By Jan Norris
It can be confusing to choose a bottle of wine to take to someone else’s home — there’s the unknown menus and the host’s taste to consider.
We went to three area wine experts to get their opinions on wines that are suitable for taking along to holiday festivities.
“My safest bet is something with bubbles — always this time of year. You know it’s going to be used, whether in general or for an occasion,” said Bob Leone, manager and wine director of Crown Wines and Spirits in Boynton Beach. “After that, it’s a matter of what number you attach to it. If money’s no object, then Dom Perignon, Krug, Cristal, Bollinger or one of the tête de cuvée from the French houses. For those, you’re looking at $100 and up.”
But for drinkable bargains, he says to look for “entry level French Champagnes. He likes Billecart-Salmon Brui Reserve — “about $43 a bottle,” he said. Others on his list: Piper-Heidsieck, Louis Roederer, Veuve Cliquot’s yellow label. These will be between $35 and $60 a bottle.
Dave Spitzer, owner of Delray Beach’s Old Vines and Spirits, would likely take something “that’s maybe not the normal fare. I’d go with something a little more unusual. He likes blends, like “a La Storia Cuvee 32. It’s a 2005 from Sonoma’s Alexander Valley. It’s a nice combination of Italian with domestic California grapes. I like doing that. It’s something nobody else might bring,” and costs around $24 a bottle.
He also likes the more recent pinot grigios from California. The producers are coming around, he said, after a lackluster start with these wines. “Oregon’s Duck Pond, or King Estate’s Pinot Gris from Williamette Valley are both good choices.”
As for a meal wine, “Again, for something unusual, there’s a small producer from Williamette Valley, Z’ivo, that makes a wonderful Pinot Noir. It’s $26 to $35. They also have a wonderful white blend, Z’ivo Quartet, for $21.”
He also recommends sparkling wines as the safe bet. “Nothing says the holidays like popping a cork.” Some drinkers don’t like bone-dry sparklings, so choosing one with a slight sweetness is OK, he said, especially with different types of hors d’oeuvres and foods.
“One I like to serve before telling them where it’s from is Gruet. They have a blanc du noir and a brut. It’s from New Mexico, it’s bottle-fermented and made in the true Champagne method. And for $16, you can’t beat the price.”
His general tips: Take sparkling wines to the party already chilled if you’d like them served. Don’t buy a bottle for the price just to impress. “Take something you’re happy to share, or that you think they’d like that you found; your host will likely appreciate that gesture,” he said. And, “Remember to take off the price tag!”
Jake Card is the “wine guy” at Lantana Fine Wines and Spirits. He also says go with quality that you can afford. There’s a great deal out there under $30, so you shouldn’t have to break the bank to impress someone. “You can find Sonoma’s Bear Boat pinot noir for less than $20. For their price range, they’re a consistent pinot producer. I like their style; it’s not over heavy, but not wimpy, either.”
He recommends the French producer Jean-Luc Colombo. “They make a few different Côtes du Rhône and most can be had for $15 to $16 a bottle.” France’s Rhone region has had a lot of good vintages lately, and, he said, “Jean-Luc Colombo puts as much emphasis on their Côtes du Rhône as their $80 Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It’s always good.” These reds have body enough to stand up to heavier hors d’oeuvres, he said.
As for whites, “I picked out a Calera, a California chardonnay. It’s very consistent. They make bottles from $15 to $50, and their Central Coast chard, from $15 to $17 is not too oaky, but not too soft, either. I love it because of the price point. You can’t beat it.”
And if you don’t know if your host is a red- or white-wine drinker, he agrees that champagne is the safe bet as a gift. “I have been partial to Nicolas Feuillatte — his regular brut, which you can get for around $30. Far and away better than most of the Moet, and to my thinking, Veuve Clicquot, which everyone seems to like, but I don’t care for.” For a red wine as a gift, he likes Patz and Hall Sonoma Coast pinot noir, at $40 or so. “It’s a fantastic bottle of wine for the price.”
And a Rombauer Chardonnay, for under $40, is his white-wine choice. “It’s not stretching the imagination or finding anything new, but even in a not-so-good vintage year, they manage consistency.”
Jan Norris is a local food writer who blogs about food (and more) at www.jannorris.com.
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