{"id":2451907,"date":"2019-12-05T17:50:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T00:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=317081"},"modified":"2019-12-05T17:50:00","modified_gmt":"2019-12-06T00:50:00","slug":"wineink-gifting-wine-for-the-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/wineink-gifting-wine-for-the-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"WineInk: Gifting wine for the holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Vineyards rows covered by snow in winter at sunset and barrels of wine. Chianti region countryside, Siena, Tuscany, Italy<\/strong>
Getty Images\/iStockphoto | iStockphoto<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Is wine on your holiday gift list?<\/p>\n

On the surface, wine may seem a pretty pedestrian gift. After all, how often, when invited to dinner at a friend\u2019s house, have you absent-mindedly picked up a store-bought wine to take along? It feels so obligatory.<\/p>\n

But what if you went a bit deeper when choosing wines for holiday gifts? What if you sought a wine with meaning? Made a selection that shows you have taken time to really think about the person you are gifting, wines with significance for them? It need not be expensive. At the holidays it is the thought that counts.<\/p>\n

So how do you pull it off? The most fun way to be a Santa Claus of wine is to go to your local wine shop and simply ask the proprietor, \u201cWhat\u2019s a great gift?\u201d Give them a price range and let them lead you through the wines. I did this recently at a number of shops posing the question, \u201cWhat wine in your shop would be a great present if somebody bought it for you for the holidays?\u201d<\/p>\n

Each wine guy spent about 30 minutes roaming around his store, picking up different wines before landing on one or two that met the criteria. It was an education in itself.<\/p>\n

There are a number of options to take the gift of wine to the next level. You may start by looking for a wine that is hard to find, something unique, maybe even a rarity. Who doesn\u2019t appreciate having a wine made in limited quantity, one that can only be shared by a chosen few?<\/p>\n

Johnny Invansco from Carbondale\u2019s Sopris Liquor and Wines offered up a wine so rare that only 60 magnums were produced. \u201cI love this producer!\u201d he exclaimed, as he went big with a magnum of 2017 Walter Scott Seven Springs Vineyard Pinot Noir ($149.99). This fruit is sourced from the Seven Springs Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, owned by Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman.<\/p>\n

Then there are wines that come with a story. Maybe a tale exclusive to you and the recipient. It could be something you have shared before, or from a vintage marking the year the two of you met. It could even be a wine that just reminds you both of a moment or place or perhaps a film you have in common.<\/p>\n

\u201cWine is best enjoyed with friends and family, and if it can evoke a memory, it has done its job,\u201d said Sanjay Kanchanlal of Broodmoor Wines and Spirits in Colorado Springs when asked for a suggestion. \u201cI would like to recommend a 2016 Hitching Post Highliner Pinot Noir. It\u2019s not expensive and has a great story.\u201d (It is featured in the movie \u201cSideways.\u201d) If you have ever been to the wonderful Hitching Post restaurant in the Central Coast California wine country, this $40 bottle will take you right back.<\/p>\n

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Jason Sterner from of Grape and Grain holds highlights from Santa Barbara\u2019s Habit Winery.<\/strong>
Kelly J. Hayes<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Despite a collection of many of the world\u2019s most sought-after wines that line the walls at Of Grape and Grain in Aspen, proprietor Jason Sterner would also welcome wines from Santa Barbara that come with a story. \u201cWe visited this guy Jeff Fischer in Los Olivos who makes these great wines at Habit Winery. He is also a voice actor who does animated films and commercials.\u201d Jason held up two bottles of Habit Wines, a 2018 Gruner Veltliner and Red Blend led by Cabernet Franc that sell for $34 and $49 respectively. Bargains in a shop that includes many three- and even four-figure wines.<\/p>\n

Another option is to build what I call a world wine box, selecting wines from different countries with grapes indigenous to or identified with those places. Who would not want to receive a well-wrapped box of wines that includes, maybe, a Chianti Classico from Italy, Champagne from France, a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand\u2019s South Island, and an Aussie Shiraz? It\u2019s a trip around the world in wine that will last long after the holidays are over.<\/p>\n

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Burgundy is always a welcome gift for Bill Reilly at Aspen Wine & Spirit.<\/strong>
Kelly J. Hayes<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI always would welcome a Burgundy,\u201d Bill Reilly of Aspen Wine and Spirit smiled as he hustled past great California and Italian wines in his Aspen shop toward a wall of specially selected Burgundian wines. \u201cLet\u2019s see,\u201d he said as he picked up a number of bottles before settling on a 2017 Pierre Giradin Les Vaumuriens with a wax-dipped closure. \u201cThere are so many great young, next-generation producers who are doing things in Burgundy and this wine from Vincent Giradin\u2019s son is an example. And it costs less than a $100.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Roger Carlson stands proudly with a bottle of Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon in Aspen\u2019s Grog Shop<\/strong>
Kelly J. Hayes<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Finally, you can just go with a classic wine from a classic maker. There is not a wine lover on the planet who would not be honored with a gift of a bottle of 2016 Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. \u201cWow,\u201d uttered Aspen\u2019s Roger Carlsen as he went back and forth from his Barolo and Barbaresco selections to the California Cabs in his Aspen Grog Shop before settling on this gem from one of the great wineries in the world. \u201cComplex and layered,\u201d he said with satisfaction. I almost thought he was going to open the bottle right there.<\/p>\n

When looking for a gift this holiday season, don\u2019t forget the wine. It\u2019s as much fun to buy as it is to give.<\/p>\n

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vineyards rows covered by snow in winter at sunset and barrels of wine. Chianti region countryside, Siena, Tuscany, ItalyGetty Images\/iStockphoto | iStockphoto Is wine on your holiday gift list? On the surface, wine may seem a pretty pedestrian gift. After all, how often, when invited to dinner at a friend\u2019s house, have you absent-mindedly picked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2451907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-19 03:33:02","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2451907"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451907\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2451907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2451907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2451907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}