Wine selection as a gift

AggieMike88

AggieMike88

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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
I need help selecting a good red wine as a gift.

I'm a beer and spirits guy, and know nothing about wines except that they start out life as grapes. Concerned that if I go to a wine shop on my own, I'll get over sold and pay too much for what should be relegated to a box or cooking.

Budget is about $40-50. This will be a gift to someone who enjoys wine and is well deserved of the gift.

Help me develop a list of types, brands, names, etc. that the shop clerk would recognize. Something that the receiver will like, appreciate the gift, and enjoy the taste.
 
Rombauer cabernet is good in that price range, as well as Frogs Leap cab and BV Tapestry. If you can step up about 10 bucks, it is hard to beat the Silver Oak Alexander Valley cabernet.
 
I'm a Zinfandel guy myself. (red Zinfandel, NOT white Zinfandel, yecch). A good Sterling or Grgch Hills Zin (Napa Valley) should both be fairly available and within your price range.
 
If you have a World Market in your town, they have a very good selection at reasonable prices.

Last time I had a $40 bottle of wine I really couldn't tell it from the $15 bottle of wine. I have no idea about reds, so I can't be much help. If I'm getting an alcohol gift for anyone I don't know exactly what it'll be, but it'll rhyme with fine kentucky Bourbon.
 
And of course, there's always....

Carlos Rossi

Fifty bucks will get you a LOT of that stuff. Good bang for your buck.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Something that the receiver will like, appreciate the gift, and enjoy the taste.
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It would help a lot to know the receiver's taste buds. Different folks like different wines. Some prefer heavier wines, some prefer more delicate say Pinot Noirs. I prefer full bodied, tannic reds reds and a bottle of Pinot (even pricey) would be a poor choice for me. If the receiver knows nothing about wines or is a beginner drinker than I would go with an 'easy' red wine like Merlot. Any white wine would also typically be an easier drinker than a fuller tannic red. Unless your wine store is a know ripoff place wines will be priced accordingly and your 'cooking' wine will be priced accordingly - will be cheap. At $25 and higher a bottle you should be able to get pretty decent wine. I would not recommend any specific winery or exact wines, there are literally thousands excellent wines and your store will only have a tiny fraction of that. Ask for advice on the spot, if you are not going to trust their advice do not shop there.
 
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"I am NOT drinking any #$&*$!! Merlot!" Great movie.

Anyway, without knowing the recipient, here's the breakdown: Light reds are zinfandel, and beaujolais, pretty worthless as gifts. The mediums are your Merlot, Shiraz and some of the young Chianti's. The real man's man drinks the heavy and potent Tuscan, Cabs, or bordeaux. There are varietals which combine several of these.

The safe bet is a Shiraz, or a varietal. If you know their taste and they are a regular wine consumer, go with a bordeaux, or an imported Tuscan. Note, these rich deep reds are best when decanted, so if you expect them to consume it with you, allow for a decanting. This will change the texture, flavor, and aroma of the heavy/deep reds considerably.

<edited for grammar>
 
Mike -

I regularly go to wine tastings, and even make some of my own. And the one thing I have found is that wine and taste is such a personal, subjective thing, that you're really better off just asking him what he likes. Expensive does not necessarily equal good. The most expensive bottle I've had was $80 (I didn't buy it!) and my first thought on drinking it was "meh".

I've made wine where I taste it and am ready to just dump the whole batch down the sink, but then received many compliments on it from my usual group of "test subjects".

The range of wines is so vast and diverse, that one person's favorite special-occasion wine is another person's vomit-inducing swill.

Honestly, I'd rather get two $25 bottles than a single $50 bottle. Heck, there are some wines where I'd rather have 4 bottles of them for $50 than a single.
 
docmirror said:
Light reds are zinfandel, and beaujolais,
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Just as a point of clarification, white Zinfandel is a light red (and quite worthless to drink), but a Zinfandel itself is a very dark red.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Just as a point of clarification, white Zinfandel is a light red (and quite worthless to drink), but a Zinfandel itself is a very dark red.
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Yes, It's a blush, thanks. And I rather like them with fishy tasting fish like snapper or a tuna. The red zin is a medium to heavy red. Not recommended unless the palate is well known.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Just as a point of clarification, white Zinfandel is a light red (and quite worthless to drink), but a Zinfandel itself is a very dark red.
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I would call a white zin more pink than red. I think it is made by mixing zin with some kind of white and I agree, it is worthless.

While it is true that taste in wine is quite personal, you can rest assured that my taste is personally superior and you can run with my recommendations (after all, who would choose a zin over a quality cab, not that zin is bad.) :D just sayin...

