We have all found ourselves in this situation: when we want offer a nice bottle , we don't know where to start for find THE gift that will hit the mark Whether it is due to a lack of inspiration or knowledge or because we do not know enough about the tastes of the person we wish to spoil, the question remains: What wine can I offer him?!
Thanks to this article, The Illuminated Cellar takes matters into your own hands and gives you all the answers to help you in this noble quest for sharing and of pleasure !
SO, red wine Or white wine ? Burgundy or Bordeaux ? Wines for laying down or immediate pleasure? Here we give you all the tips so you never disappoint!
When you don't know anything about wine
If your knowledge of wine is relatively limited, then it is better guide you towards safe values as well as recognized names so as not to disappoint.
In this case, the regions of Bordeaux , Burgundy , Rhone Valley as well as certain names of Loire will be perfectly adapted
On Bordeaux, the structured red wines of the Médoc like the Saint-Julien , Saint-Estephe , Margaux Or Pauillac will most likely delight the lucky recipient. Other AOCs such as Pomerol And Saint-Emilion or even Pessac-Leognan Further south will also be sure to please if you carefully select the area.
In Burgundy, choose wines from the Coast of Nights as well as the Beaune Coast to mark the event. Indeed, many famous names will be able to light up the eyes of the lucky person here: Nuits-Saint-Georges , Pommard , Gevrey-Chambertin or even Chambolle-Musigny will enchant for example lovers of elegant red wines. As for Meursault , Puligny-Montrachet Or Chassagne-Montrachet , they offer all white wines with great aromatic richness.
In the Rhone Valley, focus on the major appellations such as Roasted Rib , Hermitage Or Chateauneuf-du-Pape . To a lesser extent, Crozes-Hermitage also offer excellent red wines. In white, Condrieu is also an excellent choice.
Finally, some Loire appellations like Sancerre And Pouilly-Fumé offer exceptional white wines based on Sauvignon grape variety , lively and very aromatic. You can also opt for white wines or bubbles based on Chenin grape variety on AOCs such as Vouvray Or Savennières . A great moment in perspective.
Some ideas for areas :
- Philippe Naddef Estate (Fixin, Marsannay, Gevrey-Chambertin)
- High Frames Estate (Crozes-Hermitage)
- Domain François & Julien Pinon (Vouvray)
- Bernard Fleuriet & Sons Estate (Sancerre)
- Tracy Castle (Pouilly-Fumé)
For a Burgundy lover born
If you want to please a Burgundy wine lover, there are several options available to you.
For a lover of Pinot noir powerful and with good keeping qualities, turn without hesitation to appellations such as Gevrey-Chambertin , Pommard or even Beaune . For a more refined and/or delicious discovery, Fixin , Chambolle-Musigny , Savigny-lès-Beaune , Mercurey or even Givry will be more suitable.
If you are addressing a fan of mineral white wines , turn to the appellations Chablis Or Puligny-Montrachet . For chardonnays more round and buttery , Meursault , Pouilly-Fuisse , Saint-Véran or even Chassagne-Montrachet will be fantastic choices.
Finally, for an even more high-end gift, do not hesitate to choose the vintages mentioning First Growth Or Grand Cru which are the flagship of regional production.
Of course, we give here the main typologies of each appellation, so do not hesitate to contact The Illuminated Cellar for more details!
Some ideas for areas :
- Decelle & Sons Estate (Nuits-Saint-Georges, Chambolle, Pommard etc.)
- Jacques Prieur Estate (Meursault, Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot etc.)
- François Raquillet Estate (Mercurey)
- Cellier aux Moines Estate (Givry)
- At the Foot of Bald Mountain (Chassagne-Montrachet)
- Alain Chavy Estate (Puligny-Montrachet)
- Cheveau Estate (Pouilly-Fuissé)
For a Bordeaux lover
For a Bordeaux lover, the appellations of Medoc are often the holy grail. So, it is very likely that you will make the right choice by starting with names like Saint-Julien , Saint-Estephe , Pauillac Or Margaux , offering structured reds and fine wines for laying down .
