MAKE MERRY

This season, go a little left-field and surprise even the most consummate consumer with the spirit du jour that’s rapidly growing outside of China: Baijiu as well as intriguing sweet wines to finish off your festive feasts.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

This season, go a little left-field and surprise even the most consummate consumer with the spirit du jour that’s rapidly growing outside of China: Baijiu as well as intriguing sweet wines to finish off your festive feasts.

GRAHAM’S NE OUBLIE PORT 1882 

Port wine company Graham’s has released something of a family heirloom to the wider world: 656 bottles of a port from a barrel dating back to 1882. For such a fine vintage, ordinary bottles won’t do – instead think handmade crystal decanters that are individually numbered and adorned with sterling silver bands produced by Scottish silversmith Hayward & Stott. The port itself boasts plenty of rich dark fruit, dried figs and molasses, but also velvety tannins and remarkably crisp acidity for something that’s over a century old. $10,888 from 1855 The Bottle Shop. www.1855thebottleshop.com

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CUVEE ANNE GEWURZTRAMINER SELECTION DE GRAINS NOBLES 2000 MAGNUM 

Not every botrytised wine (that’s wine with botrytis cinerea or “noble rot”) has to be sauternes – Alsace also puts out some great stuff. Case in point, this grand cru gewurztraminer from the two-century-old, family-owned Domaines Schlumberger. Youthful even for its vintage, the wine boasts plenty of candied fruit balanced by bright acidity and a touch of bitterness. We won’t go into the technical benefits of large-format bottling – but this should be good for the festive blowouts. $255 from Grand Vin. www.grandvin.com.sg

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2003 OREMUS, TOKAJI ESZENCIA 

While Tokaji Aszu might be the bottles making the wine lists, the ultra-exclusive eszencia does make a rarefied stocking stuffer. Essentially the purest expression of Tokaji sweet wines, eszencias are made using the pure free-run juice of botrytised grapes, resulting in a syrupy, highly concentrated wine. This 2003 vintage comes from the First Growth-classified vineyards of Oremus, and features intense aromatics of honey, complex fruits, and a staggeringly long finish. 375ml bottle at $374.50 from Vinum Fine Wines. www.vinumfinewines.com

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MARCO DE BARTOLI MARSALA SUPERIORE RISERVA 1987 

Grillo grapes are hand-harvested, and fermented with indigenous yeast before being aged in a solera system. Removed from the solera in 1987 to be sweetened and fortified, this wine was oxidatively aged for 26 years in the barrel before being bottled. It’s lightly sweet, but incredibly rich with the flavours of nuts, dried flowers and citrus peel. $198 from Raw Wine SG. Email ian@rawwine.sg to order

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VINTAGE MOUTAI 

Vintage editions of moutai – probably China’s most famous spirit – are snapped up by collectors the same way whiskies or comic books are. The more pristine, rare and old the bottle, the higher the price. While it’s said that age improves the flavour of the liquor, these examples of moutai are probably better locked up in a vault since a bottle from the 1970s can fetch upward of US$17,000 (S$23,100). Follow bidding lots at the Christie’s website. www.christies.com

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WU LIANG YE 

Here’s one for seasoned imbibers – work past the nose- prickling high ABV and be rewarded with a strong, savoury aroma that’s followed by opulent cotton candy, liquorice and star anise flavours that finish dry and long. This is best sipped on its own to fully appreciate its generous, mouth-coating finish. $280 from Ang Leong Huat. www.alh.com.sg

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SHUI JING FANG JING CUI 

Purveyors of baijiu will have heard of Shui Jing Fang, a strong aroma-style spirit from the province of Sichuan. Distilled from a five-grain blend (sorghum, rice, glutinous rice, wheat and corn), the Jing Cui stands distinct with an added step of filtration through Shunan bamboo charcoal. What you get is a crisp, vegetal finish to go along with delicate layers of apricots, prunes and spice. $320 from Ang Leong Huat. www.alh.com.sg