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According to Decadent Saint co-owner Michael Hasler, his products are “a little revolution in a bottle.” An accomplished oenologist with a degree in wine science from Australia’s prestigious Charles Sturt University, Hasler has worked vintages in Australia, France, California, and New Zealand—which is where he produced numerous award-winning wines, including NZ’s first gold-medal syrah. While on a break from winemaking, Hasler also built and operated a luxury ski lodge in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, before settling in Boulder and starting Decadent Saint with his wife and co-owner Carolee Corey.
After I arrived at Decadent Saint’s comfortable North Boulder tasting room, Hasler sat at a rustic wooden table surrounded by bottles, glasses, cans, and mixers, enthusiastically explaining to me why he’d switched from acclaimed chardonnay to sangria—and why I would absolutely love it. “It’s the best-tasting sangria on the market,” Hasler drawled in his Aussie accent. His products are high-proof concentrates averaging about 20 percent alcohol. As such, he explained, they need to be mixed, and they go with darn near anything.
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Hasler began by mixing some of Decadent Saint’s White Sangria—which he makes from Florida-grown passionfruit, citrus, white wine, and fresh ginger—with four times as much cold water. With my first sip, I was impressed with the lush, fruity flavor, especially for a concentrate that, according to Hasler, will stay fresh for six months without refrigeration. “It’s made from real fruit and isn’t filtered,” he eagerly explains, “so it really keeps its flavor.”
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In the second glass, Hasler added seltzer to the White Sangria, and the result was a refreshing beverage ideal for sipping on a hot summer afternoon. The next combo, tonic and White Sangria, creates what he calls a “Decadent Tonic.” And Hasler was just getting started; he began mixing up a slew of tempting concoctions with his other concentrates, including Red Sangria—made from flash-frozen raspberries grown in the Pacific Northwest—as well as my favorite, the Spiced Sangria, a hearty mix of red wine, plenty of cinnamon, and plump blackcurrants. I was impressed by its versatility; Hasler added boiling water to make a soothing mulled wine; champagne to create a bubbly Bellini; and ginger beer for a Moscow Mule. Best of all is the price: Each $20 bottle is enough to create a dozen glasses (or one gallon) of sangria.
The ultimate taste test, however, came when Hasler pulled out a bottle of the market-leading brand of sangria so I could compare it in a side-by-side taste test with his products. With the very first sip, the competition fell flat; compared to Decadent Saint’s flavorful blends, it tasted like uninspiring freshman-year alcohol. I was now convinced that Hasler was right about Decadent Saint being the best, and that was before he pulled out the Spiced Mocha, an indulgent, dark chocolate-forward concentrate that made me feel like purring every which way I tried it, but especially mixed with cream and water to create a White Russian.
But don’t take Hasler’s word for it. Stop by the tasting room and try a flight for $10, ask for it in a restaurant or bar, or pick up some concentrate at one of the hundreds of vendors that sell Decadent Saint products. You’re likely to agree—he’s made a revolution in a bottle.
If you go: Decadent Saint’s tasting room is located at 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder; 303-775-4200