Scratching your head for the perfect gift for your favourite wine lover?
Fortunately, with the wide range of wines, wine opening and storing gadgets, accessories and books out there, the challenge is not so much finding gift options but in narrowing them down.
Some suggestions then from the highlights of wines tasted this year:
Antonij Rupert Wyne recently unveiled the 2020 Optima (±R250), a beautiful Bordeaux-style blend released only when it’s considered well matured and ready for optimal enjoyment.
The blend components of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, from Franschhoek and Darling vineyards, are matured separately in oak, 30% new, for 30 months before blending and further bottle maturation.
The result is silky-smooth yet structured, the deep red colour hinting at the dense, concentrated dark red fruit accentuated with cedar and oak spice, cocoa and aromatic herbal notes.
Elegant, sophisticated, well-rounded, a real treat to savour now or cellar for later.
Also from Antonij Rupert, the maiden vintage released this year of the L’Ormarins Private Cuvee Cap Classique (±R450) is not only beautiful to look at — an ornate designer bottle in decorative gold gift box — but a super-elegant refined bubbly to drink.
From cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, it has been matured on the lees for 72 months, allowing the wine to develop complexity and character, balancing vibrant citrus fruits with the richness of toasty sourdough, subtle honey and marmalade, a sumptuous celebratory drop.
Gifting a bottle of wine is gifting the person a moment of indulgence and enjoyment, but if it’s a longer-lasting gift you’re after, consider the wide range of gadgets and accessories out there — openers, stoppers, decanters, aerators, wine racks, wine carriers and coolers ...
Le Creuset is a good option, for quality goods with name brand appeal — from the basics of corkscrews, foil cutters and wine cooler sleeves to stylish still and sparkling wine stoppers, through to the funnels, aerating “wine fountain” decanter, wine pump, specialist corkscrews and other goodies with geek appeal.
Riedel glassware is another luxury wine gift option (www.yuppiechef.com has a wide selection).
Recognising that the shape of the glass influences the aromas and taste of different wines differently, each type of varietal-specific Riedel crystal glass is designed to enhance enjoyment of a specific wine.
For the wine-loving reader, the latest Platter’s SA Wine Guide is always a good option, providing the most comprehensive listings of just about all SA wines, with detailed info on each winery, star ratings and comments on the wines, guides to technical terms, cultivars, winelands maps and all kinds of useful info. Find it in bookstores for about R400.
For those who prefer reading on the screen, there’s a digital subscription from www.wineonaplatter.co.za at R175 with access to the ratings and reviews online and on the mobile app. It’s not nearly as comprehensive as the printed guide, though, but does have the advantage of easy comparison of a wine’s ratings from 2008 to date.
Another great read comes from the original Platter’s author, John Platter, in My Kind of Wine (R105 at Exclusive Books) — as he puts it, “a ramble through the winelands” rather than a comprehensive tour.
It’s an entertaining ramble too, featuring interviews with leading and upcoming winemakers, some of Platter’s favourite estates and wines, recipes and notes on what wine goes with what food, and his frank take on the quirks and foibles of the wine world.
Best enjoyed with a glass of wine at hand.
Happy festive shopping!
HeraldLIVE
