With the last remnants of the Thanksgiving leftovers disappearing, our energy is directed to the upcoming Christmas holiday. With that comes holiday gift buying, which in my world includes the gift of wine...a great gift. I have had a few guests asking for wine gift ideas already and it always seems they are asking about the same bottles each year. You know the wines: Silver Oak, Cakebread, Opus, Dom Perignon...to steal a line from Casablanca: "the usual suspects.” I imagine they all look for these wines as a gift because everyone knows the label and the price tag that goes with them. So if they are willing to walk down the path less traveled I will try to recommend something a little more interesting. If Cabernet Sauvignon is their boss’ wine of choice, perhaps a Bordeaux from the Right Bank, especially one of the terrific wines from the 2005 vintage, as a great option. The 2005 Domaine de Chevalier and Clos du Marquis are beautiful Cabernet-based wines. If Merlot is the grape of choice, many of the wines from the Left Bank, such as the 2005 Ch. Faugeres Peby, will bring a smile to any wine aficionado.

  An interesting wine can be a very difficult gift to choose, but asking your ABC Wine Consultant is a good way to make it a much less stressful endeavor. Don't forget that you can also have a gift basket prepared, customized just for that special someone. With that great bottle of wine include a couple of Riedel glasses, gourmet foods, some Belgian chocolates and anything else that would make the basket as unique as the person receiving the gift. Regardless how you present the bottle, wine has always been a much appreciated gift that shows just how much you care.

-Ken Amendola, Wine Supervisor, Northeast Florida