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Expecting
a tricky guest? We know the perfect wine.
“Stuffed-suit
Stanley,” aka your staunch traditionalist
boss: It would be so easy to give him good-old
Merlot, but why should you shell out the cash
for someone who thinks a subscription to the
jelly-of-the-month club is an acceptable Christmas
bonus? Grab a bottle of Argentine Malbec,
instead—unless he reads the label, he’ll
never know the difference. One to try: 2005
Punto Final Malbec Reserva.
“Dinner-date
Kate,” aka the gal you’re dying
to impress: The meal you just shared probably
cost more than her diamond earrings, but you
don’t mind now that you’re back
at your place for dessert. Treat her to a
glass of golden Tokaji, the exotic, surprisingly
complex and often very pricey Hungarian dessert
wine that’s great paired with sweets
or just plain “naked.” One to
try: 1999
Royal Tokaji Wine Company Essencia.
“Thinks-she’s-still-in-school
Sally,” aka your party-happy college
buddy: Your days of downing Jagermeister are
long since over. Not so for your friend, who
still thinks her liver is invincible. Pick
up a bottle (or better yet, a case) of rosé
and you’ll both be happy—she’ll
think you’ve discovered a new wine cooler
for grown-ups, and you’ll have something
very drinkable that won’t break the
bank. One to try: 2005
Big House Pink from California.
“Keeps-kosher
Kevin,” aka your orthodox Jewish pal:
In case you haven’t heard, not all kosher
wines taste like spiked Kool-Aid, thank goodness.
In fact, most wine shops now carry a number
of very nice kosher wines from around the
globe, so you can skip the Concord grape and
go for a Chardonnay, instead. One to try:
2003
Galil Mountain Chardonnay from Israel.
“Know-it-all
Neil,” aka your friend who only thinks
he knows more about wine than you do: You
could embarrass him with something truly exotic,
but a good friend would serve him something
he recognizes that the average person won’t.
A bottle of Meursault, Chardonnay’s
lesser-known and usually higher-end cousin,
ought to do the trick. One to try: 2001
Louis Jadot Meursault from Burgundy, France.
“Environmentalist
Ellen,” aka your health-food fanatic
friend who only eats organic: She’s
out to save the world, one grape at a time.
Fortunately for you, the growing number of
organic wines makes it easy to give her what
she wants. As a bonus, you’ll have a
bottle filled with fewer of those pesky sulfites
that are usually found in conventional wine.
One to try: 2005
De Martino Organic Cabernet Sauvignon
from Chile. -J.L. |
