A Critic’s Guide to the Best Red Wines to Gift
The idea of wrapping up a bottle of red wine to present as a gift to someone special during the holidays may pop into your head easily enough. But then immediately come a series of questions to plot your buying mission: Who are you buying the wine for? Why is wine the right gift for this person? And then, of course, what wine would be the right choice?
The “Who” past of the equation focuses on the recipient’s existing tastes. What kind of wine do they like: ripe or lean, firm or smooth, ready-to-drink or built-for-the-cellar? Do they have a preferred grape or style? Do they have a favorite region? What do they usually spend on wine? How much of a connoisseur are they? Do you know more or less about wine than them?
“Why” comes down to the intent of the gift. Is the goal to impress with a fancy bottle, to educate with a new grape or region, to inspire future explorations in bottle or in person, or to enhance their lives with a themed bottle? Or is the gift merely to share sheer enjoyment of a wine that you already love? All are valid reasons for gifting wine, so let’s break them down further.
