Choosing a wine to give as a gift is a very different exercise to that of choosing a wine to drink. A lot of things like notoriety (think Penfolds Grange), rarity and reputation come into play but the greatest thing of all is the idea that you give a gift that will keep on giving for many years to come.
In short, a great choice of wine is a bottle that will get better and better as it is carefully aged in a cellar or wine cabinet. Most wines are all ready to drink when released these days but one of the most prized qualities for a great bottle of wine is the knowledge that it will get better and better in years ahead.
So look to the bold end of the red wine spectrum and ideally venture into the best Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz wines for the best cellaring potential. These are classics, many are made with cellaring in mind and they have the Runs on the board. Here are a few of my favourite cellaring Australian wines that will make great Christmas gifts for your wine loving family and friends.
2012 Penfolds St Henri Shiraz: a classic that has stood the test of time, made with an eye to very high quality grapes and little in the way of oak, it is one of the most gracious Australian wine styles.
2012 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon: Margaret River cabernet at its finest, this has powerful tannin structure and impeccable freshness, really comes alive at around 12 years of age.
2010 Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz: a very special wine for its rarity and high quality, this is a very special gift that will reliably improve for more than twenty years. Not many wines can lay claim to that!
2013 Seppelt St. Peters Shiraz: this is made from a single, historic vineyard in southwest Victoria and delivers a spicy, fragrant and very concentrated expression of dark fruited shiraz.
2006 Chris Ringland Shiraz: a very rare wine made from a tiny plot of ancient vines that are more than 100 years old. It has immense depth, totally saturated in flavour and will evolve very slowly.
Of course, we can’t leave the white wine loving friends empty handed and there are two great Australian white wine styles that age very well, Hunter Valley Semillon and Riesling from one of many great regions. I’m going with the latter, and (just quietly) I have a cellar full of aged Riesling which is a perfect summer treasure trove.
2015 Pikes The Merle Riesling: this family has carved out a huge reputation for great Riesling and this is their top wine made from a carefully chosen plot that ages like an absolute champion.
And look out for more Peppers wine events in 2016, I have some great things planned to share with you.
Cheers and see you at Peppers!
Nick Stock