Q. I want to buy a bottle of wine for a business client of mine. I know that the recipient is a wine lover, but I know very little about wine. I have a budget of up to €100 but would prefer to pay less. What should I buy?
A. A genuine wine lover would prefer one really good bottle to two or three average bottles in a wooden gift box. Can you find out anything about their likes and dislikes? If not, don’t worry. Most wine lovers enjoy and are quite happy to try something new and exciting.
The traditional choice would be Bordeaux or Burgundy, but why not buy something different? Champagne is always a good idea, because let’s face it, who doesn’t like Champagne? The big names, such as Moët & Chandon, Veuve Cliquot, Bollinger, and Taittinger are all pretty good, but an aficionado would probably prefer a grower Champagne made by a small artisan producer. This will cost you about €100.
However, most wine lovers would probably be more excited to receive a bottle, probably red, from a less obvious region. California produces excellent Pinot Noir and other wines, as does Italy, South Africa, Spain, Portugal and Australia. Less well-known parts of France such as the Jura and Northern Rhône are also worth considering. You could even go right off piste and buy a wine from Greece (very trendy), Germany or Georgia.
If you don’t know a lot about wine, much of the above is probably not much use to you. But don’t worry; help is available. I know some people find them intimidating, but if you are lucky enough to have a good independent wine shop or off-licence nearby, I would suggest that you put yourself in their hands. Most of these shops have very friendly, knowledgeable staff who will be delighted to help you spend your money wisely. I wouldn’t leave it too long; wine shops get very busy coming up to Christmas and staff can be frazzled.
