What are Legs in Wine an Indicator of?
December 19, 2012
Wine Myths…Busted: Is an Aged Wine Better than a Younger Wine?
December 17, 2012
Click here for the rest of my Wine Myths Busted series.
Posted in Facts | Tagged aged wine, what is the best wine, Wine Myths Busted, Young wine | Leave a comment //First World Wine Problems.
December 17, 2012
The ULTIMATE Guide to Buying a Gift for a Wine Lover.
December 13, 2012
Buying a gift for a wine lover can be deceptively tricky. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s a lot of wine-gadget junk on the market! Something that most-often looks “really cool” on the shelf at Target, once gifted to a wine lover I guarantee will result in them thinking: “What the hell am I going to use this piece of crap for?” The reason I know this is because I’ve had the exact same thought myself on numerous occasions!
Before we move onto my suggestions, let’s first quickly analyze gift-giving in general, and then relate it to wine. Wine gifts should be:
1. Surprising and fun.
Granted a gifting a bottle of Boone’s Farm to a “known wine lover” is both surprising and fun, but a different kind of surprising and fun! With that said, I have at least 3 bottles of Boone’s Farm sat on my wine rack at home. The first time I received a bottle from a friend for my birthday we all had a good laugh about it. By the third bottle, the joke had worn a little thin…
Whatever you choose to buy, make sure you keep the element of surprise at the forefront, and the fun will surely follow. Gifting someone with a bottle of wine you found at the grocery store will not cut it!
2. An item that he/she wouldn’t buy themselves.
Ok, so the Boone’s Farm meets this criteria as well, but again for different reasons!
The key to buying a gift for a wine lover that they wouldn’t buy themselves is simple: If you know they’re generally a Cabernet drinker, find them something similar they would probably also enjoy i.e. Washington State Bordeaux blend, Australian Shiraz, full-bodied Argentine Malbec, aged Spanish Rioja etc.
If you plan on gifting wine, something a little “off the beaten” path is always a good idea, so they can also expand their horizons! Just make sure you don’t get too far away from what you know this particular wine lover drinks e.g. gifting a bottle of Austrian Gruner Veltiner to a a predominantly Cali Cab drinker!
3. Something the recipient will use/drink and enjoy using/drinking.
In order to meet this criteria, practicality is key! Like I said, there’s a lot of junk (both in wine and wine accessories) on the market; but, you need to be able to picture the recipient either using the particular wine accessory, or thoroughly enjoying this particular wine.
Someone (a family member) bought me a bottle of ChocoVine last Christmas…and they didn’t mean it as a joke! It’s ok though, as I still found use for it. I made ChocoVine brownies. It was either that or handing it back to them with a “Wow! You don’t know me at all, do you? Get this crap out of my house ASAP!!!” thrown in for good measure…and that’s just not polite…
Here are my best suggestions for giving gifts to wine lovers:
Wine…duh!
This should be obvious, but wine lovers appreciate wine! Once again though, just in case I wasn’t clear the first time: DO NOT GIFT A WINE LOVER WITH GROCERY STORE WINE! I’m not saying you need to drop big bucks on a Grand Cru Burgundy; but if you buy from a grocery store, a true wine lover will know it! I promise you, they will!
So what’s the alternative? Well here’s a perfect example: We had a couple of friends over for dinner a few night ago. They stopped in at a wine store here in Jacksonville (Riverside Liquors to be exact), and stated: “We’re going over to Kris Chislett’s house for dinner, can you pick two wines for me?”
Now, they obviously know me at this wine store, but our friends could have quite easily stated: “We’re going to dinner at this guy’s house and he’s really into wine. He’s a bit of a snob…in a fun way though! Could you pick me out a couple of bottles that won’t break that bank, and that he’s probably never tasted? No preference on country…blah blah blah…”
The people working at wine stores love to pick wine for other people. Seriously! They live for it and the bonus is that they can throw some fun facts about the wine your way. This way, you can pretend that you put a lot of thought into the wine and actually did a little research on it. Shoot for $15 and above to “guarantee” something eclectic and with a good story behind it.
