Foodies

They love to travel, they love a good restaurant, they will be well ahead of the masses in trying any new food trend and the house is coming down with cookery books and gadgets.  They aren’t snobs – they’ll be just as excited about a great bacon buttie as a Michelin star meal, but it does have to be good quality and it absolutely has to taste great. You can avoid the big names as these adventurous sorts will happily tuck into any wine with gusto and will be thrilled to try something new.

Hopler Gruner Veltliner Guttenberg.  Austrian Gruner Veltliner is still quite a niche product and this top cuvee is an absolute delight.  You might find that your glass is suddenly hard to put down when it’s full of this intriguing and delicious wine.

Busso Barbera d’Alba.  Italian reds are particularly good food wines and this Barbera is a gorgeous, well balanced, flavoursome, elegant red that will work brilliantly with whatever tasty treats they’ll be cooking up.

The Traditionalists

They claim to love all the classic French wines but probably drink cheap and cheerful Côtes du Rhône from the supermarket.  The trick is to find a wine with the right name on the label that will suitably impress.

Ch Chollet 2005.  The key points here are it’s from Graves (a really good area of Bordeaux) and it is from the 2005 vintage, which was a great year.   It’s a classic Bordeaux red at the peak of maturity.

Domaine St Denis Macon Lugny.  Macon Lugny should light their eyes up.  It’s from a very small domaine, Hubert is basically a one man band and his attention to detail and his passion is infectious.  More importantly, the wine is delicious.

Quinta de la Rosa 10 year old tawny port.  Is there anything better than a glass of port in front of a roaring fire?  Enough said.

European Classics.  A mixed case of exactly the kind of things you’re looking for.

The wine-os.

They plan their holidays around vineyard visits, go to tastings and regularly serve up lovely wines when you go round for dinner.  You want to buy them a bottle or two for Christmas but the thought of choosing something for these knowledgeable types sends you into a tizz.  Actually these people are easy to buy for because they have broad taste and plenty of curiosity and they will love anything interesting and good quality.  Avoid the supermarkets; spend more than £10 on a bottle and you’ll be fine.
Sherry.  This might sound strange but real wine lovers adore a good sherry.  Bypass anything with the word cream on the label, but something like Hidalgo Manzanilla la Pastrana (a fabulous single vineyard dry sherry) or the queen of sherries – a Palo Cortado would go down a storm.

Top 12 for the Festive Season: A mixed case of really interesting and tasty wines.  Purchase as a case or use it as inspiration.  Each wine in the case is on offer until the end of December.

The lady in your life who loves a glass of white wine

Usually she opts for a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Grigio but you want to treat her to something lovely.

Zuani.  An Italian white wine that will knock her socks off.  It is a blend of different grapes which do actually include Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc but the quality is a different league and the wine is absolutely delicious.

Forrest Pinot Gris.  Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are the same grape, but Pinot Gris tends to have more flavour and more texture than a Pinot Grigio.  Think of it as a  really plush Pinot Grigio.

Sartarelli Brut Spumante NV.  A fabulous sparkling wine that will definitely impress.  Prosecco is hugely trendy at the moment, but this sparkling Italian wine is made from Verdicchio and you will stand out from the crowd with this delicious wine.

Light and fresh whites.  If you want to expand her horizons, treat her to a mix of 6 or 12bottles in the style she’s so fond of.

Your meat-loving, red wine quaffing chums and relatives

For anyone who salivates over a big plate of sticky ribs or a juicy steak, you need to supply them with a big full bodied red wine that will be able to keep up with these strong flavours.  The great news is you don’t have to spend a fortune to get something tasty but of course you can treat them to something really special.

Gayda Freestyle Red.  This is a really modern and food friendly red wine by the clever people at Domaine Gayda.  It’s from the sunny south of France and has lots of ripe, fruity flavours and a well rounded, rich, juicy palate.  We also happen to know this was enjoyed by the Bond stars at the Skyfall premiere which is a little bit exciting.

Kilikanoon The Medley.  Definitely a treat, but if you’re hoping to be invited round to share the bottle this could be well worth the investment.  Kilikanoon is a top Australian winery specialising in Shiraz from the best areas in South Australia.  The Medley is a blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre (the holy trinity of grapes) and the warm Aussie climate shines through the wine.  It is a big, tasty, full bodied red wine but it is perfectly balanced and a joy to drink.

Full bodied, rich reds.  A selection of reds in exactly this style, nicely packaged as either 6 or 12 bottles.  How handy!