Help an amatuer impress his wife?

Hello everybody! I come to you for help! I like wine, we drink it all the time, but my wife is the real connoisseur and knows this stuff much better than I do. Her 40th birthday is coming up in the middle of October and I had this idea to get her a bottle from 1978 to commemorate it. But, I’m in over my head as neither of us have ever bought aged wine or purchased wine online. I live in a small town so local won’t be an option. My first questions are what are some reputable places to buy online from? Does wine usually survive the parcel service? Does vintage wine need to be stored at a specific temperature once I receive it or would room temp be ok? Does anyone have any suggestions on what type of wine I should look for? She tends to like a white zin above all else, but does enjoy red wine if its a bit sweet. But even if she didnt like the wine itself that would be ok, I think she would love the bottle that said 1978 more than anything.

Thank you for your time!

Are we being trolled? A connoisseur who likes white zin?
A 1978 Bordeaux should not be hard to find from an on-line merchant like K & L, but it will not be sweet.
Sauternes is another option. Definitely sweet.
Too bad you are not looking for a '77- a great year for Vintage Port.

Shipping wine will not harm it if the temperatures are not too hot or too cold. Any reputable merchant should know the drill. Storage for a few weeks at room temperature is no problem, as long as you mean a comfortable sub 75 degree room.

If size matters -of course it does- there is a magnum (1.5L) 1978 Mondavi Napa Cabernet listed on WineBid.

Wow. That just might be perfect! My wifes family owns a vacation home in Monterrey. She loves it there!

And no I am not trolling. Why would I troll a wine forum? Just asking people for help thats all. I know white zin gets dissed all the time by people but she likes what she likes. Not everybody lives and breaths wine. Some of us just enjoy it and rely on the help of others for times like these. Thanks Michael, your response was helpful.

I was with you until you said “white zin.” The words white zin and connoisseur have never before been used in the same paragraph. I figure that 99% of the people here will consider your post a joke of a troll for that reason, but let’s all be nice and assume it’s serious. With that in mind, you have to answer these questions:

1. What is your price point?
2. Where do you live? In a major city you probably don’t have to worry about shipping. Billings, Montana might be an issue.
3. We all get stuff shipped to us. It’s all about weather. I would not want to ship to Houston TX in October, but to NY, it’s fine.
   4, And then I was going to ask what she liked, but when you say white zin, it’s no help. As I say to people who tell me that they like white zin, “Sorry, but I prefer wine with flavor.”
4. As to storage, I don’t think you need to store it temperature controlled for a few weeks, but just keep it off the top of the radiator.
5. My specific recommendation is that if she has a sweet tooth, go for a 1978 Port. Lower risk that the wine has already gone bad and they are not that hard to find.

Garnet Liquors in NYC has the Kopke Colheita 1978 Port for $95.99.

So I’m done. Obviously this is not the place for me. Please delete my account.

Nothing wrong with liking white zin at all!

But, while your gift is a wonderful thought — something many of us here do often for anniversaries, birthdays, etc. — it’s unlikely that your wife (or you) will enjoy a 40yr old wine if what your wife likes is white zin.

That being said, if she likes sweet, Sauternes or Port are good options, although I know nothing about the 78 vintage for either.

To answer your other questions, you can ship wine. It will be fine in transit (except in high heat). Where to buy depends, in part, on where you are. And it should be stored in a cool, dry place but should be fine for a couple weeks at ambient temps, again assuming it’s not too hot in your home.

Wow, that was a quickie

I bet that’s what his wife said.

Well, he did say he was trying to impress her so…

Geez, nice welcome everyone.

I tried.

So did Peter and Jay.

sorry and Kylem…

Sorry, not you Nola. I thought the responses were a bit condescending for someone just looking for help for a special evening. Sure, his wife likes white zin, so what? I like plenty of cheap roses.

He already said adios before I said anything.
He got offended for them asking…it’s a question and a valid one IMHO.

Yeah, maybe for a newbie but IDK it was still a valid question, we do get our share of trolls!!!


He should come back and let more people help him find something cool for her.

Maybe he can find one of the original vintages of white zin… you know the story of how it was created by accident decades ago?

The OP was gently chided for pointedly mentioning white zin, knowing in advance that it would get a reaction on a forum of wine snobs, er- connoisseurs. All the responses gave useful suggestions and information. That is, until he left in a huff.

Looking back on the entire thread I really don’t think the crowd was that mean. Yes Jay was a bit sarcastic, but we all know him and he still tried to be helpful. There were other posts in the spirit of helping tried to make suggestions. It IS a natural thought to wonder if the OP was serious as it is highly unusual to have someone call themselves a connoisseur who loves white zin. I have never in my 28 years of offlines or going to store tastings had anyone bring a white zinfandel, or pour one for me. Nor at walk around charity tastings where sometimes there are over 100 wines have I seen one opened. However if she likes it fine, there is no right or wrong answer. The question considering everything is not insane to wonder if the OP is serious.

Lastly I think the OP should stay around. To run away and leave the board because of a little mild teasing to me shows a bit of a thin skin. If he wishes to learn more about wine for free, this is likely one of the best resources that exists. Probably never signs on to Facebook as this place is mild compared to the dailty politcal discourse over there.