11126 Ten Top Wine Choices For Christmas Gifts

Only one I see from Italy, a Chianti ..... Fair???

From The Sunday Times, November 30, 2008

A bottle of wine says so much more about the giver than a pair of socks or a tie: and it's bound to be the right size...
Joanna Simon
Wine is always a welcome gift, even more welcome in the current climate — and you don’t have to spend a fortune to find something special with a story to tell. Better still, make sure you have some of these to pour at your own celebrations.

2007 Christophe Pichon Viognier, £14, Vine Trail; 0117 921 1770

Even if you can afford the Rhône’s top white wine (Condrieu, at £20 upwards) I’d give this vin de pays. It tastes of Condrieu, heady floral perfume, apricot flavour, silky texture, because it’s made from the same grape variety, viognier, and grown on the same granitic east-facing slopes, but just a bit further south. Give it to anyone who loves sensual white wine.

2006 Etienne Sauzet La Tufera Bourgogne Chardonnay, £13.80, Tanners; 01743 234500

One for devotees of fine white burgundy, especially Puligny-Montrachet, or fans of new-world chardonnay who want to see why there’s such a fuss about French wine. This comes from two parcels of old vines just beyond the Puligny-Montrachet boundaries, hence the simple Bourgogne designation. It’s elegant, nutty and mineral.

2007 Ken Forrester FMC Chenin Blanc, £17-£18, Tesco, Waitrose

This is a statement wine. It’s mouth-fillingly rich, nutty and creamy, with flavours of apricot and cocoa, and it’s off-dry: the wine equivalent of a voluptuous yet majestic blonde. It’s produced in Stellenbosch from chenin blanc and fermented and aged in French oak barrels.

1998 Alfred Gratien Millésime Champagne, £38, Berry Bros & Rudd; 0870 900 4300

If you can still afford Krug or Cristal, give, give, give. If you can’t, choose Alfred Gratien, an insider’s champagne. This has honeyed crystallised-fruit flavours, hints of toast and steely acidity. If the recipient feels there’s nothing to celebrate at the moment, this will outlast any recession.

2004 Selvapiana Bucerchiale Chianti Rufina, £20, selected Marks & Spencer outlets

Selvapiana only keeps the wine from the Bucerchiale vineyard separate from the rest of the estate’s wine in the very best years, so that makes this special for a start. It has subtly spicy aromas and lovely savoury cherry flavours. It will keep for up to 12 years, but maybe there’s somebody who would share it with you sooner.

2004 Château Lalande-Borie Saint-Julien, £19.99, Majestic

Lalande-Borie is under the same ownership as the glittering Château Ducru- Beaucaillou, so this is a chance to savour some of the magic of a top bordeaux at a more affordable price. Supple and cedary, with sweet fruit and a velvet finish.

2006 Yering Station Shiraz Viognier, Yarra Valley, £11, Sainsbury’s

Stylish, full-bodied Oz shiraz with 5% viognier to give a lift to the perfume. It’s not aged in oak, so the purity of the fruit shows, and there are also touches of dark chocolate and spice.

2006 CarinaE Malbec Reserva, Mendoza, £9, Stone, Vine & Sun; 01962 712351

If the intended recipient is a Francophile, play up the French connections: malbec is the grape in Cahors, and the consultant winemaker, Michel Rolland, is from Bordeaux. This is full-bodied and oaky, but not hefty, with a ripe blackberry and black- pepper character.

1995 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904, £25 (£20 when you buy 2), Majestic

Rioja is one of the most popular reds, but this is grand old Rioja. It’s a gran reserva (top category) from a benchmark bodega, and full of autumnal sweetness, sandalwood and cigar-box flavours.

2005 Aurélien Verdet Gevrey Chambertin, £23.75, A&B Vintners; 01892 724977

Want to make someone feel really special? Give them good red burgundy. Aurélien Verdet’s Gevrey is fragrant with cherries and roses, and has a palate that is both sweet and savoury, vibrant and pure. It’s delicious now, but it will open out over the next four years. Make sure you’re around.