It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. I can tell because many of the people I know are calling asking me to suggest a wine gift or two for the special people in their lives.  Even though I probably won’t be considered  “special” enough to benefit from my own advice, I do experience a kind vicarious enjoyment in being a part of this process.

So today, I’ll share with you some gifts I would love to have this holiday season,  and hope that you will pass these ideas along to my family and friends. Of course, depending upon your bank account, you can spend just about as much as you choose on wine and related gifts. However, my budget is not unlimited so we’ll stick with gifts you may acquire for under $100.

Let’s begin with wine.  Here are some bottles that should please the palate of just about every sipper: 2005 Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir ($60) – I have collected wines from this Oregon producer since their first vintage in 1990, and the 2005 Evenstadt is among their best wines yet. If you like earthy, black cherry and mocha flavors overlain with aromas of spice and vanilla, then you’ll love this wine.  The Wine Spectator rated it among the top 100 wines of 2008 and, while the ‘05 Evenstad Reserve is enjoyable today, the balance of this wine will enable it to continue to improve in the bottle for another 10 years.  Match it up with this year’s holiday prime rib roast.

2004 Pio Cesare Barolo ($58) – Pio Cesare is one of the tried and true estates in all of Piedmont (in northwestern Italy) and their 2004 Barolo is a wonderful example of why Barolo is considered one of the greatest wines on the planet. Deep, dark fruit flavors with coffee, mushroom and earthy aromas, this relatively soft (for Barolo) wine will, if consumed now, need to be decanted for at least three hours. However, if you can wait, it will benefit from several more years of bottle age. This would be a wonderful accompaniment to a crown roast of pork sliced and served on top of porcini mushrooms sautéed in olive oil (with a few drops of truffle oil) and seasoned with salt and black pepper.

Rene Coutier Brut Champagne ($48) – This relatively small producer is located in the Grand Cru Champagne village of Ambonnay and this sparkler is a real pleaser. Full of toasty, rich, brioche flavors with a silky texture, this Champagne is a wine you can use as both an aperitif or with a seafood entrée such as mussels cooked in a spicy broth of white wine, garlic and tomatoes.

2006 Lafond Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay ($25) – If you prefer a well-rounded, nuanced chardonnay with plenty of fruit and balancing acidity, then you need to lay your lips around the Lafond. From the famed Santa Rita Hills AVA, this chardonnay has just the right amount of oak to balance out the fruit. Lovely with Chilean Sea Bass, sautéed with a little butter, salt and pepper and finished off in the oven for about five minutes.

2006 Hedges Three Vineyards Red Mountain ($28) – Washington State is a terrific venue for merlot and cabernet and the ’06 Hedges Red Mountain is blend of those two grapes,  producing an approachable wine that is ready to drink right now. Soft tannins and balancing acidity make this complex wine a joy to consume with your holiday meal such as roasted turkey or Cornish game hens. Here are a few more vinous picks for your holiday gift giving (sans notes) that should be real pleasers:  2006 Owen Roe Ex Umbris Syrah ($30); 2006 Carabella Chardonnay (Oregon $35); 2005 Stuhlmuller Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($41); and 2006 Live Wire Cabernet Sauvignon ($25). Now here are couple of gifts that all wine lovers should appreciate. To truly enjoy that special bottle, there is nothing more pleasurable than drinking your wine from crystal stemware. You can get truly excellent stemware by purchasing your wine glasses and crystal decanters right here in West Virginia. Masterpiece Crystal in Jane Lew produces magnificent handmade, lead-free crystal wine glasses and carafes. Go to masterpiececrystal.com and check out these works of art or call 1-800-624-3114 to order direct from the factory. One of the neatest and newest wine-related gadgets is something called the Vinturi Wine Aerator. Having a working knowledge of fluid dynamics and the Bernoulli Principle may help you understand how this gizmo works, but thankfully you don’t need a degree in quantum physics to use it. Pouring wine from the bottle through the Vinturi (which is essentially a small glass tube) into a glass supposedly has the same effect as aerating your wine in a decanter for an hour.  I have one and I love it. You can find these online for under $40. Happy Holidays!

Welcome to 2009 wine lovers! Today, I’m taking the pledge! Not to go to the gym or to lose 10 pounds, or to (heaven forbid) limit my consumption of adult beverages.

No siree, I’m resolving to go where no wino has gone before. To explore new galaxies of wine appreciation, to set a course for bacchanalian bliss and to sip the most obscure Romulan elixir! [ED. NOTE: I added at right a shot of some Romulan ale, but don't you think that's Rich Ireland's bailiwick?].  So, get on board, loosen up and be prepared to toss wine convention to the wind.

