Last week, we encroached on Crystal Luxmore’s territory with a Spruce Beer recommendation. This week, we’re risking pissing off The Wine Ponce.
But with Valentine’s looming—and since picking the right champagne for the occasion is a must—we consider it worth the risk. Which is why we’re throwing all our delegates behind Georges Gardet—found, for the astonishingly low price of $39.95, in the Vintages bins and, as usual, at the LCBO for a limited-time only.
Truth be told, here at the old Hoarding Palace, we usually just drink cava on regular occasions. Like breakfast. But romantic dinners require a little more finesse and, generally speaking, dates appreciate seeing the actual word “champagne” on the bottle. This, as my friend from Champagne pointed out to me the other day, often leads people to buy what seems like a sure thing from a big house (like that one with the gorgeous orange label). All that performance pressure, unfortunately, has meant that some big champagne houses are cutting corners and making a generic mass-produced wine with no character. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that—sometimes an Egg McMuffin really fits the occasion.)
But not Valentine’s Day. So, maybe try something a little different, like Georges Gardet, which has an ardent following and will signify your adventurous, iconoclastic sophistication. And the LCBO seems to have gotten a whole new shipment, with over a hundred bottles lying in wait at First Canadian Place, alone.
