Last week Thursday the Jamaica Observer Takes Style Out evening of shopping saw a number of destinations offering refreshments to their guests, and it seems the drink of choice was, of course, wine.

I took a peep inside the Audi showroom, and in addition to the range of luxury cars and busy fashionistas, Select Brands poured a selection of Hardy’s Nottage Hills wines from Australia for guests to sip while enjoying the trunk show and fast cars. The list is as follows:

Nottage Hill Cabernet Shiraz 2012 — A deep red wine with aromas of ripe plum and blackcurrants with spice and cigar box oak undertones. It is smooth with the mouth-filling palate displaying generous sweet, ripe plum and bright red berry fruits. This wine is well balanced with integrated spicy oak, fine tannins and length of fruit on the finish.

Nottage Hill Merlot 2012 — This is a

full-bodied red wine with rich sweet cherry and plum fruit flavours complemented by subtle vanillin oak and a smooth finish.

Nottage Hill Chardonnay 2013 — This is a

full-bodied dry white wine, displaying rich tropical fruit and melon flavours, complemented by a touch of subtle oak with a crisp, elegant finish.

Over at KERRY manwomanhome, Betco Premier offered Freixenet Cordon Negro Sweet Cuvée, in the signature Freixinet black bottle — this is a delicious Cava which some refer to as a “Spanish champagne”, sweet, peaches and cream aroma, ebullient bubbles, and delectable, lingering departure, this is an ideal sipping wine for memorable toasts and pleasant parties.

Several after-parties dotted Kingston, and JPSco partnered with CRU to say thanks to their customers. CPJ poured Hob Nob Wicked Red and Chardonnay.

HobNob Wicked Red is an unusual blend of Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Pinot Noir sourced from vineyards in the Languedoc in the south of France. This wine shows aromas of roasted coffee, mocha, toasted hazelnut, and spicy notes with hints of orange zest and flower.

HobNob Chardonnay displays complex aromas of white flowers and citrus fruits such as lemon, with notes of hazelnut and toast. Very rich and supple on the palate, the freshness of the finish allows the wine to maintain its whole aromatic bouquet.

Choosing wines for cocktail parties is getting much easier with so many more wines on the market. These party wines need to be crowd- pleasers — fresh, simple pleasant wines that most people will enjoy. You need to know your guests, however, and that means having a few special bottles saved for your specially invited friends who appreciate really fine wine as much as you do.

Christopher Reckord — Information Technology Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. Follow us on twitter: @Reckord