Okay, so maybe that’s a bit over the top. But I would like to start 2009 off with some New Year’s wine resolutions that you might find some value in too.  Introspection can provide a powerful wake-up call and my wine -related modus operandi reveals that I have fallen into an alarmingly predictable pattern when it comes to the beverage we all love. So here are some vows for the New Year.

1. Drink more white wine with dinner.  I seem to have fallen into a pattern of using white wine almost exclusively as an aperitif to get my palate ready for the “real” (can you spell red?) wine that will accompany that shank of  wolf pancreas I’m having for dinner.

2. Explore the wonderful world of German riesling and pledge to drink these wines with dinner, too. There are two primary problems Americans have with German wine:  1)  the labels on the wines are written in German, a language that seems to require each word to have at least 15 letters; and 2) riesling tends to be sweet and -- some of us think --  sweet wines are for amateurs or for those who prefer to sip their beverages under a bridge.

3. Vow to match wine with good old American meals such as meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, beans and weenies and even spam or other food-like products, especially those containing trans fats (after all, the healthy qualities in wine mitigate the bad effects of such artificial additives, don’t you think?).

4. Explore the more obscure regions of the wine world for quality inexpensive reds and whites such as those produced in the Navarro region of Spain, Apulia in Italy, Mendoza in Argentina, Virginia in the US and Central Otago in New Zealand.

5. Compile a top 50 list of great wines under $20 a bottle. One of the benefits of the wrecked world economy is that when disposable income becomes tight, supplies of wine will surely exceed demand and wine prices will plunge. And just maybe some of those new outrageously over-priced “trophy” wines will find their way in next year’s blend of Two Buck Chuck.

6. Heap praise or criticism on restaurants based upon their wine pricing. There is absolutely no excuse for wine prices to exceed two times the retail cost of a particular wine. Actually, some restaurants price wine at 1.5 times retail, but they’re about as common as feathers on a goat.

7. Drink more sparkling wine. I’m just like the rest of humanity when it comes to sipping bubbly:  I need a special occasion such as birthday, holiday or wedding to uncork a sparkler. I’m making a pledge to sip sparkling wine at least once a week  It’s easy and inexpensive (there are a huge number of wines under $15 a bottle) and sparkling wine goes especially well with salty or spicy foods such as chili, Thai cuisine and even popcorn.

So there you have it. My wine resolutions for the new year. What are yours?

Looking for way to pull yourself out of the post-holiday blues? How about some reds…or whites… or some top-notch victuals. Well, listen-up buckaroos because there are some nice wine-related events on the radar screen for the greater Charleston area that should help you beat those winter blues.

Good food and wine always seem to lift my spirits and shine some much needed light on my seasonal affective disorder. The following event lineup is sure to brighten your smile this winter too.  

Bluegrass Kitchen

I’ve really been impressed with Chef Gary Needham who has expanded the offerings at this neat East  End establishment. Bluegrass owner Keeley Steele, along with local wine enthusiast Gary Thompson, are taking things a step further by offering wine flights each Tuesday (beginning Jan. 13^th). Flights, for those unfamiliar with the term, refer to a series of wines from a particular region or from a specific varietal grape. This coming week will feature the wines of Spain.

Five wines will be offered, including an Albarino, an old vines grenache and a tempranillo. For an additional price, guests can sample Chef Needham’s tapas specially prepared to accompany the wine. These include chorizo stuffed mussels, paella cake with mole and Spanish cheese toast with olives. Price of the tasting flight is $12 and they begin at 4:30 p.m.

Cast Iron Cookoff

I have participated in this event in past years and will do so again when it convenes in Charleston (Jan. 23-25) at the Charleston Marriott Hotel. This is a great opportunity for wine and food lovers to mingle, sample, taste and otherwise enjoy an eclectic array of wines from around the world (including WV) along with some excellent cuisine.

The festivities begin on Friday Jan. 23rd with “Tastes from the Mountains,” a wine and food sampling that takes guests on a culinary tour of our state.  Foods from around West Virginia will be featured in a tapas or “small bites” format providing guests the opportunity to visit both dine and wine stations for the goodies.

I love these type events (kind of like biped grazing) because it affords me the opportunity to sample a wide variety of foods that I can then attempt to match with various wines. Cost of this event, which is open to the public, is $50 per person and tickets may be purchased at the door.

Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., guest chefs from the state’s most prestigious restaurants will lead teams composed of non-professional foodies in a competition which requires participants to use cast iron cookware. That evening, a five-course gourmet food and wine dinner will conclude the event with presentation of awards to winners of the Cast Iron Cookoff.  Cost of this gala dinner is $75 a person and requires a reservation. Check out the website at www.castironcookoff.org to make reservations.

