where the beer is refined using an ancestral technique of riddling and yeast removal.
