Recommending Wines For Friends of Friends

So the nice lady that sits next to me and knows my passion for food and wine asks the ever present question to us wine geeks…“I want to get my friend a bottle for her birthday. If I tell you what she likes, can you recommend something?” Of course I say sure, and ask what the friend likes. The response was pinot grigio. I know a little bit more than zero on this varietal and possibly a little more on whites in general. What do you do?

Mollydooker

Best PG for the money is Kofererhof, IMO

Is it widely available and reasonably priced?

Retail $25…DeGrazia imports it so it should be around

Looking for cheaper, I can throw out some recs.

Might as well. She’ll be in the office in a bit.

TIA

Ok

but I think Max drinks a lot PG, maybe he can chime in…

Would think a good Sauvignon Blanc or Viognier would also work just fine. Something crisp . . .

It’s always a shot in the dark.
I manage a retail store and people come in and ask for a wine as a gift. When I ask what the person likes, they have no idea. Makes it very difficult to pick out a wine!
I also am nervous if I recommend something to a friend to go try to find at a store. Who knows where they go and what the selection will be.
I usually say that say that they should go into a good wine shop and ask the guy there what he recommends.
I worry that if the person doesn’t know wine that well, andI recommend the Kofererhof, they could drive to 5-6 stores trying to locate that specific one.

Daniel’s recco is a strong one. I’ll also throw out Pighin’s Collio bottling, a step up from their normale Friuli version. It’s usually less than $20, though a WS Pro search didn’t turn it up in the Lone Star State. Happy hunting.

I second what Mike M. said, on both counts.

Also, Jermann puts out a fantastic PG as well for about $27.

Alois Lageder Benefizium Porer (single vineyard Pinto Grigio from the Alto Adige) about $23, widely available. Biodynamically farmed, solar-powered winery, etc. not that she would care, but it’s interesting.

If someone asks me something like that and I can assume that the friend that likes pinot grigio is not a “geek”, I go with something I am more familiar with. That is a currently trendy grape (no disrespect … so is pinot noir) so people just throw it out there.

Jason

Thanks for the great responses.

Here is what I am working with…the friend likes the house PG at Olive Garden. I am thinking whatever is at Costco or Sam’s will be just fine for her.

The house PG from Olive Garden was my second choice.

But that’s only because you sell it.