Bridge Road Bistro

Mark your calendars for a couple of upcoming wine and food special events at Bridge Road Bistro. Chef Paco Aceves and crew will be putting together a dinner featuring the food and wine of Burgundy on February 26^th. On March 21^st, the Bistro will feature a gourmet meal built around the wines of Vineyard Brands – an excellent world wide importer.  

Details of both events are still being worked out, but you may contact the restaurant for more information and to make reservations by calling 304-720-3500.

Other Venues for Vino

For those of you who may not know, there are at least three other venues where you can sample wine or attend full wine tastings. The granddaddy of them all is the Wine Shop at Capitol Market where tastings are held at least monthly. Call them at (343-9463) for tasting event information.

In addition, Drug Emporium on Patrick St. in Charleston (345-5921) as well as the South Hills Kroger at Ashton Place (342-8807) also have tastings on a regular basis. Give them a call to check times and dates.   

There is no doubt that we are in a serious economic downturn, and I often ruminate on how these tough times are affecting the wine industry as well as those of us for whom the fruit of the vine is more than just an occasional dalliance.

I suppose there is both good news as well as bad in how the economic crisis is affecting wineries around the globe. The law of supply and demand has always been a major fact of life in the wine world.  When a bad vintage limits supply, prices go up and, conversely, an overabundance of wine drives prices down.

This usual supply and demand principle is now compounded by the world wide recession so, if you have a little disposable income, there are some bargains out there to be had.

You’ve heard me proclaim this before, but there are an incredible number of excellent wines in the $8 to $20 a bottle range if you are willing to do a little reading (like you’re doing right now), extensive shopping and internet research.  

Finding knowledgeable local wine purveyors is also very important. Locally, the folks at the Wine Shop at Capitol Market are excellent at determining what you like and then matching a price and wine for you. You’ll also find help at the Ashton Place Kroger and the Drug Emporium on Patrick Street. The Liquor Company in Patrick Street Plaza also has regular wine tastings and a great selection of wines and spirits.

I have always been a bargain hunter whether I’m shopping for food, wine or underwear. And while the price of underwear and food has remained steady, I have noticed that some wine retailers, especially those online, are offering their wares at sometimes steep discounts.

Here are some places where I occasionally shop online that seem to have very good prices now.  (A personal note about online shopping:  my rule of thumb is that I only do it for special wines I cannot find locally. It doesn’t make much economic sense for me to endure the inconvenience and cost of shipping to save a dollar or two.)

Online places to shop:  The Wine Club (www.thewineclub.com) - even with shipping costs of about $4 a bottle, I have found some wonderful bargains here over the years, particularly on
Bordeaux futures.

Appellation America (appellationamerica.com) is an especially good place to locate (and buy) hard-to-find wines from just about any wine region in the US.

Others worth checking out:  K & L Wine Merchants (www.klwines.com); MacArthur Beverages (www.bassins.com/wine); and Hi-Time Wine (http://www.hitimewine.net).

Here are a couple of value wines for you to try that should be available locally and are definitely available online.

2006 Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha ($18) – It’s a brooding purple mouthful of black cherry flavors mixed in with earthy, mushroom aromas that make this grenache from Spain not only good for current drinking, but a keeper too. Decant it first for an hour then accompany it with pork tenderloin that has been rolled in garlic, coarse black pepper and rosemary and then roasted.

2007 Calina Chardonnay ($9) – This clean, ripe apple nuanced wine from Chile is a great expression of chardonnay fruit at its purest. Try it with pan sautéed tilapia with butter and lemon.   

When the ambient air temperature descends below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, I seem to require foods and beverages of substance.  Stews, soups, roasted meats and full flavored cheeses, such as Roquefort and Stilton, grace the table in my humble abode this time of year. 

Ruby Port - Young Port wine blends from several different vintages comprise Ruby Port. They are lighter and fruitier than other styles and usually the least expensive Ports.

Tawny Port – This is my favorite type of Port.  I call this the poor man’s vintage Port because it is aged for many years in oak and, when released, it is very smooth and rich like an old vintage Port, though not as fine. I love the caramel flavors ofTawny Port.    

White Port - Made from white grapes, this is the only Port-style wine that is dry.  It is usually crisp, yet full-bodied, and makes a nice aperitif wine.

Some of the great Port producers to look for are:  Warre’s, Graham’s, Taylor-Fladgate, Croft, Dow’s, Fonseca and Quinta do Noval.  Prices for non-vintage Port typically range    from $10 to $40 a bottle while newly released vintage Ports will cost anywhere from   $40 to 150 each. 

While true port comes from Portugal, America and Australia do a very nice job with Port-like wines.  Look for Ficklin and Quaddy in the U.S. and Chateau Reynella and DeBortoli in Australia to provide good wines and excellent values. I particularly recommend Ficklin’s (10 year-old) Tawny.