Retail

Now there’s an Advent calendar with 25 bottles of wine

By Felicity Stone /

The 25 wines are packed in three boxes: two 12-packs plus a single
The 25 wines are packed in three boxes: two 12-packs plus a single

New Vancouver-based online marketplace delivers B.C. craft wines 

Another year, another boozy advent calendar. Last year Surrey’s Central City Brewers and Vancouver’s Parallel 49 collaborated on a Mystery Gift Holiday Countdown pack of 24 different craft beers, and in 2014 Victoria’s Phillips Beer launched its 24-pack Snowcase Calendar. Now Vancouver-based New District is selling the vino version: 25 full-size bottles of B.C. wine, wrapped, numbered and packed in pine boxes for $850 (shipping included). There are also three holiday six-packs: Fireside Reds, Winter Whites and Autumn Sampler.

The Advent wines are from 18 vineyards: C.C Jentsch, Church & State Wines, Corcelettes, Covert Farms Family Estate Winery, Eau Vivre, Gold Hill, Kanazawa, La Stella, Le Vieux Pin, Lock & Worth, Meadow Vista Honey Wines, Montakarn, Nichol Vineyard, Robin Ridge, Rustic Roots, Stag’s Hollow, The View and Unsworth. Orders received by November 26, 2015 will be delivered by December 1, but they will be accepted until all 50 calendars are sold.

In September, New District, which has partnered with Whitefish Group, owner of Icon Fine Wines and a major shareholder in SPUD, launched its online craft wine marketplace based on the SPUD online grocery and delivery model. New District allows wine lovers to buy any number of bottles from any number of wineries all in one order to be delivered within 48 hours.