Gifts for Wine Drinkers

Today, we look at some of the basic requirements for any aspiring wine drinker and we pair them with appropriately tasty wine. It's one, or two-stop shopping, for wine lovers and these gifts won't be shoved into a big drawer never to be used again.

Begin with the most important tool required to enjoy wine: the wine glass. In a nutshell, it should have a decent length stem (to hold) and a generous size bowl (to swirl your wine in), say 10-14 ounces. The rim should be smaller in circumference than the mid-section of the glass (to funnel the bouquet) and the rim should be thin to allow the wine to interact with your palate quickly and efficiently.

The Riedel Ouverture red wine glass is my all-purpose choice. At about 12 ounces, it's all you need in an everyday red or white glass and it is sturdy. It performs best about a third full. Shop around because prices can vary significantly from $6 to $12 a stem. Other brands are just fine. Remember, it's more about the shape than the manufacturer. I suggest Riedel because I use them every day and once you learn how to handle them (as in not snapping the stem off), they can take a beating. You can also put them in the dishwasher, which makes them an even more attractive buy.

Another much-welcomed gift is the decanter. A simple, clear glass design that pours without dribbling is always useful for separating the sediment at the bottom of the bottle in most old wines. For young wines, decanting is a quick and easy technique to literally breathe some life into the wine. This is especially true for young red wines under screw cap that can be reductive or a bit stinky when you open them given they spend most of their life in an oxygen-deprived environment. A decanter can add value to any bottle of wine just by letting it breathe a bit.

Wine books are another thoughtful gift. Reading about a wine style or a region while you taste a corresponding wine is a terrific way to absorb pertinent information about the wine in your glass. Great reference books work as well as the newest books out. The seminal guide is The Oxford Companion to Wine by Jancis Robinson. The best read of the year for wine geeks is Authentic Wine by Goode and Harrop.

Whether you go with glasses, books or the decanter, make sure you add a canister or two of Private Preserve, essentially a pressurized aluminum bottle of neutral gas that allows you to keep unfinished open bottles of wine for days, if not weeks. All you do is spray a puff or two of the gas into the bottle, re-cork it, and store in the fridge. You can find it in better wine shops for about $15 a canister and it will last for about 75 bottles.

White wine drinkers will be delighted to receive the Montes Classic Series Sauvignon Blanc 2010 with its fresh lemon and dried herbs nose and green fruit and gooseberry flavours with the perfect tension between acidity and fruit. Super value but only available through Everything Wine private stores.

The Marisco Vineyards The Kings Thorn Pinot Gris 2010 is mostly fermented (90 per cent) in stainless steel with 10 per cent placed in French oak puncheons for added texture and weight. Expect a floral rose water and almond scented nose. The attack is full and rich, with ripe fruit characters and more floral, pear fruit flavours with a touch of butter. Try this with avocado sushi rolls.

The Wine Men of Gotham 2008 has a heady, savoury nose flecked with rich chocolate. The palate is equally rich and soft with sweet, dark fruit flavours lined with spice and oak. A bit on the dense, soft, sweet fruit side but with enough savoury elements to provide some balance. Perfect with strong meat dishes or cheese.

The freshness of Sicilian reds is often surprising and it's the case with Branciforti Fuedi Bordonaro Nero d'Avola 2009. The attack is round, fresh and supple, the fruit juicy with plum jam, black cherry, spicy and ripe olive flavours. There is a touch of acid on the finish but it is balanced by the great fruit intensity. It's good value for current drinking.

There is something about the savoury spicy, black cherry, tobacco, and pepper nose of the Argentine Los Hormigas Malbec 2009 that attracts. The palate is fresh and juicy with light tannins and cedary black cherry fruit flecked with smoky, savoury, meaty flavours. A solid red for holiday entertaining that would look good in a decanter.

If you want to impress a collector, look no further than the Penfolds RWT Shiraz 2008. We've been a fan of RWT since its inception, but the 2008 is perhaps the most complete yet from winemaker Peter Gago. The 100-per-cent French oak (83 new) version of Grange may surpass the Oz icon with its restrained intensity. It's a giant wine but the mix of blackberry jam, white pepper, fruit cake, tobacco and dried herbs on the nose projects a sense of elegance. That goes ditto for its saturated palate of black fruits, plums and spice with the subtle French oak finish. A super red for the cellar.

Wine Men of Gotham 2008, South Australia, Australia

Price: $15

UPC: 009341995000127

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Loads of rich chocolate with savoury notes.

Montes Classic Series Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Valle del Curicó, Region del Valle Central, Chile

Price: $18 Everything Wine only

UPC: 00715126022125

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Fresh lemons dried herbs a dash of green fruit and gooseberry; all in balance.

Marisco Vineyards The Kings Thorn Pinot Gris 2010, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand

Price: $20

UPC: 009421901182083

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Try this with avocado sushi rolls.

Branciforti Fuedi Bordonaro Nero d'Avola 2009, Sicily, Italy

Price: $14

UPC: 008002815404525

Score: 86/100

Remarks: Fine fruit intensity for current drinking. Good value.

Los Hormigas Malbec 2009, Mendoza, Argentina

Price: $15

UPC: 00806145000017

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Savoury, spicy, black cherry fruit that is good value.

Penfolds RWT Shiraz 2008, Barossa Valley, South Australia

Price: $140

UPC: 012354072602

Score: 94/100

Remarks: This gives Grange a run for its money; cellar through 2020

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Stemware+season/5803210/story.html#ixzz1goqRFBdA