Mother's Day Gift Guide

Mother’s Day is the second Sunday in May every year, but for some reason, Mother’s Day has sort of sneaked up on me. (Maybe it’s the fact that at home, my office calendar is still on the January page.) If that’s the case with you, too, here are some easy, interesting gift suggestions for the wine- and food-loving moms in your life.

A Mamba for Mama

New from Riedel this year, the Mamba decanter comes in three options: clear crystal, plus limited-edition black or green crystal. Suggested retail price, $590; in Canada in June by special order.

If the Mamba’s not your style, but you’re looking for a new decanter, check out Riedel’s massive selection of various shapes and sizes. For a list of retailers, to order online or more information, go to riedelcanada.ca.

Tray Excellent

Give your favourite entertainer a set of colourful serving dishes for her next party; these tray-bowl combinations retail for about $23 at Bouclair Home locations across Canada. Go to bouclair.com or call 1-800-268-2524 for more information.

Cool Cutlery

Pretty much everyone has heard of Victorinox Swiss Army knives — the cool pocket knives that feature all kinds of useful tools and gadgets.

Victorinox Swiss Army has released a slew of new colours — brighter-than-bright yellow, pink, green and orange — to its line of paring and steak knives. Prices start at about $7. You’ll find them in Toronto at Degrees Kitchen Store (416-484-8222), in Montreal at Doyon Cuisine (450-462-5555), in Calgary at the Happy Cooker Emporium (403-242-6788), and in Vancouver at Ming Wo (604-683-7268). Or call 1-800-665-4095 for a list of retailers near you.

Cha Cha Chocolate

If you’re looking for something sweet and new, and you live in Halifax, you’re in luck: Garrison Brewing and Sugah! have paired up to create the Brew Bar. The new dark chocolate bar is made with natural vanilla, roast brewing barley and black barley malt — all sorts of beery, chocolatey goodness. Alas, the bars are only available in Halifax, at the brewery (1149 Marginal Road, Halifax) and Sugah! (on the boardwalk at Bishop’s Landing, Halifax). Each 100-gram, hand-made bar retails for $5.99 plus taxes. For more information, go to garrisonbrewing.com.

Wine School

Your mom has always wanted to learn more about wine? Well — shameless plug here — give her a subscription to Wine Access magazine; go to wineaccess.ca for information. (As a bonus — you’ll keep my publisher happy and me employed.)

Then add tickets to a wine-tasting class so she can taste with a friend; pretty much every major city in Canada has a range of classes to consider. A few to check out:

• iYellow Wine School (Toronto) offers plenty of fun and interesting classes and tastings. Go to iyellowwineschool.com to register.
• Banville & Jones (Winnipeg) offers several classes throughout the year; go to banvilleandjones.com for a schedule and more information.
• Cava Wines (Saskatoon) for monthly food- and wine-pairing dinners, as well as tastings and more. Go to cavasecreta.com for more information.
• deVine Wines (Edmonton) offers lots of tastings and events; go to devinewines.ca for information and a schedule.
• Aligra Wine & Spirits (Edmonton) for tours, tastings and more; go to aligrawineandspirits.com.

Oh, Canada!

Pair a copy of the Wine Access Canadian Wine Annual with a couple of tickets to one of Canada’s wine regions for a fun holiday that your mom won’t forget. The 2011 Canadian Wine Annual hits newsstands this month, or preorder it for $11.95 at wineaccess.ca. (Your mom has an iPad? There’s a digital version, too.)

sboettcher@wineaccess.ca

Lead Photo: Domenico Salvagnin