Even if you’re a wine nerd, holiday wine gifts can prove surprisingly daunting. It’s weirdly pressurized: you want to give people something extraordinary, something that delights them, broadens their understanding of wine and, of course, reflects well on you. 

But the thing with gifts is that you don’t often know the palate of who you’re buying for. You don’t know the wines that some of your friends drink. Or you just want something fancy to impress your boss. Or you’re shopping for your brother-in-law, who you don't really know. Or you’re getting a bunch of bottles for clients or business contacts who you’ve never spent any real time with.

Don’t despair! After 10 years in retail—including a long stint as a general manager of Flatiron Wines in Manhattan—I’ve dealt with this conundrum for a long time. And I’ve come up with a way to streamline the process and get your intended a great bottle of wine that they are nearly sure to love.

Let’s start simply: decide what you can spend. Make $25 your minimum. At that price, regions and varieties are recognizable in the glass, winemakers' imprints start to shine, structures are cohesive, and complexity starts to peek out around the edges. 

Having said that, the answer to "what to get" is very simple, and almost always this:

Your Best Bet For A Wine Gift for the Holidays

Red Bordeaux.

Hear me out. 

First off: more red wine is consumed than any other category. (When you see headlines that white wine now outsells red in the U.S., that’s because sparkling wine counts as white in those tallies.)

Secondly: broad appeal. Many wine regions are (still) trying to make their version of red Bordeaux. If your wine lover turns out to drink mostly new world reds, like Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, Argentinian Malbec, or Australian Shiraz, it’s a good bet that they will appreciate the OG version. And if your wine lover adores classic old-world wines from Saumur-Champigny (don’t forget that Cabernet Franc shows up in most Bordeaux), or Rioja (originally made to replace Bordeaux after phylloxera wreaked havoc on its vineyards), or Hermitage (which, long ago, was secretly added to Bordeaux to make it taste better), well, they will almost certainly appreciate a good Bordeaux.

Third: familiarity. It's the world’s best-known, and best-marketed wine region. Almost everyone has heard of it, even if they’ve never had one, so they can connect with it right away. It’s also France’s largest appellation, with the vast majority of production in the form of inexpensive, everyday wines. But it's more often associated with luxury—thanks to a short list, compiled in the 19th century, of then popular châteaux from one sliver of the region. This means no matter what you spend, wine newbies will assume it was a lot, thereby making you look all the more generous.

Fourth: quality. The terroirs of Bordeaux are top-notch. Grape varieties, soil types, climate, winemaking technique and culture have been perfected over hundreds of years to make incredible, distinct, and memorable wines. Leaving aside the small selection of insanely priced First Growths, there's a sea of wine that offers great value for the price. 

Fifth: maturity. Many Bordeaux age spectacularly well. $25 bottles from estates like Potensac in the Médoc can age for decades, and reward the patient drinker. This means, if your recipient turns out to not like Bordeaux, they can hide it on a shelf, and open it for company a decade later with little fear of it going bad. Also, it means there is a ton of back-vintage wines available at retail. Which means you can give the gift of perfectly aged wine that’s ready to drink—and give an enlightening experience most people never have.

And lastly, it just looks fancy. Elegant fonts, paintings of ancient stone châteaux on the label, understated bottles. 

My specific recommendations for red Bordeaux—and other wines—are at the end of this article. But first:

What Not to Do When Buying Wine for Gifts

You love Barolo. (I do, too.) You want to share your love through your gift giving. 

Don’t. Barolo lovers often appreciate a Bordeaux, but not all Bordeaux lovers will like a Barolo. New world wine lovers: even less so. The prominent sharp tannins in Barolo are off-putting, or even painful, to many palates. Also, the earthiness of the wine, where fruit plays a secondary role, can feel unfamiliar or distasteful if you aren’t used to it. 

What about red Burgundy? It’s fancy, recognizable, and majestic. It also breaks many hearts. You can spend a lot of money on a bottle of Burg, and absolutely hate it—prices have skyrocketed in recent years and value has almost completely dried up. There are few drinkable $25 red Burgundies. But there are tons of $25 Bordeaux that I—and you—would be very happy to drink.

Burgundy’s vineyards, producers, and vintages are all extremely distinct, and people have very strong opinions about what they love. There are Vosne-Romanée obsessives who won’t sniff something from the Beaune. (And let’s not even get started on the strong feelings people have about stem inclusion and the Jayer vs.Dujac dialectic.) I once overheard a wine shop owner teaching his staff that 2017 was a very bad vintage, but 2018 was outstanding. You couldn’t pay me to drink a 2018, and I’ve spent way too much on red 2017s. Unless you know exactly what red Burgundy your intended recipient loves and you can find it (and afford it), stick with red Bordeaux.

White Wines to Give

If you want to go white, I suggest starting with . . .

That’s right. White Bordeaux. 

Hear me out. (Again.) It has quality, value, and broad appeal. It combines the best of Sancerre with the best of white Burgundy: a moderately bright, medium-bodied, complex, fresh, mineral, ever so slightly toasty wine with plenty of texture. None of us drink enough white Bordeaux.

If you’re planning to spend more than $50 for your white, though, switch to Chablis. Like white Bordeaux, it’s also broadly appealing: Chardonnay, but without new-oak flavors. It's just not the across-the-board choice because it’s challenging to find good Chablis at lower prices. Because of Chablis’ fame, producers can get away with churning out mass-produced mediocrity and still sell it by the truckload. Spend a little more, and look for one of the better growers in the region—Rene and Vincent Dauvissat, Raveneau (if you can afford them), Tribut, de Moor, Christian Moreau, Moreau-Naudet, Vocoret, Oudin (hard to find, but a top value pick), Bessin, Bessin-Tremblay, Pattes Loup, Malandes. You will be handsomely rewarded.

