Decent red wine for 60th birthday present

[DaffyT4]

I'm looking for inspiration. Friend's 60th is coming up and we'd like to get him some wine. We're thinking a case of something rather than just one very expensive bottle but would like it to be better than the average supermarket 7.99 stuff.

I think he prefers European, he drinks a lot of Rioja and I know he also enjoys Porta 6 and Cahors malbec, never seen him with an Aussie red.

Budget is up to £200 so that could be 12 @ £15 or 6 @ £30. Any suggestions gratefully received.

[andyA700]

DaffyT4 said:

I'm looking for inspiration. Friend's 60th is coming up and we'd like to get him some wine. We're thinking a case of something rather than just one very expensive bottle but would like it to be better than the average supermarket 7.99 stuff.

I think he prefers European, he drinks a lot of Rioja and I know he also enjoys Porta 6 and Cahors malbec, never seen him with an Aussie red.

Budget is up to £200 so that could be 12 @ £15 or 6 @ £30. Any suggestions gratefully received.

I would go for the 6 @ £30 or under. This list looks good, scroll down for their best under £40. I really love good Rioja.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/review/best-rioja-red-...

[LooneyTunes]

If it's Rioja you're after, 2010 Vina Ardanza is drinking really nicely at the moment and hits that price point:
https://www.bbr.com/products-20108029694-2010-vina...

I've been through quite a few of them in the past six months. Quite a bit of life left in them too.

ETA: just had a look on the BBC link and turns out it's one they recommend too in the "best under £40 section".

[oddman]

Nice idea and Spain Portugal are going to offer greater bargains than US Aus France or Italy

Might be worth finding out which type of Rioja tickles his fancy. If he likes the old fashioned oaky sort then something from La Rioja Alta, the Gran Reserva 904 would be a good choice as the special bottle around £80. Really divine with barbecued lamb.

You could make up the rest of the case with decent representatives of Ribero de Duero (Pesquera) and Priorat (although the best would take the whole budget. Spain makes sensational Grenache so the best from outside Priorat can be very good. Mencia is a grape unique to Spain and a lovely find for a jaded palate eg Petalos

A decent Cava, and a bottle of Port could make up a nice case of 6.

I'd be inclined to go to a specialist wine merchant with your request.

[Lotobear]

Amarone (x6)

https://www.majestic.co.uk/amarone-wines

Edited by Lotobear on Wednesday 21st February 13:57

[Chris Stott]

Personally, if you don’t know what you’re buying I’d go to Majestic and let them help you with the choices. They have a massive selection of wines and (generally) very knowledgable staff.

If your friend likes red, but doesn’t know a lot about it, a case of 12 wines from around the world would give him the opportunity to broaden his experience and try some different grapes and tastes. Maybe a wine book to go with them.

[CardinalBlue]

Chris Stott said:

Personally, if you don’t know what you’re buying I’d go to Majestic and let them help you with the choices. They have a massive selection of wines and (generally) very knowledgable staff.

If your friend likes red, but doesn’t know a lot about it, a case of 12 wines from around the world would give him the opportunity to broaden his experience and try some different grapes and tastes. Maybe a wine book to go with them.

Could you get him a wine tasting experience, with a promise of a bottle of his favouite?

[LooneyTunes]

oddman said:

If he likes the old fashioned oaky sort then something from La Rioja Alta, the Gran Reserva 904 would be a good choice as the special bottle around £80. Really divine with barbecued lamb.

Hadn't realised 904 was that much these days! 904 and 890 are very popular here too but it seems like the latter has also jumped in price.

Usually find that Contino Vina Del Olivo goes down well, but that would be pushing the budget.

In general 04/05/10 are the ones that seem to be delivering well at the moment for Rioja and would be where I'd look if buying for a gift. More recent vintages are good but the wines often benefit from a bit of time.

[oddman]

LooneyTunes said:

oddman said:

If he likes the old fashioned oaky sort then something from La Rioja Alta, the Gran Reserva 904 would be a good choice as the special bottle around £80. Really divine with barbecued lamb.

Hadn't realised 904 was that much these days! 904 and 890 are very popular here too but it seems like the latter has also jumped in price.

Usually find that Contino Vina Del Olivo goes down well, but that would be pushing the budget.

In general 04/05/10 are the ones that seem to be delivering well at the moment for Rioja and would be where I'd look if buying for a gift. More recent vintages are good but the wines often benefit from a bit of time.

TBF Rioja is one of the few regions to store wines in oak and then bottle and release when 'ready'. Having said that, if I had a bottle of the '15 904, I'd keep it for a few years more but it will still be magnificent now. Riojas are good value compared with top Bordeaux, Burgundy, Piedmont, Tuscany and boutique New World Wine.

For the OP - the best wine I ever had was a gift from a grateful trainee. There is no way I would have bought it myself. I stored it carefully for the best part of 25 years and it was drunk on a very special occasion.

To contradict myself re cult California wines. A half dozen bottles of Ridge Zinfandel (3 each of Lytton Springs and Geyserville) would make me very happy. BTW I'm 60 in two years.

