Wine
We bought our Christmas tree on Thanksgiving Day this year. It is a beautiful Frazier fir with full symmetrical branches and the tip of the tree barely grazes the ceiling in our living room. Last year we made the mistake of waiting until Dec. 23.
We ended up buying the last tree at Target. One side appeared to have been dragged behind a high performance pick-up truck during the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb. The other side looked malnourished and smelled faintly of dog poop. The gentleman working the outside section of Target chopped the top off and wrapped the remainder in a plastic bag that resembled a hospital gown (completing the sick tree analogy). We decided that day that we would never wait to buy a tree again.
With Christmas arriving quickly on the heel of Thanksgiving, we barely have time to wipe the gravy off of our chins (I’m working on my second) before present buying begins. Much like the Christmas tree, our window of opportunity for present purchasing shrinks as C-Day approaches, and wine lovers are infamously hard to shop for. In the spirit of Christmas (I hope Michelle reads this), I’ll attempt to highlight some “can’t fail” wino gifts.
Who doesn’t want to give a gift that keeps on giving? The obvious choice would be stemware. One wine glass says “lonely”, so splurge for at least two (most come in sets of four). If you are feeling hip, buy some Riedel O’s. They don’t have stems and retail for around 20 bucks for two. If you aren’t scared of the bubbly, a couple high quality Champagne flutes might set the mood. Spiegelau puts little pinholes in the bottom of theirs to help form bubbles, and Riedel puts little X’s in theirs. A decanter makes a truly wonderful gift. It isn’t handled as frequently as the stemware, so it’s chances of surviving until next Christmas are pretty good. Decanters come in many shapes (one even looks like a duck).
Wine books make a wonderful gift. There are literally hundreds to choose from at the local bookstores. You can buy a book on a certain wine region, one with tasting notes, or a complete wine course. If you want to get real crafty, scour the used bookstores for some vintage wine books. I often find old books for two or three bucks each. You could even use a gift certificate to a local bottle shop as a bookmark!
If you really like this person, nothing says loving like a wine storage unit equipped with a chilling device. Prices can be exorbitant, but Home Depot has some nice 40-60-bottle coolers for under 200 bucks. Sure, they don’t have the temperature gauge, but you can buy a cheap one and sit it in there for the first few days until you get the temperature set on 55 degrees.
If your inebriated other already has these things, you may have to fall back on old faithful. Wine is a great gift for wine lovers! Decide how much money you want to spend and then search for quality, not quantity. I’d rather be remembered for momentarily causing a great deal of pleasure, than for supplying a case of lackluster libations. Find out which wine shop your enthusiast invests in and hit the proprietor up for some bottle recommendations. Noone knows what a wino likes more than the wino dealer.
These all make wonderful gifts. There is, however, one gift that dwarfs the others. Support your fledging winoholic. Taste weird wines with him/her. Get involved in the purchasing, and make an honest attempt to figure out exactly where all that time and money are going. The true gift that you can give is the gift of sharing your loved one’s passion for wine.
As an aside, our new tree is beginning to dry up already. I can’t even smell it anymore. We bought a candle today that smells like Christmas tree to make up for it. I’m buying a fake tree next year.
Contact Matt Devan at wineguy@lagniappemobile.com.
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