by Elyas Beria

Being a writer doesn’t always have advantages. The long hours in front of the computer, the deadlines, and the—all too frequent—episodes of writer’s block take their toll on this particular writer. But there are some benefits. For instance, I can write a column about great wines to give as gifts for the Holidays and only thinly disguise the fact that they are all wines I would absolutely love to receive. It’s the perfect pretense to be garishly forward while also writing a helpful article.

Without further ado: My...er, I mean...The 2007 Holiday Gift Guide. One magnificent bottle I am thinking a lot about recently is the 1989 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses. Chinon is an appellation in the Loire region of France famous for its Cabernet Franc-based wines and Olga Raffault is the grande dame of Chinon. She employed traditional winemaking methods for this cuvée which included handpicking the grapes, fermenting in stainless steel, and then aging the wine in large neutral oak barrels. It’s also possible that the wine spent some time in chestnut barrels, a traditional wood used in the region on occasion. Rauffault’s Picasses spends two years in the barrel and then is usually released four years after the vintage, but every now and then she releases perfectly aged older beauties like this one. Cabernet Franc is certainly worthy of ageing, especially when made by such a master. At 18 years old, this wine is ready to drink now and is a bargain considering that it has been perfectly stored in the winemaker’s own cellar since 1989.

Equally suited for gift wrapping is a bottle of Giuseppe Quintarelli Valpolicella Classico Superiore. When made by such a master nearly any vintage produces spectacular wine. Sure the 1995, 1997, and 2000 vintages were extraordinary but I promise I won’t complain if a 2001 makes it into my hands. If you’re used to wimpy, soda pop-like Valpolicella this wine will be an eye-opener. All of the bright cherry and red currant flavors common to Valpolicella are there, but intensely concentrated and elegant. The bright red fruit flavors are supported by caramel, sweet spice, macerated raisin aromas, and a good dollop of dark fruit to make a beautifully balanced wine. Giuseppe Quintarelli is one of those legendarily uncompromising winemakers whose name is highly regarded all over the world. He’s not a young man, and once he’s gone it’s not likely that his wines will retain the same magic they now possess. My only gripe is that for some reason he chose to bottle this wine in one of the cheapest bottles available. It’s thin-walled and not at all worthy of the contents, but because I know what awaits inside the bottle I can easily overlook this fault.

One gift guaranteed to bring a smile to my face is port, or any manner of high quality fortified wine made in the style of port, for that matter. Australia is producing some of the most spectacular examples and values in fortified wine these days. Campbells Muscat Rutherglen NV is among one of the best examples. It’s a tawny style sweet wine made from 100% ultra-ripe Muscat grapes and produced using the solera system. This is a method in which the wine is aged in a series of barrels where a portion of wine is removed from the last barrel and bottled; the last barrel is then filled with wine from the second-to-last-barrel, and so on until the first barrel is then filled with new wine. This mixture of vintages means that there is always some small percentage of the very first wine ever produced in each bottle and also ensures consistency year after year. This is why there is no vintage listed on the bottle. The result is an unctuous wine brimming with toffee, molasses, and sun ripened raisin flavors, but the nice acidity and tannic structure keep it from seeming too sweet. Like most wines of this style it will not continue to improve in the bottle so should be opened and enjoyed upon receiving and if the gift giver hangs around long enough I may even be persuaded to share. Best of all you can pick up this half bottle of lusciousness for under $20.

There is no shortage of amazing gift-worthy wines I could go on and on about but I should not abuse the license being a writer gives me. I should be modest and humble and trust that those wishing to give me a Holiday gift will read this article and know what to do. Besides, my birthday is coming up in January and I have to start thinking about what to include in that article.