During the holiday season, I am often asked for recommendations as to which wines to give as gifts.
Firstly, you should distinguish between whether you are gifting the wine to a friend or a business contact.
When you are choosing a wine for a friend as a gift, the key is personalization. Perhaps you recall that your friend likes Champagne or that they just travelled to a certain country. If you have a product consultant helping you, you can describe your friend and what types of wines your friend enjoys. What makes any gift special, whether it is wine or otherwise, is that thought has gone into choosing it. When your friend receives your gift of wine, they’re going to care less about the wine rating, and more about why you chose that particular wine for them. Receiving a bottle that is chosen with care and from the heart makes any wine taste 100-per-cent better.
When gifting wine in a business setting to a colleague, client or boss, I believe your wine selection is less about personalizing your gift and more about what you want that person to know about you. For example, if you want to give someone the impression that you care about the environment, you might select an organic wine. Or, if you want someone to see you as casual and free spirited, you might give that person a wine with a label or name that is lighthearted and funny. Rightly or wrongly, people form an impression about you based on the wine you’ve gifted them. If you don’t believe me, the next time you get invited to a party, try bringing a half bottle of wine and see what reaction you get, compared to bringing a magnum (1.5 litres, equivalent to 2 bottles of wine).
Now that I have spent the entire article telling you to personalize choices when gifting wines, here are some of my some of current favourite wines for gifting which can be found at BC Liquor stores.
Church & State Lost Inhibitions – Church & State is a fun B.C. winery that has vineyards in the Okanagan and Vancouver Island. Their Lost Inhibitions red and white wine labels are colorful and very unique. Messages on their bottles include “Dang, You Are Handsome” or “What’s the Wifi?” But don’t let the irreverence fool you – these are great wines. The red is $17.99 and the white is $16.99.
Torbreck 2017 Woodcutter Shiraz – Torbreck is a magnificent Australian producer who makes some very high-end wines. Woodcutter’s Shiraz uses grapes from younger vines and is a wine they imagine a woodcutter would enjoy drinking: rich and full bodied. Even though this is considered one of the more affordable wines in their portfolio, the quality and care of the producer still shows through in the wine. $36.99
Piper Heidsieck 2002 Rare – For all you big spenders, this is something anyone will appreciate. This is the exact champagne that was served at this year’s Oscars to those attending the Governor’s Ball. I always think Champagne is such a wonderful gift – it's so celebratory. The bottle is highly ornate and the Champagne inside is excellent as 2002 was a spectacular vintage. $219.99.
Tony Kwan is the Richmond News' new columnist. Lawyer by day, food and wine lover by night, Kwan is an epicurean who writes about wine, food and enjoying all that life has to offer.
