What is a good gift wine?
Picking a wine as a present can be challenging particularly if you don’t know the person's taste. I like to custom choose the wines and always try to decide on a theme first to narrow the choices. CA Appellation: You could pick a wine region and offer several bottles that really example that appellation (Napa appellations Mt Veeder, Stags Leap, Oakville, Howell Mt., or Carneros, “Sideways” Santa Barbara (Pinots) Grape: You could pick varietals and select several regions that showcase it like Zinfandel from Amador Co, Dry Creek, Alexander, and Russian River Champagne: You could choose an incredible bubbly so your gift will be used for a special occasion (high end champagnes or even vintage – like Dom Pérignon, Krug, Louis Roederer, Pol Roger, Charles Heidsieck, Gosset, or my favorite a vintage Billecart Salmon Rose. Regions/Grapes:
Is there a reason to decant wine?
For an inexpensive, new, wine there's not a lot of point. It will slightly improve the aroma & taste due to aeration. For older, more expensive wines, it can be crucial.
Firstly, more for old wines, you are taking the wine off any sediment and will therefore get more usable wine out of it than if you are repeatedly picking it up/putting it down and disturbing the sediment
Secondly, the aeration you will get from decanting will have more effect than on a fresh wine due to the development of flavours & tannins that has taken part in the bottle.
So yes, decant, but you won't get much benefit from a new, cheap, wine
How many of you guys watch Gary Vaynerchuk on wine library?
Other sources are Robert Parkers ‘Wine Advocate’ and ‘Wine Spectator’ magazine. One problem I found with highly rated named wines is they are difficult to fine and this is frustrating. There are a number of reasons why. I live less than an hour drive from Napa valley. If I get a hot lead on a California wine, I can get in my car and get it. Most people cannot do that. My preferred method for avoiding buying bad wine is going to wineries and tasting their wines. I may pay a tasting fee but the bottle of bad wine never reaches my house. I may taste 20 to 40 different wines in a day. Wines are produce almost everywhere, and they are easy to find. I believe if you find a winery anyplace open for tasting, you should go in. A suggestion is to fine a small wine store. In many states they have tasting bars, and that is a plus. A knowledgeable store owner reads the ratings, and tasted the wines before the wine is put on the shelf. They will match the wine with the customer. Selling the wrong wine to a customer kills their business as the business depends on the customer returning to the store. Also, they my have some of the hard to fine wines, and best buys. If you do not have success in one store, then look for another one.
Question about wine tasting?
Wine is made with grapes. But depending on how it was made and aged, condition of the barrel blend, there are the different 'flavors'. I can't taste them myself unless it tastes like grapefruit, and obviously there is no grapefruit in the wine. It all depends on your palate and how you interpret the wine you're drinking. You can just say "I like it!" rather than trying to pick out flavors. There have only been a couple of wines where I could say "This tastes like *foo* and I sense a hit of *bah*." Wineries won't judge you, they just want to sell you their wine. If you like it, buy it. Wine tastings are over-rated. It's like trying to pick apart the tasting in a soda. "I feel like it has a nose of citrus or maybe caramel." Who cares as long as you like it and buy it.
