Holiday Entertaining

liquor stores this month. In essence, they are on-site sales designed to grab your attention while you are in the aisles. I mention them because this month the savings can be $2 and $3 a bottle. And since most everything sold for under $20 in B.C. is $2 or $3 too expensive, it's an attractive short-term solution to high prices, and just in time for the holidays.

There appear to be scores of LTOS in stores, so be sure to look for the orange signs, and check your favourite tipple against the competition. If you are one of those citizens who believes we drinkers should pay for the province's woes, don't worry -- the government isn't losing a dime of revenue on the mini-markdowns. It is the supplier and the agent who are taking the loss.

Meanwhile, we continue our holiday theme pieces. Here are my suggestions and top picks:

Entertaining

Of all the things to fuss about when throwing a party, which wine to serve should not be one of them. These bottles look as good sitting on your table as they taste in the glass. Avoid the self-serve option and pour for your guests instead; let presentation be part of the pleasure.

Some sure bets include Francois Lurton Les Fumées Blanches 2008, $13. Is there a better wine at this price in British Columbia? Clean, balanced and crazy value, and all under screw cap. Similarly, the Domaine du Clos du Bourg Chenin Blanc Demi-Sec 2008, $15, offers a fresh, succulent white with a touch of sweetness for spicy foods. More organic red wine: M. Chapoutier Domaine de Bila-Haut 2009, $15, a Syrah, grenache, carignan Rhone blend.

My top pick, and it's finally in stores, is the Falernia Syrah 2008 from the cool climate Limari Valley well north of Santiago, Chile. Your guest will love the beautiful fragrant sweet chocolate nose, the round chalky tannins, fine structure and chocolate, meaty, black fruit flavours all flecked with pepper. A good value Syrah made with organic fruit.

Office-party wines

Here are some bottles guaranteed to impress the board members without blowing the bank. Whether subtle or classic, when picking wine for a work function, remember to aim for blends that will appeal to a wide variety of tastes.

The best Escudo Rojo 2008, $20, in years will attract red drinkers who love ripe black cherries and rich toasted oak, as will Domaine de l'Auster Mosaïque 2008, $19. The Syrah, grenache, and carignan will bring the peppery, floral, black raspberry jam, garrigue and licorice flavours of the south of France to the party. In terms of white wine, be sure to reach for the Tinhorn Creek 2 Bench Oldfield Collection 2009, $23, a mix of grapefruit, red apple, honey, mineral and lychee flavours. Or, try the almost perfect Cono Sur Organic Chardonnay 2009, $14.50, with its juicy, mineral fresh fruit. What a deal.

My top pick is Amalaya Tinta de Altura 2009, from Argentina. Amalaya means waiting for a miracle, which aptly describes finding a wine like this in B.C. From the highest vineyards in the world this malbec, cabernet sauvignon, Syrah and tannat offers a rich palate of sweet dark cherry fruit and white pepper with flecks of mineral and spice. The finish is long fresh and spicy with silky textures that do not quit. Farmed bio-dynamically and certified in what is essentially the highest vineyard in the world.

Bottles for collectors

It takes a fine eye to the future to pick a piece worth collecting. These are guaranteed worth the purchase -- and worth the wait, as well. Highly rated famous labels at sensible prices you could give a collector include: Krug N/V Grande Cuvee, $255, Antinori Tignanello 2007, $95, William Fèvre Grand Cru Chablis Bougros 2008, $85, Chateau Haut Brion 2007, $600 -- maybe not so sensible -- or the 1994 Graham Vintage Port, $140.

If I had to pick one, it would be the Cheval des Andes 2006. Pierre Lurton (Cheval Blanc) and Nicolas Audebert (Cheval des Andes) have made the ultimate French style Argentine malbec. There is perfect tension between acidity and the fruit that gives this 60-35-5 blend of malbec, cabernet sauvignon and Merlot wine the finesse, complexity and structure to age for a decade and beyond.

All-Canadian

Two excellent all-Canadian picks to look for in government stores are the See Ya Later Ranch Rover 2008, a rich, glossy Syrah with black cherry, plum, chocolate and orange, meaty, peppery flavours all at an attractive price. My white pick: Mission Hill Perpetua Chardonnay Osoyoos Vineyard Estate 2008 whose fresh, juicy, dry palate and mineral, green apple, butter and nectarine flavours please. A classy white wine for dinner.

Sweet endings

Sweet tooths abound, so make sure you have a bottle Quails' Gate Late Harvest Totally Botrytis Affected Optima 2008. Everyone will love its fresh, elegant palate and spicy, lychee, baked apple, honey, apricot, lanolin flavours. A fun-to-drink juicy style.

Falernia Syrah 2008, Limari Valley, Chile

Price      $18

UPC       7809623200315

Score     87/100

Remarks              An all local (Limari) wine made by local people with organic fruit.

Amalaya Tinta de Altura 2009, Calchaqui Valley, Salta, Argentina

Price      $20

UPC       007798104763039

Score     89/100

Remarks              Amalaya means waiting for a miracle which aptly describes finding a wine like this.

Cheval des Andes, Las Compuertas, Vistalba District, Mendoza, Argentina

Price      $83

UPC       007790975018492

Score     97/100

Remarks              Finesse, complexity and structure to age for a decade and beyond. Seriously good.

See Ya Later Ranch Rover 2008, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price      $25

UPC       0636570217774

Score     91/100

Remarks              An impressive syrah with spicy, black plum and blackberry fruit.

Mission Hill Perpetua Chardonnay Osoyoos Vineyard Estate 2008, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Price      $35

UPC       7765455555625

Score     91/100

Remarks              Good finesse in a fresher style that should age well over the next few years.

Quails' Gate Late Harvest Totally Botrytis Affected Optima 2008, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Price      $30

UPC       778856308099

Score     89/100

Remarks              Inviting honey, orange rind, apricot nose.