Christmas gifts for wine lovers
Stuck for gift ideas for the wine buff in your life? Not anymore! Helen Coburn offers some suggestions sure to find favour
Print11 December 2014
This month’s wine choices aren’t just good before and after dinner but make great gifts as well. And if it’s a special gift for someone close, why not add a wine book as well? Books on wine tend to be expensive, so what could be nicer for the wine lover than to settle down with a glass and a book which he’d probably be too thrifty to buy for himself! Here are a few ideas.
Books
Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2014 (Mitchell Beazley €13) A book that’s as solid as a fine old port, this is now in its 37th edition. There’s information on over 6,000 wines and a new feature is the excellent colour supplement on pinot noir.
1001 Wines You Must Try Before You Die by Neil Beckett (Octopus €13) With reviews by a range of experts, this has recommendations, often unpredictable, from both classic areas and some wine growing regions which are likely to be very new to most readers. One, for example, is Thailand. Irish readers are unlikely to be able to get hold of all the wines but there’ll be plenty to keep you tasting in 2015. And you can enjoy arguing about what’s been left out.
World Atlas of Wine ed. Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson (Mitchell Beazley €50).To be honest, if you had this wine book, you would never need another. While this 2013 edition updated one which is now seven years old, I’ve found that older editions remain useful for a lot longer than that, so it’s a sound buy. There’s a fine selection of maps and photographs and an excellent new section on America.
Grape vs Grain: A Historical, Technological and Social Comparison of Wine and Beer by Charles Bamforth (Cambridge €30). Got a real wine anorak in your life? Then here’s the very thing to keep him quiet. It’s on the lists of Waterstones/Hodges Figgis but you may have to order it. I’m not sure if they expect it to be a top bestseller but it’s full of interesting serendipity.
Wine and War: The French, the Nazis and France’s Greatest Treasure by Don and Pete Kladstrup (Hodder €10). This came out a few years ago but is now available in paperback. It’s a predictable but engrossing tale of winemakers who saved wines from the German occupiers during the 1940s and also of heroes in the trade who concealed Jews, threatened with liquidation.
A wine book with a poignant touch is Kevin Zraly’s Windows on the World Wine Course (Sterling £26). Windows on the World was, of course, the restaurant on the top floors of the New York World Trade Centre and staff were among the casualties of the 9/11 attacks. Wine salesman and educator Kevin Zraly was hired in 1976 by the restaurant’s owner, Joe Baum, to run wine courses at the venue. Zraly was not among those present at the buildings on the fateful day and nowadays the wine school he founded is run from the New York Marquis Marriott. This is one of a number of useful guides written by Zraly and it includes a moving tribute to the restaurant in which he first popularised quality wine from the American states. Various tags allow readers to find further information via smartphone or online, with links to videos and audio guides.
And finally: a book on wine and food by an Irishman. Raymond Blake is well known to wine fans here and, along with a lot of Irish people, has spent a number of years renovating a small holiday home in the French wine region of Burgundy. Few writers know more about Burgundy’s wines than he does and he puts his expertise to good use in Breakfast in Burgundy (Skyhorse, Kindle, around €12). It’s a lively personal take on the food, wine and lifestyle of the region- an ideal digestif for your Christmas dinner.
Bottles
Sparklers
Guerrieri Rizzardi Prosecco (O’Briens, independents €17.50 ). Zesty citrus fruit makes this an especially elegant Prosecco – a perfect gift for New Year celebrations.
Ca’ Montini Prosecco di Valdobbiadene (Barry & Fitzwilliam, independents €18). Elegant, dry prosecco with decent concentration for the money.
Charpentier Brut Prestige Champagne (Wines Direct €45). Made from chardonnay and pinot meunier, this is a medium weight, refreshing style, with lots of citrus and green fruit. Nice packaging lends extra elegance to this good value range.
Taittinger Brut Reserve Champagne (Febvre, O’Briens, independents, some multiples €60). Fresh, green apple enriched with yeasty notes, this is a great gift bottle.
Oyster Bay Sparkling (Tesco, O’Briens, €18 – €21). Usually discounted over Christmas, this Kiwi is one of the best value bubblies around.
Ports
Cockburns Special Reserve Port (Barry & Fitzwilliam, widely available €19). Good value, with well balanced alcohol and ripe berry and plum flavours.
Offley LBV 2007 (Classic Drinks, independents €21). Smooth plummy fruits make this perfect with soft cheese, dried fruits and nuts.
Grahams Six Grapes Port (Findlater, multiples, independents €23). Fruit driven style, good with chocolate desserts and great with a lump of parmesan cheese.
Warre Ottima 10 (Febvre, independents, some multiples). Hints of nut and caramel round out this warm, tawny port. Good with cheese and even Christmas pud.
Ramos Pinto White Port (Cassidy, independents €21). For best results, try with light cakes and fruit pies; you can also chill and serve with soda and ice as a long aperitif.
Sherries
Rey Fernando de Castilla Classic Manzanilla (Tindal, independents, €10 half). Classic aperitif style with almost salty nut flavours.
Valdespino El Candado Pedro Ximenez (Classic, independents €21). Restrained sweetness makes this good not just with puds but lighter desserts and fruits as well.
Williams & Humbert Canasta Cream (Findlater, multiples, €14). To my mind, the best of the old fashioned cream styles. A great fireside drink.
Rey Fernando de Castilla Antique Palo Cortado (Tindal, independents, €40). Perfect gift for a sherry fan. Subtle nut, dry toffee and citrus flavours, with great length of finish.
Related Articles
Lindt sweetens festive season with Lindt Teddy Augmented Reality Advent Calendar →
Fans 0
Followers