Christmas Wine Gifts

Buying wine as a present has never been easier. Many wine merchants offer an online service and you can have your bottle (or bottles) of wine delivered in a silk-lined wooden box to friends, family or colleagues. Some even do personalised bottle labels. You can find a wide choice of high quality wines to suit every budget and there are also some great bargains on cases of wine where the price per bottle can often compete very favourably with supermarket prices. From a rich fruity Spanish Tempranillo or a full-bodied velvety Australian Shiraz to classic Chardonnays and fresh Romanian and Hungarian whites there is something for everyone. All you have to do is choose your wine.

If you want to play it safe then you can’t go wrong with classic French wines. Go for red wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone. These wines have a longer drinking window (usually 5 to 10 years plus) and are therefore suitable for laying down. Claret, a dry red wine produced in the Bordeaux region, is a particularly good option. These would make an ideal gift for someone with a wine cellar or who is thinking about creating a wine cellar. Or just anyone who simply enjoys the finer things in life. For white wines, go for established classics like Chablis or White Burgundy.

You can also go for a good all-round versatile wine that everyone can enjoy. Choose crisp dry white wines such as Pinot Grigio, unoaked Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc. Chablis and Sancerre are also good options. For versatile red wines opt for Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz. You could also choose a soft and fruity wine like a Beaujolais or a young Rioja (recently re-labelled with a brighter, more modern logo to appeal to the younger market).

If you want to give someone a bottle of something more fun and festive, then sparkling is the way to go. Champagne always makes a good wine gift and is ideal for special occasions. If you can’t afford champagne, there are many decent sparkling wines around, in particular from New World countries like Australia. Prosecco is one sparkling wine that has seen a recent increase in popularity, mainly due to it’s similarity to champagne. Grown in the Veneto region of Italy the grapes are ripened late to produce a very dry sparkling white wine. Look out for organic varieties full of fresh citrus flavours.

Fiona Muller has been writing for over 20 years. She is a qualified journalist and has worked in food and drink writing for the last few years. Laithwaites full range of wine gifts can be found at www.laithwaites.co.uk