Part of being a wine geek is dealing with family giving you wine as gifts because “Brian drinks wine.” Every year my MIL buys me a bottle of cooking wine. Yellow Tail Merlot, Fancy Pants Cabernet, whatever…
Earlier this year her Sister bought me a bottle for my birthday. Before she went shopping she asked my Wife what I like. She said, he likes Syrah and he drinks a lot of Bedrock. I got a Bedrock North Coast Syrah. She said “That’s the most money I have ever spent on a bottle of wine.” LOL
Fast forward 9 months, she must have told my MIL, “Don’t bother buying Brian wine unless you get him something good, otherwise he’ll just use it to cook with.” I opened the bag this morning '14 Bedrock Griffin’s Lair. I almost fainted.
No dodgy wine gifts this xmas. But it has been a good year for successfully re-gifting past acquisitions.
A bottle of Courtney Benham Napa Cab that I received a couple years ago from my in-laws was gleefully accepted by my daughter’s saxophone teacher.
A bottle of Veuve Cliquot gifted to me for my 50th made my hair stylist very happy last week.
A bottle of 2012 Passopisciaro that I would ordinarily have loved (but have not drunk because of the 15.5% abv) made my somewhat wine-geeky neighbor very happy when I gifted it to him yesterday in return for his gift of home-made candies.
It’s been good to rememer that somebody somewhere can be excited by the wines you don’t care for.
My MIL gets me a very generous gift certificate every year to a very decent loca wine store. She knows I’m a picky MOFO. still trying to comprehend my wife buying me El Nido.
Let’s just say one side of my family is a little “rough”. About 10 years ago a we brought wine to a Xmas eve dinner, for ourselves, and it got crushed.
Next year I bring a bunch of stuff to clear out of the cellar. Crushed. Nobody knows or cares so I bring the wine every year.
This year my cousin whispers “we’d like to have you over for dinner, just us, and we’ll open some nice wine” what what what?
They liked a Paso wine I brought a few years before so they drove up and went wine tasting. Came home belonging to 4 clubs! Asked if I’ve tasted Isosceles. Put a smile on my face, best gift this year.
I’ll have that “club talk” next but good for them, they’re totally into it.
We get wine every year, often stuff we’d be afraid to use for cooking. We just smile and say thank you. Some of the bottles make good display pieces for wine decor through the house.
My brother last year bought me a $50 bottle of merlot from some ex NASCAR guy turned vineyard owner in North Carolina. http://www.childressvineyards.com
My sister and fiancé, after being very generous with gifts handed me one last box… now, even though they don’t think they know much about wine, they’re pretty serious and have amazingly talented palates and knowledge… they gave me a box of wine condoms and busted out laughing when I opened them… I’m sure I’ll find a use for them soon though haha
You are grateful they spent so much and thought of wine for you.
I’ll throw it in the cellar for 5-7 years and I’ll find it rummaging around my cellar some steak night in the summer of 2022 and figure what the heck! and fire it open and pour it around.
3 - 2013 Sojourn Pinot Noir Reuling Vineyard Sonoma Coast. I like my Sojourn’s with some age; but they kept pressing me, so I popped one a few months after they gave it to me. Not one of my better experiences.
1 - 2011 Coup de Foudre Cabernet Sauvignon. Got this almost 2 years ago. Only 1 note on CT. Seems to be expensive. Anyone know about this wine?
2 - 2008 Château Léoville Poyferré. Got this for Father’s day in 2009.
![[swoon.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/f425e8dac3e7344bee264da02e55428971be23a9.gif "swoon"){kind=small}
