#FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions | Garzón | Arboleda | Zuccardi

“In this series we bring you our #FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions which we personally recommend”

Today we bring you three wines that won’t break the bank and isn’t that timely during the holiay season? Two white wines to enjoy with nibbles and bites. One a stone fruit Sauvignon Blanc that serves well with food but also is a pleasant sip on its own. Also a mineral forward Chardonnay which pleases with pairing such as elegant seafood. The third a Malbec from Argentina that earns a five out of five stars rating. These wines also make nice gifts for friends, or just to share.

Enjoy these wines with friends and embrace the season. Available at select BC Liquor Stores and the LCBO for ease of convenience at this time of year.

Bodega Garzón Maldonado Sauvignon Blanc 2023

The characteristics of this Sauvignon Blanc transform it into a top quality wine with great sophistication. Pale color and greenish highlights with fresh, saline and sharp citric aromas. In mouth it presents a refreshing acidity and minerality, a light body with great personality and a long and persistent finish.

Our Sauvignon Blanc Reserva is an elegant, dry wine with a long palate and mineral character. Its light herbal and citrus notes make it fresh and delicate wine.

Pairings: This wine is ideal for consumption with seafood dishes, spicy food and several cheeses, such as ricotta, brie, camembert, feta and goat’s cheese. It is an excellent appetizer and is ideal as a companion for Greek and Armenian cuisine, or a simple chicken ceasar salad.

A straightforward sauvignon blanc with sliced apple, lime, lemon and celery character throughout. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a clean finish. Drink now. Score – 90. (jamessuckling.com, March 6, 2024)

$17.40 at the LCBO

Bodega Garzón Uruguay

The greatest wines in the world are found where a grape varietal finds the ideal conditions to express itself in a natural and authentic way. At Bodega Garzón, we are guided by a philosophy to fully express our unique terroir with wines that are pure with distinct character and vitality, which lead to delicious drinkability.

Arboleda Aconcagua Costa Chardonnay 2022

Every vintage of this wine stands out for its great elegance and complexity. The grapes for this Chardonnay come from selected blocks in the Chilhué Vineyard that are characterized by the high content of weathered schist-type rock, which gives the wine a uniquely mineral character.

The property’s natural soil, climate and topographical conditions lend the wine vivid acidity that stands in perfect balance with the structure, weight and subtle creaminess given by the fermentation and aging in previously used French barrels.

The Aconcagua Costa area was officially recognized in 2012 following a lengthy effort by Errázuriz. This is sourced from vines planted in 2005 and 2009 in volcanic soils, and has a distinct and fine flinty mineral character. Ripe pear, tangerine, lemon and a vibrant, energetic core born of the influence of the nearby ocean. Sip or pair with seafood.

Beautiful, pure expression of green star fruit, green plums and lime with a hint of marzipan. The really bright, medium-bodied palate has a slight creaminess to it but is very subtle. Still crisp and nicely austere. 100% fermented in barrels but only 10% new. No lees stirring. Drink now [through to the end of the decade]. Score – 93. (Zekun Shuai, jamessuckling.com, April 24, 2023)

$16.50 at the LCBO

Viña Arboleda Aconcagua Costa

PHILOSOPHY

Arboleda, which means a grove of trees, is a tribute to the more than 1,450 hectares (3,583 acres) of native forest that surround its sustainably managed vineyards.

Viña Arboleda was founded in 1999 by the Chilean vintner Eduardo Chadwick. The philosophy behind this project is to craft single-vineyard wines that reveal the purest expression of each unique terroir within its vineyards in the Aconcagua Valley.

ZUCCARDI SERIE A MALBEC 2023

ORIGIN
Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina.
950 – 1400 m| 3117 – 4593 ft.

THE PLAC E
The characteristics of the Uco Valley are influenced by its proximity to the Andes Mountains: the high altitude, great thermal amplitude and a cool climate during the ripening months. The alluvial soils, originated millions of years ago in the mountain range, are very heterogeneous and have large deposits of stones and minerals.

VINIFICATION
The grapes were destemmed and crushed. The must underwent a cold maceration for 5 to 7 days before classic vinification with native yeasts. The wine was fermented between 25 and 27° C (77° F). Maceration for 20 days with periodic pump-overs and delestages. Part of the wine was aged in French oak barrels.

TASTING NOTES
Intense and lively purple color. The nose presents ripe red fruit such as plum and cherry and subtle herbal notes. Approachable and round tannins on the palate, balanced acidity and a fruity finish. Medium-bodied, elegant and fresh, with all the typicity of Malbec from the Uco Valley.

C OMPOSITION
VARIETY: 100% Malbec

The varietal Serie A range includes wines from the ‘Argentinean’ varieties, and the star of this range is, of course, the 2022 Serie A Malbec. Here they search for typicity from Valle de Uco, with freshness and flowers, red rather than black fruit, nice tannic structure and purity; they are not looking for complexity or limestone but varietal character, at which this excels. This has juiciness and structure and is fine-boned. It is very different from the Bonarda in this range. Drink date: 2023-2026. Score – 92. (Luis Gutiérrez, robertparker.com, Nov. 30, 2022) courtesy of the LCBO website.

$24.99 at select BC Liquor Stores A five star rating.

$16.50 at the LCBO A five star rating.

Zuccardi Valle de Uco

R E G I O N A L W I N E S

The Zuccardi Serie A line highlights the richness and diversity of Argentina. Serie A comes from “Argentina Series” and expresses the most representative varieties from the best regions for each and from selected vineyards along the Andes Mountains. Sebastián Zuccardi

Zuccardi Valle de Uco brings together three generations of our family, united by our passion for cultivating wines that express the unique identity of the terroir.

“I enjoy opening a bottle of wine and being able to travel to its place of origin. That’s why our wines tell the story of the place, our vision, and our interpretation of the terroir and the year o the harvest.” – Sebastián Zuccardi

Wine notes (in italics) courtesy of each winery. Other notes (James Suckling and Robert Baker) courtesy of the LCBO website. Images courtesy of the wineries.