* News Updates
* Special offers
* Post reviews
Create Account

Holiday Wine Buying Guide

Written By: Brian Freedman on Friday, November 30, 2007

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah or another holiday - we have you covered.

Buying wine for other people has never been an easy trick. It has to do with all the lifestyle associations that are inevitably heaped onto that poor, unsuspecting bottle. Indeed - and inexplicably - the kind of fermented grape juice you choose to drink and give says just as much about you these days as your last name, your choice of footwear, and your personal hygiene habits.

And, lucky for you, all this pressure is even worse around the holidays. Because chances are, the bottle you're buying is not going to be opened around the dinner table by you and a bunch of friends - it'll be presented, with all the appropriate pomp and circumstance, to your boss or your in-laws or someone else in a position to affect the next several years of your life.

So whatever you do, don't buy the wrong bottle - you could live to regret it.

Which is why we've compiled this list of suggestions to help you navigate the potential mine field that is holiday wine purchasing. We've broken it down into simple-to-follow categories, addressed issues of price, and even noted special bottles that will send exactly the message (let me marry your daughter, please give me a promotion, etc.) you're aiming for.

For the Boss or That Special Someone's Parents:
This can be one of the most high-pressure wine purchases of your life: Spend too much and you risk being considered ostentatious; spend too little and you may be looked at as cheap. So what are you supposed to do?

Believe it or not, there is a vast middle ground of wine out there that is both reasonably priced and absolutely delicious. Look for bottlings from up-and-coming regions that haven't gotten all the exposure they deserve quite yet - and therefore haven't suffered from the same level of price inflation as wines from more famous regions.

There are still, for example, great deals to be found in Spain, Portugal, South West France, and South America, among a number of other places. White wines from Rioja are a surefire hit, dry reds from Portugal (look for the word 'Alentejo' on the label), and sweet wines from France's Monbazillac region are all creative, delicious options for the wine connoisseur you want to impress this holiday season.

If the person you're buying for is only into big-names and fancy labels, you don't have to worry about mortgaging your life to pay for an impressive bottle. Bollinger Special Cuvee is a dynamite bottle of bubbly, and it’ll set you back just a bit more than $50, which is a steal. And if you really want to blow them out of the water, grab a bottle of Numanthia Toro Numanthia, one of Spain’s best high-end wines, and it only costs around $60, which is a small investment to make in your future marriage or employment prospects.

To Be Opened at Holiday Dinner:
Because this wine is going to be enjoyed right now, you should avoid the kind of bottles that need years of rest in the cellar to reach their full potential. But that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice any sort of quality. The trick is to find wines that will pair well with the kind of food being served at the meal.

One of my favorite wines is the Gaja Ca' Marcanda Magari, a magnificent Bordeaux-style blend from one of the world's most highly respected producers. It is, for my money, one of the single best values in the wine world today - and at less than $70, you won't spend a fortune, and you'll still end up the hero of the meal. You should also check out the Hartford Court Land’s Edge Pinot Noir 2005 - decant it an hour or two before dinner is served, and watch the faces of your dining companions twist into grimaces or sheer vinous joy. (And at less than $40, you, too, will be a happy camper, indeed.) Or bring a bottle of non-vintage Port to enjoy with the holiday cheese course: The Graham’s 20 Year Old Port is a spectacular bottle, sweet and nuanced, and will only set you back about $50.

The Money-Is-No-Object Bottle:
Let's say you work at a hedge fund that's had a great year, or won several Grammy awards in 2007, or have the last name Hilton - what do you buy when money is no object? The world is literally the limit here, though you may be surprised to learn that you don't have to spend like a millionaire to get wines fit for one.

Sure, you can always try to seek out a bottle of 2005 Petrus or 1947 Cheval Blanc, but what's the fun in that? You're far better off buying bottles that cost a fraction of those blue-chip wines yet still offer mind-boggling flavor. Lower-classed wines of Bordeaux are often a good bet. Look for wines from Ducru Beaucaillou and Leoville-Barton in Bordeaux, Chateau de Beaucastel and Le Vieux Donjon in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and Dutton-Goldfield and Kosta Browne in California. All of these producers represent the apex of the price-value ratio in their parts of the world.

But, of course, there are thousands more. That's the beauty of wine: There are always choices, always other bottles you can buy. And if you're not thrilled with what you end up purchasing for that special someone this year, don't fret: You'll have the next 11 months to taste through the entire world to do even better next year.

Send to a Friend Add to: Digg Add to: Del.icio.us

Wines Featured In Holiday Wine Buying Guide

Hartford Court 2005 Pinot Noir (lands edge)

  

Petrus 2005 Bordeaux Blend
Region: Europe > France > Bordeaux > Pomerol

  

 Related Videos for Holiday Wine Buying Guide

 1  2  3  4  5 ...  Next >> 

Le Bec-Fin Food and Wine Pairing Le Bec-Fin Food and Wine Pairing
Posted on Monday, March 19, 2007

With a multi-layered dish like Le Bec-Fin's seafood risotto with chorizo emulsion, how are you supposed to pick a wine that will pair well with...read more

Glenmorgan Bar and Grill Interview and Wine Tasting with Tara Sindoni Glenmorgan Bar and Grill Interview and Wine Tasting with Tara Sindoni
Posted on Monday, April 2, 2007

In this episode of the Classic Wines Minute, we visit Glenmorgan Bar and Grill in Philadelphia's Main Line. We're joined by Director of Operations Tara...read more

Glenmorgan Bar and Grill Food and Wine Pairing Glenmorgan Bar and Grill Food and Wine Pairing
Posted on Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Pinot Noir and salmon is a truly classic combination. But how well will a Pinot stand up to other flavors on the plate? In this...read more


 

  Be the first to comment on this article

You need to log into your ClassicWines account to leave a comment on this article. You can log in here. If you do not have a Classic Wines account you can sign up here.