However, the right bank as well as the Graves, further south of Bordeaux, are also excellent choices. Pomerol And Saint-Emilion so, but also Pessac-Leognan , capable of offering magnificent red wines and white wines of great depth.
Also, for lovers of sweet wines, don't forget the incredible Sauternes , of course!
For a premium gift, don't hesitate to turn to the Great Growths from the region, guaranteed success when opening the gift!
Some ideas for areas :
- Gruaud Larose Castle (Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Julien)
- Montrose Castle ( Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Estephe)
- Pontet-Canet Castle ( Grand Cru Classé, Pauillac)
- Brane-Cantenac Castle ( Grand Cru Classé, Margaux)
- Leydet-Valentin Castle (Saint-Emilion)
- Trotte-Vieille Castle ( Grand Cru Classé, Saint-Emilion)
- Valois Castle (Pomerol)
- Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte ( Grand Cru Classé, Pessac-Leognan)
- Brown Castle (Pessac-Leognan)
- Haut-Bergeron Castle (Sauternes)
For a lover of the Rhone Valley
The Rhone Valley is a magnificent region, adored by many lovers of great wines . We find there in particular the most beautiful Syrahs from France but also delicious, generous, gourmet white wines from Viognier grape variety .
For a gift, the safe bets in the region are therefore, in the north, Roasted Rib , Hermitage , Crozes-Hermitage , Saint Joseph And Condrieu (white wines) while further south there is the legendary Chateauneuf-du-Pape .
If you are looking for great discoveries as well as value for money interesting, you can also go for the red wines of Beaumes-de-Venice , Gigondas And Vacqueyras !
Some ideas for areas :
- Stéphane Ogier Estate (Roasted Rib)
- François Merlin Estate (Roasted Rib)
- Boisseyt Estate (Saint Joseph)
- Faugier-Gonnet Estate (Condrieu)
- Castle from Beaucastel (Chateauneuf-du-Pape)
- Pierre Ussegli Estate o (Chateauneuf-du-Pape)
- Piéblanc Estate (Beaumes-de-Venice)
For a Champagne lover
For a in love with sparkling wines , THE Champagne is an obvious choice.
For some champagnes white of whites chalky and full of finesse, the houses Franck Bonville , Widow Fourny And Pertois-Moriset , all located in the Côte des Blancs where Chardonnay is king, will be absolutely flawless.
On the other hand, for more vinous and structured champagnes, while maintaining remarkable elegance, the house Pierre Paillard will be a better choice.
Finally, to offer a prestigious brand, the Philipponnat Champagnes And Charles Heidsieck will be sublime classics that are sure to make an impact.
For a red wine lover
If you want to offer a bottle to a red wine lover, There are many choices available to you! So, if the advice regarding the previous regions of Bordeaux , Burgundy or of the Rhone Valley remain completely valid, do not forget here all the other magnificent regions of French vineyards!
For a lover of powerful red wines , the regions of Southwest , of the Provence or even Languedoc-Roussillon can offer very large moments like excellent value for money . We will think for example of certain names like Madiran , THE Coasts of Provence (and yes, it's not just rosé!) or even Pic-Saint-Loup .
For a lover of fine and digestible red wines , the regions of Beaujolais , of Jura , of the Savoy and of course the Loire will be excellent choices.In fact, names like Morgon , Flowery , Sancerre, Chinon or even Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil will be perfectly suited to this taster profile.
