It’s time to get the bar restocked. And as part of our Hint Magazine gift guide, we’ve put together some ideas for what to buy for Christmas, so here are the best wine and spirits options to give as present… or even better, to use as a hint for what you want to be waiting for you under the tree.
Party season has just flicked on the lights, cranked up the jukebox and turned the closed sign round. It’s time to shop for the good stuff – and we’ve got some superb recommendations to point you in the right direction.
In fact these 18 gift ideas for what to buy your significant other not only make perfect Christmas presents, but also make sure your party’s well-stocked.
18 drinks-based gifts for the one you love
These gift ideas are part of Hint our gift guide with lots more inspiration for present-buying this Christmas. You can find the whole story here or flick through the magazine below.
Click here for your free copy of Hint 20201. Pirie NV Sparkling
This northern Tasmanian sparkling wine is elegant, vibrant and full-flavoured. Full of fruity intensity and mineral finish, nothing will get Christmas Day going like a bottle of Pirie NV and a dozen freshly shucked natural Aussie oysters.
2. Pirie Sparkling Rosé 2016
Blushing but hardly shy, this sparkling rosé shows how versatile Pinot Noir can be. Power from the Pinot is balanced with a creamy texture from the lees and beautiful balance from northern Tassie’s cool climate. Nothing will go better with your prawns this Christmas, I promise you.
3. Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2019
From the far southwestern reaches of the country, this Margaret River ‘Sem-Sauv’ is the product of the oldest soils on earth where two oceans collide. Fruity freshness from the Sauvignon Blanc marries perfectly with the structure and acidity of the Semillon.
4. Cupitt Pointer Chardonnay 2019 and wine club subscription
Tucked behind the hills of the NSW South Coast, Cupitt creates superb cool climate wines. The Pointer Chardonnay is a wonderful expression of the varietal with toasted brioche, white peach and nectarine notes, and a gentle oakiness. The Cupitt wine subscription offers 20% off their best wines to your door thrice yearly!
Pointer Chardonnay is $38.00 before wine club discount. Subscription is free.
5. St Hallett Blackwell Shiraz 2018
An iconic wine from an iconic Barossa winery, the St Hallett Blackwell is everything you want in a big, bold Aussie Shiraz. Only released this month, the 2018 is a brilliant exposition of this style and this winery.
6. St Hallett Higher Earth Syrah 2018
For the first time ever, St Hallett has released a Syrah – a lighter, more gentle red than St Hallett’s signature bold Shiraz. Dark cherry and peppery on the nose while red berries and a slight earthiness make this an intriguing wine and a great addition to St Hallett’s portfolio.
7. Tamar Ridge Single Block Pinot Noir 2017
As they say at Tamar Ridge, these guys are Pinot Noir makers first, winemakers second. And their speciality shines through in the Single Block PN. Plum, berry and spice aromas are followed by savoury structure and dark cherry flavours. Elegance and balance in a glass.
8. Grant Burge Holy Trinity GSM 2018
A Barossa linchpin, Grant Burge has been producing excellent wines for a very long time. The 2018 Holy Trinity is a remarkable example of this classic blend, especially when Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre are such traditional grapes of the region. A truly delicious wine in an uncharacteristically ornate bottle!
9. Jam Shed Shiraz
Big on berry flavours and gently balanced with vanilla from oak, this bold red is a cracking stocking filler option for the Shiraz fan.
10. Grant Burge sparkling bon bon!
Perhaps the best party favour we’ve ever seen, this Christmas bon bon from Grant Burge is a stroke of genius! Inside is a ‘cracker’ of a wine – a tiny but perfectly formed 200ml bottle of Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut.
The perfect addition to Christmas dinner – and way better than the plastic and landfill you usually get in a bon bon.
11. Nip of Courage Especially For You gift sets
This Aussie-owned pioneer distributor already sells some of the best Australian craft spirits, but now they’re selling beautiful gin, whisky and rum in gift boxes.
The Journey – a crisp and sweetly spicy gin, from Imbue Distillery in Victoria – comes with a professional jigger. While the elegantly structured and smooth Port Expression whisky from Timboon Distillery also in Victoria comes with a glencairn glass.
Other Nip of Courage gift sets feature Karu Distillery’s Affinity gin, Stone Pine’s Rhubarb gin, Reed & Co’s Remedy gin and Belgrove Peated Rye whisky – each with its own special extra.
All box sets RRP between $80 – $165.
$85.00 RRP – Imbue’s The Journey gin + pro jigger
$165.00 RRP Timboon’s Port Expression whisky + glencairn glass
12. Stone Pine Sympatico Double IPA Hopped Gin
Craft distillery Stone Pine in Bathurst, NSW has partnered with Badlands Brewery in Orange to produce this stroke of genius: Sympatico – a hopped spirit that blurs the boundaries between gin and beer.
Adding lemondrop and motueka hops to the botanicals creates a herbaceous, sharp gin that’s full of character.
$70.00 RRP 500ml bottle – beer sold separately
13. Samsara Scotch – Bladnoch Distillery
The most southerly Scotch distillery in Scotland is now Aussie owned! And the whisky from it is superb.
The Samsara single malt is a perfect example of Lowlands Scotch – lighter in body but beautifully balanced. Fudge and citrus, blossoms, vanilla and apple all create a superb dram.
You can read our full story about Bladnoch and how it came under Antipodean rule here.
14. Westward American single malt whiskey
From the craft homeland of Portland, Oregon, Westward single malt is a grain-to-glass whiskey that pays homage to its brewery roots using a beer yeast in the mash. The result is extraordinary – definitely a whiskey for the single malt fan.
15>Pampelle Ruby l’Apero
This French aperitif gets its name from ‘pamplemousse’ – grapefruit. Indeed, blended with Corsican ruby grapefruit, Eau de Vie and natural botanicals, distillers have created the perfect aperitif. Over ice, as a spritz, with tonic or in a supreme negroni, this is the drink of the summer.
16. Grainshaker Australian vodka
Anyone who says vodka doesn’t taste of anything hasn’t tasted good vodka. This Aussie-made tipple comes in three different ‘flavours’. Corn-based Grainshaker is smooth and sweet with a soft finish, the wheat-based one is citrusy, crisp and clean, and the rye vodka is spicy and rich.
17. Svedka Swedish rosé vodka
Rosé wines and pink spirits are trending like mad at the moment – as are lighter spirits. So blended with 5% rosé and 30%ABV, Svedka Rosé Vodka is this Venn diagram’s sweet spot. With a spritz of soda water, this vodka is summer in a glass.
18>Antique gold mirrored Art Deco bar cart
For some serious Gatsby swagger, this stunning bar cart from OneWorld Collections is the ultimate entertainer’s centrepiece. Imagine wheeling this in at the end of a dinner party, stirring up a negroni or a manhattan.
I’m absolutely in love with this cart. Truly brings me joy every time I look at it.