Seriously, it is a gift. Don't overthink it. You usually get what you pay for in a wine. If they aren't wine drinkers, don't buy a $50 bottle. It is a waste.
 
docmirror said:
"I am NOT drinking any #$&*$!! Merlot!" Great movie.
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One of the best wines of the century - Chateau Petrus - is 95% Merlot so one have to be careful however California Merlot has indeed been a dirty word.

John221us said:
Don't overthink it. You usually get what you pay for in a wine. If they aren't wine drinkers, don't buy a $50 bottle. It is a waste.
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Excellent suggestion.
 
Also, good wines aren't necessarily expensive. You might check out Wine Spectator (barring John221us' exquisit taste in wines) for some ratings, and you may find some well rated wines in the $10 - $20 range.

But if said person is truly a wine snob, it may be an exercise similar to surprising a woman with a purse you picked out, if you know what I mean.
 
Merlot itself is a blend, not a varietal. It's basically a mix of high-end reds, sort of an upperclass Burgundy but without the stigma.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Merlot itself is a blend, not a varietal. It's basically a mix of high-end reds, sort of an upperclass Burgundy but without the stigma.
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Can't agree with that one. I've heard Merlot described as a varietal many times, but I'm no professional. Just heard it used that way by other oenologists. I don't know that differentiating blend and varietal is that important anyway.
 
I like the idea of multiple bottles that add up to my budget range.
 
olasek said:
Absolutely not true, there are Merlot grapes.
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Hmm, it would outwardly appear that is the case, although I haven't come across Merlots that weren't blends. I don't really do Merlots.
 
With my friends, a case of Miller Lite or for special occasions a keg of Bud Light. :rofl::rofl:
 
Sac Arrow said:
although I haven't come across Merlots that weren't blends.
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French Merlots are almost always blended (like famous Petrus which is 95%) but California vineyards produce a lot (I am not going risk saying 'majority' but it is high percentage) of 100% varietal Merlots.
 
I have a little bit of Zinfandel, some Brown Estate, Turley, etc... along with 26 cases of Heartstrings (which I produced). I also have some Primativo and even some Crljenak (both of which are now determined to be the same variety as Zinfandel).

Absent knowing what the person would like, some of the lesser expensive Grand Cru Bordeaux's fit in your price range. There are some reasonable California Cabs such as Justin, Silver Oak, Far Niente that might be in your range (depending on how marked up your retail store is).
 
Well, there's two ways to look at that. You can gift a lot of what they would normally buy for themselves, or a little of something they would't splurge on. If it were me, I would appreciate the splurge.

Here's a good one. Just about impossible to find a 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape from anywhere in the Rhone that isn't great, for $40-60 a bottle.
 
AggieMike88 said:
I need help selecting a good red wine as a gift.

I'm a beer and spirits guy, and know nothing about wines except that they start out life as grapes. Concerned that if I go to a wine shop on my own, I'll get over sold and pay too much for what should be relegated to a box or cooking.

Budget is about $40-50. This will be a gift to someone who enjoys wine and is well deserved of the gift.

Help me develop a list of types, brands, names, etc. that the shop clerk would recognize. Something that the receiver will like, appreciate the gift, and enjoy the taste.
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The first time i flew through DFW, there was a wine store/bar. Since I had an hour to kill I sat and tasted a whole bunch of wines. I ended up with several bottles, including four from Becker Vineyards in Fredricksburg. 2005 Cabernet Reserve. At the time it was $65 a bottle. I bought two of those and two 'regular' Cabs. I'm pretty fond of heavy reds. :)

However, even some of their less expensive wines were very tasty.

http://www.beckervineyards.com/

Voigniers are nice, for a white.

Too bad they can't ship the Malbec out of state, I've grown to like Malbecs. Maybe I'll try one of the Ports. And that Cab/Syrah sounds interesting.
 
Chip Sylverne said:
Here's a good one. Just about impossible to find a 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape from anywhere in the Rhone that isn't great, for $40-60 a bottle.
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CDP's don't come from "anywhere" in the Rhone. They come from Chateauneuf du Pape.
 
DeeG said:
The first time i flew through DFW, there was a wine store/bar. Since I had an hour to kill I sat and tasted a whole bunch of wines. I ended up with several bottles, including four from Becker Vineyards in Fredricksburg. 2005 Cabernet Reserve. At the time it was $65 a bottle. I bought two of those and two 'regular' Cabs. I'm pretty fond of heavy reds. :)

However, even some of their less expensive wines were very tasty.

http://www.beckervineyards.com/

Voigniers are nice, for a white.

