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During a hard time of Covid-19, and as November has come, Halloween has passed, all we can think about is Christmas & wine! As it is almost right around the corner, we will be giving the readers some amazing wine recommendations.
First, we will be talking about the criteria for choosing wine as a gift, and perhaps you can use the listed wines for a Christmas table.
If you’re feeling lost, and struggle to choose a meaningful gift, one of the best choices is wine. You can drink it at any occasion, or let it age to enjoy it better in the future.
There are a few recommendations and criteria’s that I go by while choosing wine as a gift, and one of the most important is the brand bias. Great names and brands might be tempting, but it does not mean the wine is the best.
Finding something unique and from a rare region makes it a greater wine for me. One of the general choices is wines from New Zealand, especially Pinot noir. A great alternative can also be Burgundy and Cabernet Sauvignon. Some Merlot blends from Chile are also great.
If you’re not an expert, don’t be afraid to ask a shop assistant or a sommelier If available. They do care about upselling, but they won’t leave you without satisfaction no matter how much you spend.
As I already mentioned, don’t pay too much attention to greater brands and better labels. The wine may have an attractive label and can make it a beautiful gift, but may not display anything about what’s within, so just as you wouldn’t judge a book by its cover, don’t judge a wine by its label.
Make a gift personal and special by decorating it. In my opinion, you can buy a special wine glass or even a decanter with the wine itself. Wine holder can be a beautiful and very efficient gift, the person receiving it can have a long term use of it after enjoying the gifted wine.
The Chocolate Block
An exclusive South African wine, in the north of Cape Town, precisely from Swartland, this specific Syrah grape variety produces absolute gold. This area has been marked as one of the world’s greatest Syrah vineyards, Since 2017. Winemaker Marc Kent tweaks each year’s vintage to best reflect the character of his ancient vines, the year’s seasons, and the sometimes wild, sometimes calm weather that the grapes ripen in on South Africa’s Western Cape. The Chocolate Block has a luscious palate and chocolate notes, a unique style with super fine tannins, this wine is one of it’s kind.
Oddero Barolo 2015
With aromas of red fruits, oak, earthy tones, and florals, the palate develops flavors of sour cherry, currants, toasty oak, and earthy herbs. Great balance and full-body tannins. Very pleasant for instant enjoyment, will be even better in the cellar, and will age fine.
A bottle of wine may be the go-to gift for any wine-loving friend or difficult relative but with confusing labels and distracting signage, choosing a bottle is not always as easy as it seems.
THE PENFOLDS COLLECTION : Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz 2018
“Bin 389 is one of Australia’s great cellaring red wines” Bin 389 is the most popular wine in the Australian secondary wine market because of its heritage, consistency, and reputation.
Max Schubert, the mastermind that built Penfolds reputation with red wine drinkers, combined the structure of cabernet sauvignon with the richness of Shiraz, resulting in an amazing balance between fruit and oak, Bin 389 made history.
The wine was first created in 1960, and some of its components are matured in the same barrels as the previous vintage of Grange, and is often referred to as “Baby Grange”. Bin 389 is matured in American oak hogsheads. Wine can be well enjoyed now but will improve and become better versions of themselves over time, the peaking years of drinking being 2023-2050. The color of this wine is a bright crimson red. As we mentioned, as this wine is a combination of Cabernet and shiraz, it creates a perfect balance of sweet and sour, 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Shiraz.
At last, after recommending these three amazing and unique wines, we can connect it to criteria’s. As our main topic is choosing wine as a gift, be specific. The receiver would be surprised if you choose wine from the region that you have travelled together, or one of their favorite destinations, maybe even the year a wine was made, can be relevant to some kind of an important event of their life.
The more personal the gift is, the more value it has to the person you chose it for. Try your best to choose from a unique region and a rare variety. Also try not to concentrate too much on the fancy labels, remember, value does not define quality.
Tamar Tsikhelashvili, is the Global Wine Editor for TheFutureOfPR.com. A wine enthusiast, and from a family of wine creators – she has always been interested in winemaking. She can be reached at tamuska.tsikhellashvili@gmail.com
Don’t miss these other fantastic articles by Tamar Tsikhelashvili:
The Secrets of Decanting Wine!
This little known OUTSTANDING Italian wine, will help you live LONGER!
The surprising health benefits of a glass of wine!
Wine in Georgia: Still a complete secret after 8000 years!
CHAMPAGNE vs PROSECO: The secret DIFFERENCES that you should know?!
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