EPICUREAN: wine de vine

The Three Steps of Giving

by RON LYBECK | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007

At this time of year, it is good to both give and receive

ONVENTIONAL HOLIDAY WISDOM SAYS, “It is better to give than to receive.” I submit that, done right, giving and receiving can both be pretty rewarding. At the holidays, nothing gives and receives like a bottle of wine or a wine accessory. You know that a bottle of wine given as a gift will always be used and, with a little forethought, so will a useful wine accouterment.

When giving wine as a present, try to match the vintage with the recipients’ tastes in wine and food.

Giving wine is personal and should be fun—for both parties. When I buy, I tend to think of gifts in three tiers: 1) extravagant; 2) practical; and 3) the unexpected, something that takes the receiver by surprise, something off the wall or inspired. I have a friend for whom Nirvana would be an existence in which every moment he thirsted for wine, a glass of quality pinot noir would appear. But only pinot noir! I might buy him something extravagant—like Archery Summit’s Arcus Estate—or something unexpected, such as a pinot he has probably read about but hasn’t tried, like a DePonte Cellars pinot noir. DePonte Cellars is an excellent producer whose vineyards are among the great Dundee Hills wineries. I have another friend who drinks inexpensive red wines and is not very adventurous in her choices. For her, a practical gift makes sense, perhaps a bottle of Lemelson “Six Vineyards” Pinot Noir. This is a wine whose true potential unfolds with a little breathing. I recall wine gifts I’ve received; and the best of them inspire my choices for others. For instance, I once received a Tiffany decanter. Unexpected? You bet. I still get nervous using it. Last year, I was given a 1978 Barbaresco—a wine of rare extravagance. This year I’ll invite a few close friends over and share the practical Barbaresco. At the end of the night, I’ll uncork the unexpected; a 1989 Rieussec Sauternes. In moments like these, the line between giving and receiving blurs and somewhere in between, the joy of sharing resides. Cheers!

Bend resident, Ron Lybeck, a veteran of New York’s restaurant scene is BEND LIVING’s wine critic.