A Spirited Gift Guide For Your Thirsty Mother

Phantom Creek Pinot Gris 2023 $30

While, we don’t want to traffic in stereotypes here…Moms do love their Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio don’t they? On the plus side, it’s among the easiest-drinking grapes out there. And on the plus plus side, you can tee off and buy the best without breaking the bank (try that with Chardonnay!). To wit, for $30 you can buy this bottle from Phantom Creek, made under the watchful eye of consultant Olivier Humbrecht, literally one of the most revered names in French wine (his Domaine Zind Humbrecht is a powerhouse in Alsace). Expect more texture and tightness as compared to your run-of-the mill Pinot Grigio, with the fruit being more tart and focussed. No flab here Mom!

Dillon’s Dry Gin 7 $36

Listen, I know your Mom loves that Ryan Reynolds (don’t we all), but his mass-produced Aviation Gin now checks in at $45! ( I guess someone has to pay for all those Mint Mobile commercials). Better to get a bottle of Gin actually handmade in Canada like this offering from Dillon’s, which uses rounder rye as its base and insets a bit of oak in the distillation to impart just a nice hit of sweetness for that sweet lady. And it’s on sale until June 1 (you can use the savings to go see Deadpool & Wolverine).

Veuve Clicquot Le Grand Dame 2015 $265

There’s a few ways to approach this one. We could say that even at $265, this bottle is the best priced of what we call the Ultra-premium Champagne category (as compared to, say, Cristal at $403 or the absurd Armand de Brignac at $376.) We could point out that it’s also an unusually good deal in B.C.—as the same bottle goes for $304 in Ontario and Quebec and $324 at online retailer zyn.ca. Or we could dig a little deeper and talk about the flavour profile: a broad and structured wine using 90 percent Pinot Noir, that nonetheless has the focus and agility and purity of fruit and minerality that one associates with Chardonnay-based Champagne. We could talk about the ageability–it’s 9-years old already and could comfortably rest in a cellar for another two decades. Or we could talk about the stunning label and box design by ceramic artist Paola Paronetto. But in the end it’s simple—it’s a beautiful wine from a famously female-run Champagne house that’s called Le Grand Dame—if that’s not a Mother’s Day gift, I don’t know what is.

A Decent Flippin’ Beverage Tub $110 

Stop me if this sounds familiar. It’s summer, people are coming over, Mom has set a wonderful alfresco table and Dad—in charge of drinks—decides to haul the old Coleman out of the garage, pop the lid, and jam the wine in there. And heaven forbid he has a Yeti, because then he feels righteous about doing it (and will corner people to tell them how long it keeps things cold for). I would normally say go on Amazon and buy a simple, classic aluminum number. But then I came across this Martha Sturdy doppleganger from Crate and Barrel at a pretty good price (and a smoking deal by pricey C&B standards)—so why not splurge the tiniest bit?