The Gift of Bubbles

When you’re willing to spend, of course, always go with Champagne. But there is almost nothing left under $50 worth your money. Amazing grower Champagnes are too plentiful to list here, but some of my favorites are: Eric Rodez, Benoît Déhu, Emmanuel Brochet, Francis Boulard, Frédéric Savart, Bérêche, Vilmart, Tarlant, Chartogne-Taillet, Gonet-Médeville, Diebolt-Vallois, Huré Frères, Pierre Gerbais, Laherte Frères, Larmandier-Bernier, Pouillon, Christophe Mignon, Doyard, Moussé, Marc Hébrart, Geoffroy, Ponson, Amaury Beaufort, La Rogerie, Vincent Couche, and Agrapart. 

For inexpensive choices, look for sparkling wine from two new Spain DOs, Corpinnat or Clàssic Penedès. These regions have splintered off from Cava; its rules have gotten so lax that quality nosedived (and the best wineries really suffered for it). Most of the top names are now under one of the two aforementioned labels, and can generally be trusted to produce elegant, delicious, and unique bottles at a fraction of Champagne’s price. AT Roca, Recaredo, and Raventós are all worth considering.

Port for the Holidays

During the holidays, many people won’t hesitate to imbibe a tipple of sticky. Port is the easiest way to keep everyone happy. And as with Bordeaux, vintage port can often be found fully matured and at relatively reasonable price points, from good wine shops. 

LBV (Late Bottle Vintage) is a gentler-priced port, which gets you some of the complexity and flavor profile of vintage bottles at a quarter of the price. Don’t worry about which specific house here. Anyone who's still making port in this day and age only exists because the quality is there.

WINES FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS

A note on vintages when it comes to gifts: many great wineries make good wine every vintage, so, when giving gifts, don’t worry too much about exact years. These wines are all drinking well now, but younger or older examples from the same wineries should offer just as much value. 

Red

2016 Château Siaurac Lalande de Pomerol ($27)

The beautiful flourishes on the label hint at what’s inside. Bursting with fruit and spices: red plums, blackberries, and cherry share the stage with sandalwood and cedar notes. Luscious body, but not heavy or unbalanced. 2016 was a great vintage with lots of ripe fruit, buoyed by vibrant acidity. Seventy-four percent Merlot, 19 percent Cabernet Franc, 7 percent Malbec. Delicious now, and much more of that to come.

2009 Clos du Marquis Saint-Julien ($100)

Absolutely gorgeous single-vineyard wine from the Left Bank château of Léoville Las Cases. In a great window right now: still plenty of lush cassis, but violets and roses with some woodsy undertones of tobacco, cedar, and graphite are all starting to unfurl. The texture of the tannins is sublime—present, but very tight-knit and smooth. I’ve never had a bad vintage of this wine, and this will continue to drink beautifully for decades.

White

2022 Château Auney l'Hermitage Graves Blanc ($27)

Sixty-five percent Sémillon, 20 percent Muscadelle, and 15 percent Sauvignon Blanc gives this a rich palate, but with good acid and regional typicité. Dried peach, lemon oil, and sesame seed, with an oily texture. Not stiff, pleasingly soft—and clearly not commercial or overly polished. A reliably classic, soulful, and worthwhile wine.

2022 Domaine Eleni et Edouard Vocoret Les Butteaux Chablis Premier Cru ($112)

A modern producer that absolutely nails a classic expression of Chablis. This is their best plot, a tiny 0.32 hectares, with 60-year-old selection massale vines. Grapes are fermented in stainless steel and aged a year in old barrels. Gleaming with minerality and cut: sunny lemon wedges, tart green apples, sea salt on oyster shells with a whiff of flint, and a slowly unfurling finish.

Sparkling

2022 AT Roca Clàssic Penedès Reserva ($26)

Agustí Torello Roca was born into one of the oldest Cava-producing families, travelled the world and stopped off in Champagne, and came home determined to strike out on his own and split from the Cava DO. North-facing, biodynamically farmed parcels grown on limestone-rich soils go into this reserva, his zero-dosage “basic” cuvée. It's flecked with lime zest, green pears, and buoyed with crispy acidity and a savory, salty finish. Incredible elegance for the price.

2020 Marc Hébrart Special Club Premier Cru Champagne Brut ($115)

Hébrart is the perfect grower Champagne for gifts, as his wines land right in the middle in terms of regional styles. There is still some fresh green and yellow apple here, along with delicate brioche and a filigreed structure with a mineral lemony finish. This Special Club series goes through two blind tasting panels before it's bottled, and comes in a proprietary glass bottle and gift box for even easier gift giving.

Port

1985 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port ($126)

A classic vintage that has just hit its prime. The youthful exuberance leads into elegance, and the tannins are resolved and velvety. There is plenty of ripe strawberry and cherry pie, which is starting to recede into prunes, sticky dates, and fig. Chocolate, coffee, walnut, and spice notes are layered into the sweet round finish, and show more as the bottle is allowed to breathe.

2017 Niepoort Late Bottled Vintage Port ($26)

Dark chocolate, baking spices with cassis, plums, prunes, and strawberry all waft out of the glass. The acidity is enough to give it a touch of levity and balance the density of the sugar and alcohol. You can drink this now, cellar for another decade—or pour it over ice cream right away.