If, like me, you have waited until the last week to get organized for the holidays, you’re going to need some expert help and you’ll need it fast. The good news is wine is an increasingly acceptable gift solution as long as you put a bit of thought into your selections.
Let’s start with the hostess gift. If you’re attending a dinner party this holiday season, don’t forget to take along a hostess gift, and I don’t mean a mini-pack of domestic liqueurs. Hostess gifts are not obligatory, nor are they expected, but it doesn't mean they aren’t appreciated or shouldn’t be thoughtful.
Knowing what to bring takes bit of investigation, but if you’re unfamiliar with the wines your hostess prefers the ultimate grape solution is sparkling wine. To make your offering sparkle, dress it up festively in clear or coloured cellophane — perfect to see the bottle — tied with ribbons of natural or coloured raffia.
Here’s a pair of sparkling ideas to wrap up that will be well received wherever you go. And they work just as well if you’re planning a party and you need some fizz to greet your guests. The Segura Viudas N/V Aria Estate Brut $22 has attractive citrus, peach, honey, nutty, mineral, flavours well-suited to food. Visually, the pink Segura Viudas N/V Lavit Rosado Brut $15 commands attention as does its fruity creamy textures and mineral, cherry flavours.
Next up is Christmas dinner. If you’re invited out, you have the option of bringing along a hostess gift or trying your hand at buying a bottle of wine that will match the bird. Turkey wines — and I’m not referring to all the sub-standard wines I have to taste to find the good stuff — must be able to stand up to all the flavours, not to mention the general ruckus that besets the festive dinner table.
I like the idea of serving both red and white with the traditional Christmas Day main course of turkey and or ham. When it comes to whites I would eschew the sauvignon blanc and chardonnay on this day and look to riesling, chenin blanc, gewürztraminer and viognier.
Some sure bets include two California whites: Clay Station 2005 Viognier $18 , a delicious mix of peaches and guava with bits of honey and passion fruit that would cut through the ham or turkey. Likewise for the Bogle Vineyards 2006 Chenin Blanc $18 and its grapefruit, mineral, honey, buttery, green apple skin flavours.
My riesling selection is CedarCreek 2006 Dry Riesling $17 with its clean, fresh grapefruit, green apple and orange citrus flavours while for gewürztraminer pick up the Villa Maria 2006 Gewurztraminer Private Bin $20 with its smooth, rich textures and ripe peach and lychee fruit flavours flecked with orange.
My red suggestions would be something from the Cote du Rhone and/or a pinot noir, with the former probably easier to find than the latter.
Two fine picks are the Réserve Perrin 2005 Côtes du Rhône $18 , a Grenache syrah blend with peppery, smoky, meaty, dark chocolate, black cherry flavours from very good vintage. Equally tasty is the Domaine de la Grand'Ribe 2004 Côtes du Rhône Cuvée Tradition Vieilles Vignes $20 a black pepper, spicy, meaty, dark plum flavoured red with licorice root, chocolate and tobacco undertones. Both will easily subdue the turkey and the ham.
Okay, dinner is done but what about those gifts? Well, Italy is the theme country at the upcoming Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, so perhaps an Italian primer wine basket is in order. Pick up a basket starter with Italian wine writer Michele Shah’s Wines of Italy (Mitchell Beazley Wine Guides) at $20. Add to this a bottle of the show-stopping Antinori 2004 Tignanello $96 , throw in some fresh pasta, a jar of tomato sauce and a bottle of olive oil and you have yourself a terrific gift.
How about a six-pack of sexy, spicy New World syrah with its appealing floral, meaty, chocolate peppery flavours. From California, I like the Cycles Gladiator 2005 Syrah $17 , from the central coast; from British Columbia take the Burrowing Owl 2005 Syrah $38 , from the Okanagan Valley; from Chile, current favourites include Valdivieso 2005 Syrah Reserva $20 , Emiliana Orgánico Adobe 2005 Syrah $15 and the MontGras Antu Ninquèn 2005 Syrah $23 , all from the lower Central Valley/Rapel region.
Finally, look for a bit of champagne and port and you are home free. There’s nothing sexier than a beautiful glass of pink fizz and you can’t beat the Nicolas Feuillatte N/V Brut Rosé $64. You’ll love its attractive salmon hue and bright fresh nutty, raspberry, mineral aromas and nutty, baked apple, cherry citrus flavours. Its elegance and balance make this is a terrific bottle of rosé.
Locally, your best bet is the See Ya Later Ranch SYL Brut $20 , which can only be found in select private wine shops. Crisp, round and fresh on entry, it has a baked pear, marzipan, bread dough and peach flavours.
If you’re only going to keep one or two bottles of port on the sideboard for the holidays, make one of them the Taylor's 20 Year Old Tawny $69 . From its inviting nose with toffee and orange-rind notes, to its intense and lengthy finish featuring vanilla, almonds and pepper, it is simply exquisite.
A touch softer and sweeter is the Graham's 2000 Late Bottled Vintage Port $27 with its plummy, licorice, peppery, dried fig and chocolate aromas. This is a lovely ripe, round, easy-sipping port with more of that licorice, black tea, clove, nutty, black cherry, prune flavour. It’s a well-made, sweetish-style port that will have wide appeal whether you serve it to guests or pop it in a gift basket.
Okay, that’s it. So stop procrastinating, stock up, and have a safe and happy Christmas and New Year.
Anthony Gismondi is a globetrotting wine writer who makes his home at the southern end of the Sea to Sky Highway in West Vancouver, British Columbia. For more of his thoughts on wine log onto www.gismondionwine.com
