I’m often asked for recommendations on which wine to give as a gift. As with all gifts, I think that we should know something about the person whom we are giving to so that we can pick out a present that they will enjoy. Now, don’t panic and say “But, I don’t know what wines they like!” Wine is a very practical gift, and finding a wine that will delight your friends is actually pretty easy. Let me give you a few examples that should help you to select a bottle that will be just right for the people on your list.

Champagne is almost too easy a choice: I’ve only met a handful of people who didn’t love Champagne, and they aren’t the kind of people whom I buy presents for, anyways. Do they often have dinner parties? Then a magnum, which holds the equivalent of two bottles, makes a practical gift. Is she the quality beats quantity type? Then a half bottle of outstanding Champagne such as Krug will be welcomed. The great thing about Champagne this time of year is that it is thought of as a celebratory drink, so it is always accepted with a happy heart. Having a chilled bottle of Champagne on hand is, to me, as necessary as a roof over my head!

The collector on your list should be more than pleased with a bottle of Port. Port ranges in price from very affordable on up to breathtaking in price, so there will be something here for almost everyone. Vintage Porto takes years to develop, and is great for those who have patience, while Late Bottled Vintage and Tawny Ports are ready to drink when they are released for sale. These are right for your friends who want the world NOW!

What do your friends eat? Someone on my list loves Italian restaurants and Italian cooking. A good Italian red wine, I know, will be poured and loved, so: a bottle or two of Barolo, Brunello, Barbaresco or a Chianti Classico will find its way under her Christman tree. “Super Tuscans”, an unofficial title, are made in Tuscany using at least some “French” grapes such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon are treasured by lovers of Italian wines.

Are they fans of hearty cooking? Rib Roast of Beef? Short Ribs? California Cabernet Sauvignons will bring a smile to their lips. For something delicious and just a bit different, look for a bottle labeled “Meritage”. This is a newly created name (pronounced MER it ahg) that guarantees that it is made from the grapes traditionally used in Bordeaux wines, but grown in California. There are plenty of them on the market, and at many price points. Old Vines Zinfandels are particular favorites of mine, especially when they come from smaller producers. Drinking wine from vines a century old is an experience to pause and appreciate.

France is the source for so many things that make up “the good life”, wine one of the most prominent. The past few years have brought us some very good vintages from la Belle France, and the Euro-to-Dollar ratio has been somewhat stable, so there are still some very good values to be had. Bordeaux and Burgundy for the traditionalists, Sancerre Rouge for those who like the occasional “oddity”, and the reds of the Rhône and the Crus of Beaujolais for those who are wine drinkers, not wine snobs.

Great values are still coming to us from Spain, and not only fro well-known appellations such as Rioja. Priorat has been discovered, and its rich, full bodied reds have gone up a bit in price, but Monsant, its lesser known neighbor, produces wines almost identical in flavor and body at much lower prices. Young wine makers in Spain are in the forefront of innovation in European wines, and their wines are marvelous.

Dessert wines make great gifts, in that most people never buy them for themselves, but love to drink them. Late harvest wines are made in almost every wine-making area, and are sweeter and more concentrated in flavor than “dinner wines”. Germany, Canada, Upstate New York and Austria bring us Ice Wines that taste almost like liquid magic in a glass! Frozen grapes are crushed, leaving the frozen ice crystals behind while the super-sweet juice of the grape, nearly like syrup, runs out. There is so much natural sugar that, even after fermentation, there is plenty of residual sugar left. These great wines are a delight on their own, but taste even better with aged blue cheese, toasted nuts and fruit, Chocolate lovers will find their ambrosia with dessert wines made from black Muscat grapes, or with France’s Maury, created from the black Grenache.

Personalize your wine giving by making a present of a wine that you drink, or from a winery that you have visited. Writing on the card something like: “I got to visit this winery on my last trip to France, and have been a fan of their wines ever since. I hope that you will enjoy this bottle, and that it will bring you as much happiness as it does me to give it to you. All the best, all the time, Darrin.”