Wine Gift Giving

Published on: November 17, 2002

by Dennis Manuel

Used to be that the holiday season began right after Thanksgiving. This year it seems to have started in late October. The malls already have some of their Christmas decorations out in the hopes of putting the idea of early holiday shopping in the minds of those so inclined.

And with that in mind, I think some of the best gifts are THOSE THAT PEOPLE CAN USE! And what can be put to better use during the holiday season than wine?

No matter where you go, wine is always a welcome gift. And it's easy. You don't have to rack your brain to come up something new. Not only that, you can add some cheese, crackers, nuts, biscotti, chocolates, or anything else that strikes your fancy, and you have a wonderful gift basket.

A lot of these gift baskets are already prepared in local wine stores. Some of them are good, and some of them are terrible. Before you grab a basket and run, make sure you're getting your money's worth. A lot of items are thrown in that people eventually throw out.

If you're going to include cheese, get fresh cheese, and make sure it goes with the wine you're giving. If figuring out what kind of cheese goes with what kind of wine is too much trouble, then forget the cheese, crackers, etc., and just bring the wine. Unless it's an exceptional basket that has been hand picked, after the wine the rest is usually window dressing.

Aside from only red and white still wine, don't forget sparking wine, Champagne, dessert wine, and Port. And you don't have to break the bank to get a nice bottle of any of those items. They cost about the same as a bottle of wine, which is whatever you decide to spend.

A nice thing about dessert wine and Port is that once opened they don't have be consumed that night. Dessert wine is fortified, and should be refrigerated after opening. The fortification and refrigeration adds to its shelf life once opened. Another bonus is that the recipient can have a small glass after dinner for a number of days, and every time they do, they think of you. To coin a Seinfeld phrase, it's almost like repeat gifting.

Same with Port. A little goes a long way. And there are plenty of Ports out there for $10 to $20 that are great. Vintage Port is the only Port that is best consumed within a couple of days of opening. But Ruby, Tawny, or Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) can be kept open for days or weeks and enjoyed as a treat after dinner. And again, the recipient will be thinking of you every time they have their little after dinner treat.

With Port look for the better producers readily available in any supermarket.

Cockburn
Croft
Dow
Fonseca
Sandeman
Warre & Co.
Quinta do noval
Taylor Fladgate

And don't forget Sparkling Wine and Champagne. Again, you don't have to spend a fortune. Very quickly the difference between sparkling wine and Champagne is that Champagne comes from the Champagne region of France, and sparkling wine comes from many regions of world. Generally speaking the best, and most expensive sparkling wine is Champagne. But you pay for that. If you want to make a statement, fine. If you want to come bearing a reasonable gift of joy and holiday spirit, you can get off for $10 to $20 and trust me, the number of friends most of us have that are true sparkling wine connoisseurs can be counted on one hand...or less.

So don't worry, just spread the joy and give your pocketbook a rest for other impressions, unless it's really, really important, like who's going to give you your next raise and promotion.

Don't forget that every country that produces wine, produces sparkling wine, too. Italy has its famous spumante, which simply means "sparkling" and can be found at many different price points, including $5 and $6 dollars, and is a delightful drink.

California produces some excellent sparkling wines. A few names are:

Iron Horse
Roederer Estate
Gloria Ferrer
Schramsberg
Domaine Carneros

When you go wine gift shopping, keep an open mind. There are so many ways to go. If you don't know the person's taste in wine, it is better to get either a sparkling wine, Champagne, Port or dessert wine, than to try and guess what kind of Chardonnay or Cabernet the person likes. Most people like a nice glass of Port now and then, no matter what their wine preference. And a glass bubbly is always welcome.

Decide on a price point, and go shopping. The selections are infinite, and very few people are not appreciative of a little libation during the holiday season.

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