Too bad they can't ship the Malbec out of state, I've grown to like Malbecs. Maybe I'll try one of the Ports. And that Cab/Syrah sounds interesting.
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Pre 911, I was in St. John and boarded with 6 bottles of rum as a carry on. Can't do that anymore. I have noticed that most wine taste better when you are tasting them at the vineyard.
 
Mike - called Peachy Canyon - buy then 2 of their Zins - everybody loves their zins.
 
John221us said:
Pre 911, I was in St. John and boarded with 6 bottles of rum as a carry on. Can't do that anymore. I have noticed that most wine taste better when you are tasting them at the vineyard.
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Good thing is, the wine store is still at DFW, and I was able to bring a six pack of wine as my carry-on last time. 2008, I think it was.

Cracks me up. a bottle of wine is a bottle of wine, who cares WHERE you buy it?
 
flyingron said:
CDP's don't come from "anywhere" in the Rhone. They come from Chateauneuf du Pape.
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Yeah, just like champagne...

My point is that there are several different houses that crush and market the vintage from the region at several different price points. None are cheap, but it's tough to buy one from 2007 that isn't quite good.

Go ask for one, and you'll be shown several different labels.
 
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comanchepilot said:
Mike - called Peachy Canyon - buy then 2 of their Zins - everybody loves their zins.
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Zinfandel's seem to be getting creative with the names; Brazin, Cardinal Zin, Gnarley Head, Seven Deadly Zins and Heavenly Zin are on the shelves here.

Gnarley Head and Seven Deadly Zins aren't half bad, and reasonable $.
 
flyingron said:
CDP's don't come from "anywhere" in the Rhone. They come from Chateauneuf du Pape.
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The french with their AOC rules seem antiquated by modern wine making standards. The area has and does produce some good wines, but with any blended wine the ability to say in a blind test... "OH, this is a Chateauneuf du Pape!" requires a wink from the locals.

Cool bottles though.
 
Alexb2000 said:
The french with their AOC rules seem antiquated by modern wine making standards. The area has and does produce some good wines, but with any blended wine the ability to say in a blind test... "OH, this is a Chateauneuf du Pape!" requires a wink from the locals.

Cool bottles though.
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It's not just the French and it's not just wine. The EU has become fiercely protective of the location of origin rules for everything from wine to textiles.

But even stylistically, calling any Rhone wine CDP or vice versa is just wrong even when you negate the AOC rules. The Northern Rhone doesn't even produce blended wines. Most of the Southern Rhone produces blends that are quite distinct from CDP.

Don't even get me started on Meritage.
 
Mike,
I have always had good luck asking for suggestions from wine merchants. Just tell them what you want. "I want a cab for about $20." Or whatever your budget is. They should know their product and satisfied customers are more likely to come back.

Eric

PS I am a wine snob :)
 
Chip Sylverne said:
Well, there's two ways to look at that. You can gift a lot of what they would normally buy for themselves, or a little of something they would't splurge on. If it were me, I would appreciate the splurge.

Here's a good one. Just about impossible to find a 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape from anywhere in the Rhone that isn't great, for $40-60 a bottle.
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Or, a Gigondas which is more or less the same thing but much cheaper.. so a spendy Gigondas is probably really good.

If you can get a Brunello in that price range, that would be nice. Not sure if you can though - it would be the low end, if you can.
 
flyingron said:
It's not just the French and it's not just wine. The EU has become fiercely protective of the location of origin rules for everything from wine to textiles.

But even stylistically, calling any Rhone wine CDP or vice versa is just wrong even when you negate the AOC rules. The Northern Rhone doesn't even produce blended wines. Most of the Southern Rhone produces blends that are quite distinct from CDP.

Don't even get me started on Meritage.
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I don't disagree, but how much does the location dictate distinction vs say the vintner? France would certainly like it to be the former, but take the well known Michel Chapoutier and his success with grapes from outside of the Rhone region. Plenty of places in the world with the right climate for grapes, but few people that can make them great wine.
 
There are strong aspects to both terroir (the sense of location) and the vintner. Frankly, you are never going to get a Rhone style Syrah out of Virginia. Even when I produced my 28 cases here Virginia, I used Syrah grown in Washington state. Stylistically it still isn't a Rhone. Even the Rhone style blends from central California (Paso Robles, etc...) are distinct from any of the French Rhone styles. Not to say that both can not be excellent, but they are not duplicates of each others.

It's sort of like a Vidalia onion. You can grow it elsewhere, but it's just a granex onion.
Or a Cuban cigar. You can take that seed from Cuba and plant it one island over in the Dominican Republic and it's still quite different.

In fact there are French wine makers making wines out of California grapes and American winemakers operating French wineries (also true of Italy) but the wines are not interchangeable.
 
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