My Holiday Wine Gifts

My holiday giving is easy. I give everybody wine and they love it. Even my neighbor, Lyla, who I somehow mistook for a teetotaler, loved the Mackenzie Ruby Port I gave her last year. In years past, I've given wines such as 1999 Ohitza from the Basque area of France or Terre Rouge "Noir", a Chateuneuf du Pape style blend from the Sierra Foothills in California.

This year I am giving 2003 Beaume de Venise Red from Durban, a full, fruity, spicy blend of red grapes from the Rhone Valley of France. Some other lucky people will receive 2003 Rulo "Silo" Syrah or 2003 Chateau Lascaux from the Languedoc region of France. Those with a sweet tooth will get, you guessed it if you read "The Perfect Port...", 2000 Taylor Late Bottled Vintage Port.

I just order cases from the winery or a local retailer and I'm all set. It's a little late to order wine from the winery, but good places to look are Costco, Trader Joe's, Pete's, Central Market, Larry's, or Metropolitan Market. Wine shops carry interesting wines, sometimes hand picked by the proprietor, that may be hard to find elsewhere.