Who doesn't love wine-themed Holiday Gifts?

With the Holiday Season seemingly just around the corner (crazy), I have begun doing some Christmas Shopping. Whether looking for stocking stuffers, Christmas Gifts, or some hostess gifts, I tend to turn towards wine-themed items for a number of my purchases. In no particular order, here are ten great Christmas (Wine) ideas for this year:

1. Rabbit Wine Stoppers. These items work perfectly, and are super easy to clean. They also come in a variety of colours and you can usually find them at the likes of Home Sense, Winners, etc.
2. Chalkboard Wine Glasses. I bought these from Pier1 as a Secret Santa gift last year. They come with some chalk, and they are cute while still being very practical.
3. Small Bottles of Champagne/Sparkling Wine. You can usually get a pack of 3 of Prosecco, or Cava for around $15.00. This was a special request from my mother, as she loves enjoying something bubbly, but doesn't always want to commit to a full bottle!
4. The Corkcicle. I have posted about this in the past, and still think it is an ingenious creation (see old post).
5. Wine Aerator. These items are spectacular. They can turn any just opened from mediocre to spectacular. They allow you to decant a little bit of a bottle of a time, way less of a commitment than the traditional glass decantors.
6. LCBO gift cards. Always an amazing present.
7. Half Bottles of Wine. The LCBO is getting better about this (more red however, than white) and are increasing their offering. You can find 1/2 bottles of Santa Margerita, a number of Australian Wines, Californian Reds, etc. They are perfect to open during the week, when you really don't need to be opening that full bottle of wine!
8. Wine Lines. Cute little tags that are rubber and go around the stem of the glass. They have different themed packages. They are hilarious, colourful, and help to make sure that you don't lose your glass at a party.
9. Wine Fridge. This was one of my FAVOURITE gifts of all time. There will be another post on the wonderfulness of this later. It is a big ticket item, however, any wine fridge is just incredible.
10. The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil. I had to get this book for a wine course and it provided very interesting and meaningful information on wines, regions, the history, etc. It is a great book and should be only any wine enthusiast's book shelf.

Happy Friday!

HM

Borgogno - 2010 - GREAT Value

Well it seems to have been AGES since anything has been posted. That doesn’t mean that wine hasn’t been being consumed, it’s just that life seems to be that much more busy with work, celebrations, friends, travel, etc. (Not that I am complaining!!!).

 

I always love when a new Vintages gets published, and I receive notification on my phone that a new edition is available. The Vintages publication is a great way to see what is new at the LCBO, and they usually have some great valued wines, that are worth the try. That being said, they also usually have some ridiculously expensive wines as well. For example, the November 10th edition had wines ranging from $16.95, to a couple of hundred dollars (think beautiful reds and Vintage Champagnes).

 

When I was looking through, I spotted some interesting Italian Reds. I went to the LCBO that day, and picked up a few for an engagement gift, and obviously a couple for myself as well. One of the ones that stood out was the Giacomo Borgogno Barbera D'alba Superiore 2010, DOC. This wine goes for $19.95 in the Vintages section and is a steal. I picked up a bottle, and I have since tried it. It is a delicious Barbera from Piedmont and has a very dark ruby/purple colour. It has aromas of dark fruit (think plum, stewed strawberries/raspberries), essentially it smells like the inside of a deliciously cooked pie. The wine itself is medium bodied, has a great acidity and has a medium finish. I tried some straight out of the bottle, and it was great. I than used my wine aerator (best invention ever) and it made it that much more delicious.

 

I have since tried to find more, and apparently it was a very quick seller. There are still a few LCBO’s with the odd bottle, and if you are able to find it purchase this. Purchase it right away. It will be great to keep for a few years or you can enjoy it in this somewhat miserable weather.

 

Happy Drinking!

 

HM