I need to get a gift for someone who is really into wine. How do I go about choosing a decent bottle? Not being a wine-drinker myself, I don’t even know where to start.
Not really a good idea, that. Remember when your clueless Aunt Sophie got that present one Christmas? You know, the one where she heard you were into something, and she got you the lamest, most un-needed piece of crap imaginable? Her heart was in the right place, but you’d rather she’d have just given you the money instead? Now, you’re Aunt Sophie.
If you insist of following up with this idea, find out what types of wine your giftee likes, then hie you off to a decent wine shop and ask the wine guy to recommend something that fits.
Do you know anything about what kind of wine they like? Red? White? Sparkling? Have they mentioned any grape names that they particularly like? Do they particularly like wines from any one country?
They don’t keep kosher, do they? Some people will drink only wines that are certified kosher. But some people who keep kosher will drink non-kosher-certified wines (I do). If you do get a kosher wine, get one with a cork, not a screw-cap. There are excellent screw-cap wines that aren’t kosher-certified, but most of the kosher-certified ones with screw caps taste like cough syrup IMO.
If you don’t know anything about their tastes, I’d go with a Merlot or a red Zinfandel in the $10-20 range, unless you were planning to spend more. Don’t get White Zinfandel as a gift unless it’s for someone who you know for a fact likes White Zinfandel.
If you’re taking it to them when you go to dinner at their house, don’t expect them to serve your wine. They’ve probably already bought wine to go with the food they are serving, and your wine might clash with the food. Even good wine isn’t going to go with all foods.
I’d get them something else, something you’re more knowledgeable about, if possible.
You don’t need a recommendation on a particular bottle, what you need is to find the best wine store in your area. Do you know of any wine-specific stores? I’m not talking liquor stores that sell wine, I’m talking places whose primary scope is wine sales.
They’re not all that hard to find. Check out the yellow pages or anywhere that advertises wine stores. Look for the ones that emphasize wine in the name (and nothing else. No “wine & spirits”) - “North Side Wine Merchant” or “The Wine Cellar”, places like that.
Then check out their web page. Do they really look like someplace that emphasizes wine? Do they offer wine clubs, a newsletter, sponsor tastings? If so, that’s where you want to go.
Then, go there, find a clerk, tell them you’re looking for a gift in a specific price range for people who are really into wine. If you’ve done your homework and this is a reputable store, then chances are you’ll find a great bottle of wine.
You know, I’m a professional wine consultant and I’d love a bottle as a gift. What I do not want any more of is wine “stuff” - hats with sayings on them, corkscrews, glasses, etc.
Do as Athena said and you’ll be just fine.
I don’t think it’s actually a bad idea; I just think you shouldn’t hang your hope on it being the most awesomest bottle of wine they’d ever tasted. But wine lovers are usually pretty open to trying new things, and as long as it’s not vinegar, they’ll be happy.
There’s plenty of good wine to be had, and I agree that the key is to find a good wine shop with knowledgeable help. There’s one near me, and it’s my go-to place for good wine gifts. I can go in, specify a price range, red or white (or even more specific) and they have very good suggestions.
Find a really fascinating wine/food combination online somewhere, and give them the wine and a copy of the recipe.
I will nominate Retsina/olive-lemon-spinach-stuffed chicken thighs by David Rosengarten.
P.s. This might get better traction in CS.
Moving thread from IMHO to Cafe Society.
Marietta Old Vine Red is a great red wine that is not expensive, and is widely available. Robert Parker, God of Wine and publisher of the Wine Advocate, loves it. Google tells me they are on Lot 48 now.
Because, you know, everyone loves a good retsina. :dubious:
(for what it’s worth, I do like retsina… but man oh man, I’m like one of 3 people in the US who do!)
What I find is foolproof is a good dessert wine. Even many regular wine drinkers don’t venture into dessert wines until they have tried one and, at least in Australia, no-one bothers to make cheap crappy ones.
Really? I get a lot of resistance for any sweet wines, even sweet non-dessert wines. People seem to be scared of them. Maybe it’s a US thing, I think sweet wines are equated with cheap wines a lot of the time.
Neat. How does one get that gig?
Thanks for all of your replies everyone. There is a nearby wine shop to get reccomendations, but any additional help would be more than welcome. I’m looking to spend up to $60, and the recipient likes very sweet red wines.
Recheck your information.
Not many people who are into wines are into expensive sweet wines. Some are into sweet white wines (like German ice wine), but almost never sweet red. Most wine lovers like dry wines so I would recheck this info.
If I were buying for someone who is into wines, then I would get something that has good reviews but isn’t too popular. Since it’s off the radar there is little chance he has tried it. And once he sees it, he’ll want to try it even if he doesn’t like that particular type of wine.
Since your willing to fork over $60 I would go with Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino. I’ve been hearing really good things about this bottle and I doubt people would give up the chance to at least try it.
If you can, get more info on what kind of wine the recipient likes. Just find out the names of wines the person has enjoyed before and post them. We can then recommend something similar.
At this point I would seriously reconsider the friendship.
Hell - About the only “wine” I’ve had and liked was Boone’s Farm strawberry hill (the delicate wine with a screw top), so who am I to judge? I’m not exactly a conisuer myself. 
That would be very unusual, unless he’s into port or something like that.
Sweet wines are what people who don’t really like wine will drink.
I suspect White Zinfandel has not helped, either. It certainly has made a number of people unwilling to try rose wines. Of course, that’s good for me- it means the price of nice dry rose wines generally stays reasonable.
That’s the whole point of my suggestion: it’s the **combination **that is important. Retsina by itself would probably result in the loss of a friend.