This is the weekly column
If you have a wine lover on your Christmas/holiday gift list, some recommendations.
Wine always is appreciated. Gift wine they enjoy, a proclivity you likely know, but if you do not, ask. If you are trying to disguise your gifting intentions, there are many clever ways to inquire. Wine lovers are never hesitant to discuss wine.
There are almost infinite options depending on the depth of your friendship and your pocketbook. For casual friends, a single bottle festively wrapped works. For deeper friendships, several bottles or large format bottles play well. You also can go with one or more bottles of high end wines costing three figures. Just do not give with the expectation they will share it with you, although that certainly can happen. Win-win.
For very close friends or family, consider a gift membership in a winery’s wine club or a non-winery subscription service. That becomes a gift appreciated all year.
Practical non-wine gifts:
• Waiter’s friend hinged corkscrew. Has everything you need to open a bottle of wine, cheap enough to be a stocking stuffer. Worst choice—winged corkscrew. Everything about a winged corkscrew is wrong.
• Simple wine decanter. Avoid fancy, showy ones that are easy to break and impossible to clean.
• Wine chiller. Essentially an insulating shield to keep wine at the proper temperature. The most popular are made of stainless steel or marble.
Wine reading/research material:
• Magazine subscriptions. Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast are the leading monthly magazines.
• Website subscriptions. Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast are excellent online; unfortunately, they are not bundled with the printed magazine. Wine Folly offers on-line classes, informing videos, and Wine Folly—The Master Guide ($21) is an excellent, easy reference book. RobertParker.com and JamesSuckling.com are filled with searchable wine evaluations and features. wine-searcher.com and vivino.com are search engines for almost every wine made. And there is my Substack blog: gusclemens.substack.com .
Books:
• Rosé Revolution by Rasmus Emborg and Jens Honoré—massive, beautiful coffee-table tome. $45
• Wine and the White House: A History by Frederick J. Ryan, Jr.—massive, beautiful coffee-table tome. $65
• Malbec mon amour by Laura Catena and Alejandro Vigil—definitive work; Catena is Argentina’s leading spokesperson for (and maker of) malbec. $20
• The Mad Crush: An Obscure California Vineyard and the Quest to Make One Great Wine by Sean C. Weir—engaging, expanded version of cult winemaking memoir (paperback). $15
Last round
Q: Why is Christmas just like your job?
A: You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit who only works one night a year gets all the credit. Wine time.
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