IntoWine Staff

What's a good christmas gift for someone who loves wine? Wine is a common gift during the Christmas holiday season. However nobody wants to give a random bottle, particularly if the recipient is a wine connoisseur. To offer some guidance for holiday shoppers looking for an appropriate and unique wine gift, IntoWine.com asked a panel of wine experts to share their best suggestion for a unique wine gift idea: " Chateau Musar vintage red . Chateau Musar is one of the most unusual gift items for Christmas. It is always a surprise to those that don't know that Lebanon makes wine. For those who do know, they know that it is highly regarded and it was a wine chosen with a bit more thought and attention than just a big brand name. It is a wine that ages for as long as you like, so it is for collectors, yet can be drunk immediately. It is also a wine which goes perfectly with almost any sort of food, so whether having turkey, ham, goose or salmon." - Bartholomew Broadbent, CEO, Broadbent Selections, San Francisco. New Years Eve Champagne Recommendations

Thanksgiving dinner is arguably the biggest feast Americans enjoy in a given year. More time and energy goes into planning and preparing this meal than any other. Choosing a wine to serve that not only pairs well with a dozen side dishes but also appeals to everyone from Aunt Margaret to Cousin Bobby can be a daunting task. In the spirit of Turkey Day, IntoWine.com posed the question to a panel of wine experts: What pairs well with Thanksgiving turkey? " The traditional Thanksgiving meal , to the English, who don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, would be considered almost identical to their Christmas dinner. Turkey with all the trimmings. An English friend recently asked me what I thought of the difference between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The answer quite simply: a tree, gifts and crackers. Crackers are an indispensible accoutrement to the English Christmas dinner table. They look like small wrapped colorful tubes, inside of which are surprises [trinkets, indoor fireworks, paper hats and lame jokes]. These fall out, piñata style, when two people pull at each end, as it suddenly breaks open with a loud crack. Drinking is an all day affair. I’ll be starting my Thanksgiving with Montsarra Cava , which I drink regularly as a perfectly delicious alternative to expensive Champagne. I might opt, instead, for my own Broadbent Vinho Verde , which has lower alcohol and a very subtle spritz. With the turkey, I’ll probably drink a white wine, perhaps a Sauvignon Blanc, my favorite Spy Valley , the most delicious one I’ve found from New Zealand. However, Riesling is also fantastic with Turkey and selections like Guntrum Dry Riesling from the Rheinhessen or Dr. H by Dr. Hermann in the Mosel are not only delicious but also kind to the wallet! For the more adventurous, a Gewurztraminer, such as Aresti Gewurz from Chile offers a little more complexity to the meal. If you insist on a red wine with turkey, no question, my choice would be Chateau Musar , which goes with almost everything! However, they also make a wonderful crowd pleasing rose called Musar Jeune, which would be fun with turkey.

Valentine's Day conjures up images of wine, roses, and chocolates. Yet every year young and old lovers alike are disappointed when they try to pair a Valentine's Day wine with chocolate. Either the chocolate overcomes the wine or the wine overcomes the chocolate. In the spirit of the holiday, IntoWine.com asked a panel of wine experts their thoughts on what romantic wine pairs well with Valentine's Day chocolate: The perfect bottle for such a sweet occasion is Louis Guntrum's Scheurebe . Not only is it a very good white wine but it comes in the quintessentially perfect Valentine presentation of a bright red bottle! The Scheurebe grape is similar in character to Riesling but perhaps more food friendly. It is the right price at $16.99 to gift along with a lovely box of chocolates [my favorite valentine's chocolate purveyor being www.cocoabella.com ]. Buy Louis Guntrum Wines So, not only does this wine go well with a lovely dinner but it has enough richness but a dry enough finish to pair well with chocolate! This bottle should be on every table of every restaurant on Valentine's day. It brightens up the room and puts a warm smile on every face that sees it. - Bartholomew Broadbent, CEO, Broadbent Selections, San Francisco.

New Year's Eve conjures images of champagne corks popping and bubbly flowing as party goers sing Auld Lang Syne while the clock strikes midnight to ring new hope for all. Rather than buying the typical boring grocery store Champagne for New Year's Eve, IntoWine.com asked a panel of wine experts their thoughts on what a good sparkling wine alternative would be to toast the clock striking midnight: "At the turn of midnight , New Year's Eve, you don't want to be singing Ol'Langsynen with an expensive Champagne being carelessly flung around. However, you do want to think that you are drinking true Champagne. Well, there is one Cava that hits the jackpot. It is Montsarra at approx $16 a bottle, you cannot go wrong with this wine. It has a beautiful label and also a true Champagne taste. The three traditional grapes, Macabeo, Xarel.lo and Parellada are enhanced by 5% Chardonnay, one of the three principal Champagne gr apes [the other two being Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier]. This 5% Chardonnay lends it to being more true to Champagne, whereas those that add grapes which are neither true to Cava or Champagne may be fun but more of a fruit cocktail. Montsarra has been consistently the highest ranked Cava by the Wine Enthusiast and it is certainly the only sparkling wine that I like to drink as much as true Champagne." - Bartholomew Broadbent, CEO, Broadbent Selections, San Francisco Watch " Sparkling Wine Recommendations " - Latest Wine Tasting Videos on IntoWineTV