Salut!: Anthony Gismondi's top wine picks for holiday gifting and entertaining
Credit to Author: agismondi| Date: Wed, 04 Dec 2019 19:00:17 +0000
The holidays are just around the corner, and for many, that means gift giving and entertaining.
In the spirit of the holiday season and its inevitable shopping frenzy, our gift is a new list of affordable wines for entertaining, and an equal number of stellar wines you can wrap up and gift with the confidence that they will never be re-gifted.
Of course, nothing says you can’t take the same wine home and put it in your cellar for the future. The choice is yours.
The real art of gift giving is to match up taste, style and, most significantly, the cost for each person on your list. It takes a bit of work, but with a little research and some help from a talented salesperson, you should be able to match up the right bottle to the right person.
The key is planning, which is why we are suggesting you take a few moments now to cut this column out of the paper (or if you are online hit the print button) and head to the nearest specialty wine shop and get the job done early.
This year we have come up with some scenarios that may help you find the right bottle for a friend or co-worker. You should never spend more than you can afford — the cost of most wine is irrelevant if you take the time to select a thoughtful gift.
If you want to amp up your wine gift, consider wrapping up a book on wine or, even more useful, adding a decanter or box of correctly shaped glasses. Most private wine shops allow you to choose from a wide selection of glasses and decanters.
This is likely to be a massive sector of the wine market because red wine, or “big” reds as they are often described to me, are highly prized. The go-to wines here are Merlot, Malbec and Shiraz or most any red blend that is dominated by any of the three varieties. Think California, Australia, Chile or Argentina and spend $20 to $30
Guado al Tasso Il Bruciato 2017, Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy, $35.99
Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Napa Valley, California, US, $59.99
LaStella Fortissimo 2017, Okanagan Valley, $30.99
M. Chapoutier Domaine Tournon Shiraz, Shays Flat Vineyard, Victoria, Australia $30.99
The vegetarian and vegan crowd are always looking for wines made with little or no intervention; thus organic, biodynamic, and wild-fermented wines fined with no animal products are appreciated at any time. Green wines are in, especially when they taste this good.
Novaia Valpolicella Classico Organic 2017, Pedemonte Valpolicella, Italy $21.99
Domaine de Cébène Les Bancèls 2015, Faugères, Languedoc, France $28.99
Emiliana Coyam 2016, Valle del Colchagua, Chile $29.99
Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Estate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon, US $39.99
FOR A SPARKLING OCCASION
If you haven’t noticed, sparkling wine has made a breakthrough with consumers, and it is no longer just a “New Year” wine. It is now OK to keep a bottle or two in the refrigerator that you can pull out at any time. Frankly, my experience is that drinking sparkling wine outside of birthdays and anniversaries always seems to tastes just a little bit better. For the holidays, we suggest a quartet of sparklers you can pull out and serve at your whim. Did we mention they all taste better with food?
Champagne Pierre Peters Cuvée de Reserve Blanc de Blancs Brut N/V, France $74.99
Calmel and Joseph Blanquette de Limoux Brut N/V, Limoux, France $28.99
Bottega Rosé Gold Prosecco Spumante Brut N/V, Treviso $31.99
Sperling Vineyards Sparkling Brut 2011, Okanagan Valley $38.99
WINES WITH A SENSE OF PLACE
Terroir and place is the mantra of curious wine drinkers. You don’t have to be a wine geek to explore terroir, only an open mind and a sense of discovery. But wines with a sense of place are perhaps best given to the curious wine drinker.
Torres Celeste Crianza 2015 Tempranillo, Ribera del Duero, Spain $27.99
Clos de los Siete 2016, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina $25.99
Domini De La Cartoixa Formiga De Galena 2013, Priorat, Spain $28.99
Culmina Family Estate Hypothesis 2013, Golden Mile Bench, Okanagan Valley, $45.99
FOOD-FRIENDLY BOTTLES
Most wines are better with food, and while it’s trendy to throw caution to the wind when it comes to wine and food pairings, it is still true that some wines mesh effortlessly with dishes and it would be crazy to ignore their versatility and ability to improve anything you are serving to your guests.
Pol Roger NV Brut Reserve, Champagne, France $69.99
Leitz Dragonstone Riesling Kabinett 2016, Rheingau, Germany $19.99
Altesino Rosso di Montalcino 2016, Tuscany, Italy $28.99
Domaine Duseigneur Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2018, Rhone Valley, France $67.99
GIFTS FOR THE HOST
Gifts for the host are always a conundrum. If you are taking wine, consider what you might spend on flowers or chocolates and use that as a guide, certainly $20 to $30 is more than appropriate. If you know what kind of wine your hosts prefer, take your lead from that, but consider something on the edge of their comfort system.
Taylor Fladgate Late Bottled Vintage 2013, Douro Valley, Portugal $25.99
Bottega Petalo N/V Il Vino dell’ Amore Moscato, Veneto, Italy $17.99
Bouchard Pere 2017 Macon-Lugny, Burgundy, France $26.99
Tantalus 2017 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia $29.99
BOTTLES FOR COLLECTORS
Collectors are never easy to buy for, but if you can take them outside of their buying zone, you can usually please them with an unexpected pick. Here are five wines under $100 that collectors will welcome and are unlikely to have resting in their cellar.
Ridge Montebello Estate Chardonnay 2016, Santa Cruz Mountains, California $85.99
Giovanni Rosso Del Commune di Serralunga d’Alba Barolo 2011, Piedmont, Italy $67.99
Champagne Laurent Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut N/V, France $95.99
Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2016, Sonoma County, California $64.99
ALL-SEASON LOCAL
Your best bet for B.C. wine outside of the wineries are private wine shops, Save-On-Foods and B.C. Liquor stores. Here are some B.C. wines that over-deliver for their price and are great for entertaining.
Harper’s Trail Riesling Thad Springs Vineyard Silver Mane Block 2018, Kamloops, $19.90
Quails’ Gate The Bench Pinot Gris 2018, Okanagan Valley, $24.99
Nk’Mip Cellars Mer’r’iym White Meritage 2017, Okanagan Valley, $27.99
Tightrope Winery Syrah 2016, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, $36.95
SWEET ENDINGS
A bottle or two of dessert wine is always a useful thing to be able to pull out. Our picks span both sweet and fortified wines for after dinner.
Chateau Suiduraut 2016, Barsac, Bordeaux, France $75 (375ml)
CedarCreek Platinum Riesling Icewine 2017, Okanagan Valley, $53 (375ml)
Mission Hill Vidal Icewine Reserve 2016, Okanagan Valley, $46.99 (375ml)
Penfolds Grandfather Rare Port, South Australia, Australia, $79.99
CLICK HERE to report a typo.
Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com