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Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $12.94
12 bottles: $12.68
The wine develops fruity aromas with grenadine notes that are reminiscent of raspberry liquor. This Rose is ideal for...
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $21.37
12 bottles: $20.95
12 FREE
Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $54.90
From the grand cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, this tight, mineral-driven Champagne is bone dry. The ripe fruit...
12 FREE
WE
92
DC
91
Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $229.52
An expressive Champagne, with a lively, zesty bead and hints of dried herbs and flowers accenting juicy blood orange...
12 FREE
WS
91
Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $49.94
Pretty floral and spice notes waft through flavors of green melon and blanched almond in this well-cut Champagne....
12 FREE
WS
92
DC
91
Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $59.94
Woodsmoke and dried herb notes are a savory underpinning in this distinctive rosé Champagne, layered with a juicy...
12 FREE
WS
91
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $12.09 $13.43
12 bottles: $10.45
Aww you’re making me blush. André Champagne® Blush is a sweet, pink California Champagne with fruity aromas and...
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $12.09 $13.43
12 bottles: $10.45
Classics never go out of style. No matter where you’re going, bringing an André Brut can will make a statement....
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $12.09 $13.43
12 bottles: $10.45
Cold Duck, Duck, Goose. Need a conversation starter? The name Cold Duck comes from “Kaltes Ende” which means...
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $12.09 $13.43
12 bottles: $10.45
Don’t let the name fool you. André Champagne® Extra Dry is a semi-dry California champagne. This dry sparkling...
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $12.09 $13.43
12 bottles: $10.45
Now this is why people call it bubbly. The first thing you’ll notice about André Champagne® Spumante is the...
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $17.35 $18.40
This dry and attractive sparkler tastes crisp and tangy, lifting light citrus and green apple notes with a fine bead...
WE
89
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $19.94 $22.00
A sense of elegance and gracefulness singles this wine out. Light floral and cinnamon aromas merge into crisp but...
WE
89
DC
88
Rapid Ship
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $12.99
Colour straw yellow. Bouquet pleasant, light, fine and delicate, fruity, with a characteristic bouquet of apple....
Case only
Sparkling
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $26.89
Pale yellow in color with greenish highlights and a rich tropical bouquet. Medium bodied on the palate with a...
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $16.94
12 bottles: $16.60
12 FREE
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $15.41
12 bottles: $15.10
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $25.89 $27.60
12 bottles: $25.37
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $22.90 $24.79
12 bottles: $22.80
A dry and refreshing Sparkling with delicate bubbles. No celebration necessary.
Sale
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $16.20 $18.00
6 bottles: $12.13
This pale straw-colored prosecco pours with a fine, persistent fizz. As the bubbles dissipate, subtly peachy and...
UBC
92

Champagne Blend Japanese Whiskey Mencia Tequila NV 750ml

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn't unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as 'blanc de blanc', meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or 'blanc de noir', which is made solely with Pinot Noir.

Whisky might not be the first thing that springs to mind when we think of Japanese fine produce, but over the past one hundred years, this fascinating and multi-faceted country has diligently forged a unique whisky identity which is growing in popularity, and which is entirely its own.

The story of Japanese whisky begins in 1918, when Masataka Taketsuru was sent to Scotland to undertake a tour of single malt distilleries in the Highlands, and bring home a knowledge of whisky and distillation skills. He returned full of inspiration, helped no doubt by his new Scottish wife, and alongside his friend, Shinjiro Torii, set up what would become a successful whisky industry.

Today, the Japanese whisky industry is spread over a relatively small handful of distilleries, which continue to use Scottish techniques and recipes, but with a hefty dose of distinctly Japanese experimentalism. This is displayed most obviously in the barrelling techniques the Japanese use - to create a distinctly Oriental set of tasting notes, native Japanese oakwood casks are used for ageing, alongside casks taken from plum wine producers, which impart a beautiful set of floral flavors to the whisky.

While some distilleries produce some excellent single malts, the majority of Japanese whiskies are blended, which reveals a unique set of flavors and aromas ranging from honeysuckle and orange blossom, to toffee and acetone.

Tequila is probably Mexico’s greatest gift to the world of fine spirits, and is also possibly one of the most underestimated and misunderstood drinks in the world. Widely used for shots and slammers, and more often than not associated with parties and hangovers, Tequila is in fact a wonderful drink full of subtleties and expression of terroir, that is highly rewarding for those who look into its finer points.

One of the special things about Tequila is the fact that it is capable of expressing the fine nuances and subtle notes of its raw material, far more so than other, similar spirits. That raw material is, of course, the Blue Agave - not a cactus, as is commonly believed, but rather a succulent quite like a lily, which grows in the deserts of Mexico mainly around the province of Jalisco. The Blue Agave takes a decade to mature, and during those ten years, it takes in many of the features of its surroundings, just like a grapevine would. This is why Tequila varies in flavor and aroma from region to region, from the earthier Tequilas of the lowlands, to the more delicate and floral examples from areas of a higher altitude.

The picking and peeling of the spiky Agave, and the distillation process of Tequila is a complicated one, and one which is carried out with enormous skill by the jimadors and master craftsmen who produce the spirit. Steam cooking of the body of the plant is followed by crushing, then fermentation and distillation completes the process. The end product is categorized according to whether or not it is made with pure (‘puro’) agave, or blended with other sugars, and according to how long the spirit is aged for.