GET WINE LOVERS A GIFT THEY WILL ACTUALLY USE
From corkscrews to a bottle or two, you can’t go wrong with these simple ideas
Welcome to December. Are you feeling the Christmas spirit yet?
Judging by the lights twinkling in my neighbourhood for almost a month, some people are certainly feeling the glow.
If it’s time to hit the streets hunting for a gift for your special wine-loving someone, there is an almost limitless array of winerelated gifts and gadgets out there. They can be fun or funny, but many are expensive entertainments. Do you really need a $200 electric corkscrew that looks like the fuzzy creatures hopping around in the backyard?
Maybe it’s just my inner Scrooge, but I appreciate practical gifts that do their job well. Start with the corkscrew. They have been making them for centuries, in limitless styles, but my favourite is the simple dual-stage or double-hinged waiter corkscrew. It’s simple, effective and gets that cork out easily. Some cost $5 — a great stocking stuffer — and others are close to $100. The more expensive models are more solidly built and feature exotic wood inlays.
Another great gift is an ice bucket large enough to hold a bottle and a good amount of water and ice. Nothing cools wine faster than a bottle submerged in ice water. And it’s great to have a chilled bottle tableside on the patio. Sharplooking stainless steel models can be found for around $30.
If you know someone who enjoys jotting notes down, a wine journal can make a great gift. Journals come in many different styles. Besides writing about how the wine tasted, I also like to note the experience — where you enjoyed the wine, what food you might have paired it with and who you enjoyed it with. It’s fun to look back later and relive the experience.
There are oodles of wine books and guides out there as well, written for everyone from the casual sipper to the wine geek. One that caught my eye is from Lonely Planet called Wine Trails: United States and Canada ($36 in Canada) and it’s written in a casual style with a travel focus. Wine writers from different wine areas — including Canada’s Treve Ring — offer summaries of different regions, highlighting a few wineries to visit and suggesting places to stay and eat. You’ll find everything from Nova Scotia, Ontario and British Columbia in Canada to California, Oregon and Washington in the U.S., plus lesser known areas like Arizona, Idaho and Texas. It’s a fun read.
A gift certificate for a wine class is a great choice for someone with a thirst for knowledge. There are so many available in the city, from informal evenings at boutique stores that focus on a particular wine, grape, region or style to more serious, longerterm courses such as those offered by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust or the International Sommelier Guild. These in-depth classes, which can last for several weeks, finish with a test and certificate. They are a great way to build a deep knowledge. And you get to taste tons of excellent wine!
Of course, the best gift for a wine lover is wine. Here are some special bottles that have the stuffing to age for several years.
BODEGAS FAUSTINO 2001
Faustino I Gran Reserva Rioja, Spain
If you’ve always wanted to taste aged wines, but haven’t had the cellar or patience to put a bottle away for an extended period, look no further than Faustino.
The Spanish winery has a reputation for aging its wines for you, then putting them on the market. There are nine million bottles in the Faustino cellar right now. That’s how they roll in Rioja. They do the work for you. In Calgary, you can buy bottles of Faustino I going back to 1964.
This 2001 really hits the sweet spot for me. The fruit flavours are still fresh, the oak has subsided and there are secondary flavours that come from extended aging. Consisting of 80 per cent Tempranillo plus Graciano and Mazuelo, it offers flavours of cherry, vanilla, strawberry, spice, leather, hoisin and some herbal elements.
Price: About $60. Look for it at Highlander Wine and Spirits and Willow Park Wines & Spirits.
Drink: Now. Though you could age this 17-year-old bottle even further. Try it with beef short rib, roast duck or lamb. Cork; 13.5 per cent alc./vol.
TERRALSOLE 2012
Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany, Italy
Winemaker Mario Bollag and his wife Athena Tergis consistently produce balanced, powerful and graceful wines from their estate near Montalcino, south of Florence.
Considered by many as the ultimate expression of the red grape Sangiovese, Brunellos offer chewy tannins and firm structure. They are built to last. From the highly regarded 2012 vintage, this red bursts with flavours of leather, plum, spice, earth, black cherry, blackberry and mocha.
Price: About $105. Look for it at Britannia Wine Merchants, The Cellar, Cork Fine Wines, Liquor and Ales, Crowfoot Wine and Spirits, Willow Park Wines & Spirits, Zyn the Wine Market.
Drink: You could drink this now with a long decant and some juicy meat or set it aside for a decade. Your patience will be rewarded. Try it with grilled lamb or steak. Cork; 15 per cent alc./vol. Contact Darren Oleksyn at dm.oleksyn@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter: @doleksyn. Looking for a specific wine mentioned here? Because wine inventories are always in flux, it’s a good idea to call the store before you go. Liquorconnect. com can give you an idea of stores that have carried the wines.