Wine Books
![The ULTIMATE Guide to Buying a Christmas Gift for a Wine Lover.](http://www.jacksonvillewineguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Best-Wine-Books.jpg "The ULTIMATE Guide to Buying a Christmas Gift for a Wine Lover.\")
Books should be a surefire way to please any self-proclaimed wine aficionado, but you need to be careful. There’s a difference between someone who really enjoys wine and someone who wants to learn more about it! I have friends with huge wine cellars, the contents of which would probably be valued at more than my house is worth, but ask them to name the five red grapes of Bordeaux and they’ll just stare straight through you.
If you’re going to buy a wine book for someone, you need to know that they have a real interest in furthering their knowledge of wine and wine culture.
Here’s a few books I recommend (since I’m reading them myself right now):
- The Curious World of Wine: Facts, Legends, and Lore About the Drink We Love So Much.
- Divine Vintage: Following the Wine Trail from Genesis to the Modern Age.
- Power Entertaining: Secrets to Building Lasting Relationships, Hosting Unforgettable Events, and Closing Big Deals from America’s 1st Master Sommelier
Interactive Wine Tasting: On Point Pinot Noir Christinna’s Cuvee, North Coast California.
December 11, 2012
Don’t worry! This video isn’t as long as it seems! It’s an interactive wine tasting, which involves a little audience participation!
Posted in Reviews | Tagged best Pinot Noir, California, Fulcrum Pinot Noir, Interactive wine tasting, North Coast, On Point Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir | Leave a comment //Win a Set of EssenTiles Wine Charms!
December 11, 2012
Imagine the scene, if you will:
There’s a Christmas party at your house. You’ve invited everyone from your work, your friends, family, tennis partners…the whole shebang! Anyone of any relevance in your life is at your party! You went the extra step and splurged on an outside caterer, so the food is amazing! You dropped $7,000 on vino at the wine store just for this party. Everyone is having a blast! It’s actually the party of the century! This is the kind of party that will, quite possibly, make its way into the history books!
…then what happens…?
Someone mistakenly drinks wine out of someone else’s wine glass, after they forget which one is theirs….AND SUDDENLY ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE!!! Chairs are flying over your head! Wine bottles are being used as weapons!! Someone sets your TV on fire!!! There’s broken glass under your feet!!!! Even your neighbors are joining-in!!!! Then your boss, (who happens to have a wine glass lodged in his skull) screams at the top of his lungs “WHAT KIND OF IDIOT THROWS A PARTY AND DOESN’T PROVIDE WINE CHARMS!?!?! DON’T BOTHER COMING TO WORK ON MONDAY!!!! YOU’RE FIRED!!!”….then he keels over and dies.
Now, wouldn’t it be nice to know that this all too familiar scene could have been avoided if you’d had just gotten your hands on an amazing set of wine charms? Well worry no more, because I’m giving away 2 SETS OF AMAZING WINE CHARMS!!!
EssenTiles are not your ordinary wine charms! Absolutely not! These are wine charms with a personality! “Upcycled” from vintage Scrabble pieces and altered media, Essentiles owner Hilory Wagner gives her charms the utmost attention to detail, crafting each set with her own two hands. Make sure you take a look at the EssenTiles website for some of her other designs: http://www.etsy.com/shop/essentiles
By now, you probably know that I like to make these competitions simple, and this one is no different; except, that I want to fill this one with a little-bit of holiday spirit! Here’s all you have to do to win the two sets of wine charms (BLOG WINE and the iPhone icons) in the top photo:
– Visit the EssenTiles Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/essentiles).
– Give it a “like” and write something “festive” on Hilory’s wall i.e. “Merry Christmas!!!” or “Happy Festivus!!!!” etc etc etc.
– That’s it. I’m not even kidding. If you want it simpler than that…well…I don’t know what to tell you.
Entrants will be tracked by myself. This competition ends at midnight on Monday December 17th 2012 and the winner will be announced via private Facebook message, where I’ll obtain your shipping address. You should receive the prize in time for Christmas. Good luck!
← Older posts Newer posts →
