Tasteful gifts for the wine lover
Dec 15, 2011 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Having just returned from an unplanned six-week visit to my family home in Carmel, Calif., I find myself with a frighteningly short nine shopping days till Christmas! Thankfully, buying gifts for my wine-loving friends is much simpler than shopping for less laser-focused folks on my list. Sharing a passion with someone makes gift selection a cinch. Here is my list of what I hope to find under our tree. It's a safe bet that these would be welcome items for other wine lovers.
It was great news for me to discover that there is a new wine-preservation system available for the home. The old system of closing the bottle with a rubber valve and pumping as much oxygen as possible from the bottle helped but only for a day. Preventing oxidation has been a problem for winemakers since the first grapes were crushed 6,500 years ago. Finding a way to keep wine fresh and undamaged after opening was solved for restaurants and bars some years ago by using a complex, cumbersome and expensive system that delivered argon gas to each opened bottle.
Argon is an odorless, colorless and tasteless inert gas that is two-and-a-half times heavier than air. When introduced into an opened bottle of wine, the gas falls down, displacing the oxygen in the bottle and creating a barrier between the wine and air. That impenetrable seal will protect even the most delicate wine from oxygen for several months.
Thanks to Daryl Davies, an Australian wine lover and a clever engineer, argon gas is now available for the home market, which means that we won't have to worry about finishing a bottle of fine wine before it deteriorates. Just give your bottle a one-second squirt from a can of argon and it will remain pristine for another occasion. Open several wines and enjoy the luxury of wine by the glass at home. The product is called Winesave. It can be ordered online at winesave.com for $34.99 (postage included) for a canister that will produce 50 to 75 applications. Delivery time is seven days so you can still get it by Christmas.
If you have any French wine fanatics on your list, you really must consider a new book out in English (previously available only in French). "Guide to the Wines of France" by Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, $35) is the definitive and encyclopedic work of two of the giants of wine journalism in France.
I first met Michel in 1979 when we were affiliated with the Academie du Vin in Paris. His exceptional palate and scholarly approach to wine quickly made his reputation and he became a highly respected columnist for the iconic French publication Revue des Vins de France. He and Mr. Desseauve have published "Le Grand Guide des Vins de France" since 1996. In addition to technical information on what they consider the best producers in every region (with phone and fax numbers and website addresses), the authors also list and rate all the recent vintages from those wineries in what can be brutally honest terms. For example, in the thumbnail entry for a famous house in Burgundy: "Its wines were deftly made in the early 1990s but recent vintages have been marred by an astringent finish."
They also provide cogent answers to 20 frequently asked wine questions ranging from: "Can too much oak ruin a good wine?" to "Is an organic wine better than a nonorganic wine?" Their answers are as complex and layered as fine French wine. This tome is a must for the reference library of any serious wine student or collector. It's almost the equivalent of a graduate degree in French wines!
"A Toast to Bargain Wines" (Scribner, $15) by George M. Taber is truly a gold mine of information for wine lovers on a budget. Mr. Taber selects 10 wines for each grape variety for under $10 and two splurge bottles for each that are under $25. The author makes the case for how quality has increased greatly in inexpensive wine thanks to the technological advances of recent years. He profiles some of the iconoclastic innovators who have revolutionized the wine industry. From Australia's Yellow Tail to Charles Shaw's "Two Buck Chuck," the wine landscape is changing fast and Mr. Taber is an excellent guide into the new wine universe.
Another wine book devoted to the search for bargain wines is "Unquenchable" by Natalie MacLean, a Canadian wine journalist (Perigee, $24). Ms. MacLean travels the globe in search of great wine values. Her book is divided into eight chapters, each focusing on one country and several wineries in that country. She gives in-depth profiles of those wineries and the people she meets. From Australia to Germany to the Niagara Peninsula to South Africa to Sicily to Argentina to Portugal's Douro Valley to Provence, the author visits legendary winemakers and their families and shares their stories in a conversational style.
Not a wine guide but a great read is "Thin Skins" by Campbell Mattinson (Sterling, $22.95). This entertaining book by an award-winning Australian journalist and wine writer who is passionate about his subject will open your eyes with entirely new insights into Australian wine and the idiosyncratic individuals who make it. It's a book guaranteed to develop in you a thirst for Australian wine.
Do you know a winemaker-wannabe? For the perfect interactive wine experience, you should check out Artful Winemaker, a kit with all that is necessary to make 12 bottles of wine -- your choice of cabernet-shiraz or pinot grigio. The kit comes with a 10-plus-liter fermentation tank that sits nicely on a kitchen counter, instructions on a DVD, the grape juice, yeasts, clarifier, bottles, corks and even labels to produce a case of wine. Once you begin the process, your wine will be ready to bottle in a month. Surprise your friends with your personally made wine for $99.99 with free shipping (this reduced price is valid through Dec. 31). For this home winemaking system, go to artfulwinemaker.com.
Pittsburgh is fortunate to have a great private wine shop and wine accessory store in the Strip District. Dreadnought Wines and Palate Partners can supply you with all your wine and gift needs. What could be more welcome than a gift certificate for a tasting class? Stop by 2013 Penn Ave., call 412-391-8502 or see palatepartners.com.
Spreading cheer with gifts at Christmas is one of the joys of the holiday. And don't forget Santa. Why not leave him a glass of Sandeman Founders Port with his plate of cookies? Gingerbread men would be perfect. Happy holidays!