Dads and Grads
by Leslie-Ann Sheppard
owner of The Cellar on Surfside Road.
June is a busy month. The most popular month for weddings, it is also the big month for high school and college graduations and for Father’s Day. There are often barbeques and parties to celebrate these milestones. There are gifts being given—to Dads, to college grads, and to party hosts. Coming up with great gifts can be challenging, but here is a somewhat easy solution: the gift of wine.
How do you choose a great bottle for a gift? Here are some suggestions.
The most important rule is to focus on the recipient of the wine, and to make it personal. What do you know about the person’s likes or dislikes?
If your recipient is an easy to please person, and the gift is mostly a “gesture,” then keep it simple. A bottle of wine under $20 is a nice gesture. In this range, you can find just about any wine type, from California chardonnay to Australian Shiraz. If you have a wine that you really like, this is the perfect choice because you’ve tried it and it shows that you want to share something you enjoyed. Also in the good value category are wines from ‘minor’ regions, like the South of France, much of Spain, Chile, and Argentina. If you like the wine, your giftee probably will as well.
If, like most recent college graduates, your gift recipient likes wine but doesn’t know much about it, a gift certificate to your favorite wine shop is a good gift. This gets the giftee in the door and hopefully into a wine conversation. Or put together a selection of wines that are each different and an opportunity to taste different varietals or regions. At The Cellar, we offer a monthly ‘4pack’ of hand-selected wines at a discount. June’s selection was created with the Dad or grad in mind- they are easy-pleasing, good BBQ wines- two whites and two reds. But you could also design your own gift basket with your personal choices.
A little more difficult is selecting wine for ‘foodies’— people who regularly dine out, order wine, pay attention to food and wine pairings, or have worked in good restaurants or attended wine tastings. It’s best to try to focus on their specific preferences, and then perhaps shop for something that’s one step removed from their usual choice.
For example, if your giftee always drinks California chardonnay, selecting a chardonnay from France – a white Burgundy – is a good choice. It acknowledges their preferences while offering a new experience. True foodies will appreciate the opportunity to broaden their horizons. Likewise, if the recipient is really into cabernet-based wines, consider a ‘Super Tuscan’ or a nice Rioja. You can get help from your knowledgeable wine merchant to make these connections.
I find the most challenging person to give wine to is ‘The Connoisseur.’ This most likely will not refer to a college graduate, but perhaps to a dad on your Father’s Day list. Choosing a bottle of wine for a wine enthusiast who already has a cellar filled with top class older California cabernets, Bordeaux, Burgundies, Barolos, and Barbarescos can be tricky.
Instead of trying to give The Connoisseur something in the same league as his cellar stock, I consider wine that is ready to drink now. Rosé Champagne is always a winner, as is vintage port. Well-known Champagne such as Billecart-Salmon, Dom Perignon, or Veuve Cliquot are always welcome gifts, but so are the lesser-known houses that produce excellent Champagne, some at a better value than the best-known names. A few to try: Duval-Leroy, Lilbert-Fils, and Gosset.
Other ready-to-drink options are Argentinian malbec, classy old-world whites such as Sancerre or Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, or something unique from a highly regarded vintage or producer.
If you want to buy something cellar-worthy, it’s not difficult. Figure out your budget, and consult with a knowledgeable wine merchant. You can always find something if you have the means to obtain it. There are plentiful websites that offer advice and scores of thousands of wines, but there is no substitute for a living, breathing wine professional who has personally tasted the wine and possibly even visited the vineyards. Another bonus is that you can pass along any personal anecdotes to the gift recipient.
In addition to giving wine, there are other great options for the person who appreciates wine. Wine glasses are great gifts, and there are many options at different price points in this category. Wine carriers and wine openers also make good gifts. Personally, though, I’d prefer to receive wine itself.
Finally, if I do decide to go all out and splurge on a special bottle of wine for that special someone, I make sure to let giftee know that the bottle is for him or her. This lets the person know that I don’t expect that the bottle will be opened on that specific occasion.
