Gift is good

By The weekly winer 15 May 2008 04:26:00

It's no secret that in our world, one of the most favorite gifts to give someone is a bottle of wine.  Whether it's for a family member, colleague, or the big client, wine or some sort of wine accessory is the best choice of gift. Or is it?  In my opinion, with a little guidance, it could be. 

As tried and true as this sort of gift might be, choosing just the right thing can get tricky.  Obviously, a tastevin would just gather dust on the average wine drinker's shelf and a primer on appellations would probably insult a connoisseur, but your options are seldom that clear or extreme.  I've gathered some information on how to divide wine lovers into three general levels of expertise.  This system is not fool proof but it should help.

Beginner

The beginner is someone who is just coming to appreciate the joys of wine and is eager to learn and experiment.  This type however, free of pretensions, is in many ways the ideal type to shop for.  Increase their shelf esteem with any number of lively and informative introductions to the grape. You can find books devoted to wine history, to specific regions and to food pairings, as well as encyclopedias that offer all that and more.  Most Beginners have a single set of wine glasses. Help them discover the benefits of the different shapes of bowl and opening sizes and expand their collection in new directions.  Also, beginners usually aren't ready to build a cellar, but a small to medium rack will capably handle a promising collection.

Enthusiast

The Enthusiast has mastered the basics, enjoys visiting wineries, may be a member of a wine club and has more than a few favorite bottles tucked away for the right moments.  They read wine reviews and love browsing in a good wine shop. There's nothing stuffy about their love of wine-it's just a part of the good life.  While it can be convincingly argued that the basic corkscrew is all you need to open a bottle, many other, more complex and elegant tools are selling well. Take things up a notch and give them a corkscrew with a college education.  Also, they just might be the type to pack a bottle or two for a weekend getaway or for a picnic in some sylvan setting. Wine totes come in everything from canvas to fine leather and protect their liquid assets.  Stemware racks are also convenient because they keep wine glasses within easy reach without taking up shelf space. And hanging glasses upside down lets them dry more easily without spotting. If your Enthusiast has a lot of wine glasses, one of these makes a great gift.  And finally, finding a wine rack for a more serious collector, the Enthusiast needs a little extra room for her wines to rest.  At this level, racks become more furniture than countertop accessories, with prices to match.

Expert

Unless you're at least a sommelier, if not a winemaker, this is the last sort of person for whom you'd presume to buy a gift of actual wine. Chances are it would only amuse or annoy. The Expert's love of wine borders on obsession. He relishes the subtlest of nuances and can (and will) describe them until your eyes glaze over. He can easily spend half an hour absorbing the contents of a good restaurant wine list.  Chillers are handy appliances that help Experts indulge their whims when it comes to whites. From one-bottle models to refrigerator-sized units, they can cool a wine from room to drinking temperature in minutes or keep a case at precisely the right temperature.  Thermometers let experts know the proper serving temperature of every wine you can name and are loath to vary that by even a few degrees. Technology makes it easy. From cork probes to point-and-shoot laser devices, all the guesswork has been eliminated.  Preservation devices are good gifts because it's not always possible to drink every bottle down to the dregs. Once the cork is out, however, wine begins to rapidly go downhill. Replacing the cork might work for most of us, but the true aficionado requires sterner measures. Methods vary, but wine preservation systems have got things down to a science.  Chances are good the Expert has a fairly extensive cellar on the premises, but it's a treat not to have to trot down to the catacombs every time you'd like a rare bottle of Amontillado.  It's the sort of specialized furniture few of us mortals would need, but the wine cabinet is the epitome of convenience for our Expert friends.  So the next time you're out hunting for the right gift to impress, keep in mind these few helpful pointers, which may bring success.

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Fred Bradshaw Says
17 June 2008 11:07:00

Your comments are spot on - I definitely fall into the "Enthusiast" class. Can you recommend a gadget better than a cork for preserving as long as possible the remaining contents of a partially consumed bottle. My great love is Chablis, especially the Premier and Grand Crus but they are not cheap and above all criminal to throw away. Hope to visit your hotel next Spring. Best wishes, Fred Bradshaw

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