[AAD44H]

Viña Tondonia Rioja Reserva, López de Heredia.

[InformationSuperHighway]

Personal opinion.. if it was me, I'd really appreciate one £200 bottle than lots of more average ones.

In my personal experience every now and again I might splurge on a £30 bottle.. but I know i'll never bring myself to buy a £200 bottle. Receiving one would be highly memorable and very exciting.

Just IMO of course.

[thebraketester]

Are they members of the wine society? How about membership and the rest in credit for them to spend as they see fit!

[mattlovescars93]

https://www.majestic.co.uk/wines/the-chocolate-blo...

I absolutely love this as a nice Sunday bottle.

[bolidemichael]

Beronia Rioja with the blue label. 5% off when buying six from Waitrose, satisfying and easy.

[Mercdriver]

+1 for wine society, pound for pound you will get a better bottle of wine.

How about a good Barolo?

[Regbuser]

AAD44H said:

Viña Tondonia Rioja Reserva, López de Heredia.

^
This, or half a bottle of Opus One

[Mobile Chicane]

InformationSuperHighway said:

Personal opinion.. if it was me, I'd really appreciate one £200 bottle than lots of more average ones.

In my personal experience every now and again I might splurge on a £30 bottle.. but I know i'll never bring myself to buy a £200 bottle. Receiving one would be highly memorable and very exciting.

Just IMO of course.

Agreed.

If only to say afterwards "You know, it wasn't all that." But at least you know.

I maintain that the returns on 'great' wine are becoming smaller and smaller. The really good stuff being bought en primeur as an investment rather than to drink. Where is the fun in that?

But sometimes... Why not splurge for a special occasion.

You can do the Man Maths later.

[LooneyTunes]

Mobile Chicane said:

InformationSuperHighway said:

Personal opinion.. if it was me, I'd really appreciate one £200 bottle than lots of more average ones.

In my personal experience every now and again I might splurge on a £30 bottle.. but I know i'll never bring myself to buy a £200 bottle. Receiving one would be highly memorable and very exciting.

Just IMO of course.

Agreed.

If only to say afterwards "You know, it wasn't all that." But at least you know.

I maintain that the returns on 'great' wine are becoming smaller and smaller. The really good stuff being bought en primeur as an investment rather than to drink. Where is the fun in that?

But sometimes... Why not splurge for a special occasion.

You can do the Man Maths later.

The other side of the coin is that mentioning the value isn’t really the done thing. That can lead to it either being opened on a random night with no real thought/attention. People also have a tendency to put “special” wines on a pedestal and never get round to opening them.

I’ve got one friend that I’ve given a few good bottles to, intended to be opened for celebrations. They’re always well above what he’d buy for himself. He’d twigged that a magnum I’d given him might be worth saving for an occasion but some five years on it’s still not been opened. He didn’t remember how they’d got on with a particular champagne I’d given him.

That’s all OK though as when you give something, what the recipient does is their call but it did make me reassess whether the sort of gift I’d want to receive was the sort of gift he’d like to receive. Have come to the conclusion that there are quite a few people who would much prefer, and probably derive more pleasure from a 6/12 pack of something good but not necessarily great.

The other consideration when you get to older wines is that bottle variation can be significant.

[Mobile Chicane]

LooneyTunes said:

Mobile Chicane said:

InformationSuperHighway said:

Personal opinion.. if it was me, I'd really appreciate one £200 bottle than lots of more average ones.

In my personal experience every now and again I might splurge on a £30 bottle.. but I know i'll never bring myself to buy a £200 bottle. Receiving one would be highly memorable and very exciting.

Just IMO of course.

Agreed.

If only to say afterwards "You know, it wasn't all that." But at least you know.

I maintain that the returns on 'great' wine are becoming smaller and smaller. The really good stuff being bought en primeur as an investment rather than to drink. Where is the fun in that?

But sometimes... Why not splurge for a special occasion.

You can do the Man Maths later.

The other side of the coin is that mentioning the value isn’t really the done thing. That can lead to it either being opened on a random night with no real thought/attention. People also have a tendency to put “special” wines on a pedestal and never get round to opening them.

I’ve got one friend that I’ve given a few good bottles to, intended to be opened for celebrations. They’re always well above what he’d buy for himself. He’d twigged that a magnum I’d given him might be worth saving for an occasion but some five years on it’s still not been opened. He didn’t remember how they’d got on with a particular champagne I’d given him.

That’s all OK though as when you give something, what the recipient does is their call but it did make me reassess whether the sort of gift I’d want to receive was the sort of gift he’d like to receive. Have come to the conclusion that there are quite a few people who would much prefer, and probably derive more pleasure from a 6/12 pack of something good but not necessarily great.

The other consideration when you get to older wines is that bottle variation can be significant.

True dat.

The old "I had a bottle of Chateau Expensium once and it was crap."

Well, yes, if Grandad had it in the shed since 1965 'for a special occasion'.

[AAD44H]

Regbuser said:

AAD44H said:

Viña Tondonia Rioja Reserva, López de Heredia.

^
This, or half a bottle of Opus One

Yep, you get a bit more for your money this way!