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Looking for advice on buying red wine to give as presents

17 years ago

I am planning to give some friends a bottle of wine for Christmas and I don't want to sound a complete idiot when I go to the wine shop to buy it, so tought I would do some research first.

I'm looking for a mid-priced red wine that's good with smoked and salted meats, and another one in the same price range that is good with roast lamb. Any suggestions?

(X posted on Beverages)

Comments (3)

babywatson
17 years ago
Go to a Total Wine store (there is one in Manassas, VA) or any other beverage store, wine shops, whatever. They can tell you the best wine that goes with whatever you can think of.
rosesinny
17 years ago
The above advice works if the staff knows anything about wine. Some do, some don't.

Check out a couple of the other threads on this forum - Breathing, "Is it just me" and a couple of others - I and others have made some recs.

If you are giving a present, it should be more than a supermarket wine, but not necessarily a super-expensive wine. You can get a great wine for somewhere in the $20s, $30s, and $100s, depending on what you are looking for.

If it is a wine-drinker, select something that the person would appreciate. Many great Spanish wines are out these days and something from there may be interesting - avoid Rioja and Ribera del Duero in the 2002 vintage and you will be OK.

Southern France makes great wines - again avoid the 2002 vintage. In the area of Chateauneuf du Pape - Pierre Ussegglio and Fils makes a basic blend that goes for $26 - $36. From nearby Gigondas, Domaine Brusset makes a Hauts de Montmirail that is wonderful - lots of cherry and spice and very smooth drinking. Both are areas that you may want to look at for decent values that you can drink today or keep for a few years.

Nearby is Minervois, Roussillon, and Corbieres - all places to look for something good.

In Italy, you can pick up decent Chianti Classico for somewhere in the $20s - Viticcio, Felsina, Gabbiano, and others all make Reservas that are in the low $20s and wonderful. The reservas are worth the extra money too, and again, other than the 2002 vintage, any that you are likely to find will be good. 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 are all tasty.
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Your're putting the cart before the horse. It won't do you no good, to go into a wine store with a shopping list of wines you read about in a blog or discussion board. The wines you read about may not even be available in your area. Or may not be carried at the store you shop at. Here is what you do...............Go to store...........Ask for help from someone who works there who knows the inventory...................Make your purchase.......Done. You certainly won't be ther first person who came into a wine store and asked for assistance. The people who work there love offering advice. Tell them your price range and needs. They will suggest appropriate wines that they carry. If you encounter a snotty attitude, or are only shown wines out of your price range, just go find another store.
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netla
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks for the advice, Rosesinny.

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