Some ideas for areas :
- The Owl of the Cellar (Saint Loup Peak)
- Castle of L'Ou (IGP Catalan Coasts)
- Montus Castle (Madiran)
- Sainte-Marguerite Castle (Côtes-de-Provence)
- Fabrice Gasnier Estate (Chinon)
- Domaine Pascal & Nicolas Reverdy (Sancerre)
- Clos des Quarterons Domaine Amirault (Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil)
- Jérôme Arnoux Cellar of Tiercelines (Jura)
For a wine lover whites
If you wish offer a nice bottle to a white wine fan , the magnificent diversity of French vineyards will easily allow you to find what you are looking for! So, if the advice concerning the previous regions has not yet inspired you enough, do not hesitate to also turn to Alsace , there Loire , there Corsica or else the Provence !
Indeed, for lovers of mineral white wines , THE Rieslings Alsatians as well as the Sauvignons and Chenins from the Loire will make delicious discoveries. Don't neglect either Roussanne And Jacquere , faithful companions of the small Savoyard vineyard. Finally, some Provençal and Corsican white wines made from Rolle grape variety (also called Vermentino) will surprise you with their freshness!
For lovers of gourmet white wines and/or wooded , THE Chardonnays from Burgundy as well as the Viogniers from the Rhone Valley are absolute benchmarks. However, some white wines from Bordeaux (grape varieties Semillon and Sauvignon), from Southwest (Petit Courbu grape varieties, Big Manseng etc.) as well as blanks of Provence aged in barrels will also be perfectly suited to this type of palate.
Some ideas for areas :
- Domain Thevenot Le Brun (High Côtes-de-Nuits, Burgundy hillsides)
- Garnier & Sons Estate (Chablis)
- Michelot Estate (Meursault)
- Figuière Estate (Côtes-de-Provence)
- Laballe Castle (Southwest)
- Domain Yves Leccia (Heritage, Corsica)
- Barmès-Buecher Estate (Alsace)
- Domain Boehler (Alsace)
- Mittnacht Brothers Estate (Alsace)
For a wine lover originals
Do you want to surprise with an original and unusual wine? So go out agreed names as well as consensual tastes !
For example, have you ever heard of the orange wine ? Does vin jaune, from the Jura, mean anything to you? Here are some excellent ideas for a surprising and disconcerting gift!
Some appellations with lesser renown can also make you realize that a vineyard is not limited to its flagship appellations. For example, do you know Beaumes-de-Venice Or IGP Coteaux de l’Ardèche in the Rhone Valley? The appellation Maury and its incredible Natural Sweet Wines in Languedoc are familiar to you? Here are some other possibilities!
Finally, offer a spanish wine or a italian wine can also be a way of breaking our sometimes very chauvinistic consumer codes! For example, have you ever heard of Amarone della Valpolicella , this delicious Italian red wine equipped with a incredible power? Red wines from the small Italian appellation Montello and Colli Asolani Do they mean anything to you? Do you know the delicious wines of the Spanish appellations? Rioja And Ribera del Duero ? So here it is even more choice for you!
Some ideas for original vintages or those from appellations less known :
- Domain Schists - IGP Côtes Catalanes - V.O Orange Wine
- Domaine Daniel Dugois - Arbois - Yellow wine
- Mas Amiel - Maury - Natural sweet wine Vintage 1985
- Château de la Selve - IGP Coteaux de l'Ardèche - Beaulieu (amphora)
- Domain from Piéblanc - Beaumes-de-Venise - The Heights
- The Calender - Amarone from Valpolicella
- Serafini & Vidotto - Montello e Colli Asolani - The Red of Abazia
And why not a gift card? ?
Despite all our advice, you still don't feel comfortable and prefer leave the choice to the future beneficiary? No problem, you can absolutely offer the gift card from La Cave Éclairée !
This will give the lucky winner the opportunity to select your favorite vintages among a range of more than 350 wines, champagnes and spirits giving pride of place to small producers as well as to organic and biodynamic wines !
Choose the desired amount, write a word if you wish...and that's it! You will receive your gift card by email within 24 hours!
You are now full of ideas in your head in order to offer beautiful bottles ! Of course, if you have any questions , do not hesitate to contact The Illuminated Cellar , we will be happy to guide you in your selection.
Health and happy holidays!
