How to choose an alcoholic gift for a man and a woman?

Some general tips for choosing a gift:

Soberly assess the person’s status, his preferences and level of immersion in the wine topic. Who are you going to give alcohol to: a lover of the classics or a wild experimenter? A friend who loves bubbles or a wine geek? A serious businessman and collector or a neophyte who is taking his first steps in wine?
Decide on the price of the gift. If the budget is not at all large, it is better to look towards “out-of-the-way” gifts rather than cheap bottles of wine.
Don’t be afraid to consult with experts at wine stores and stores. They have extensive experience in selecting specific producers, and they know the tastes of buyers and will suggest “hit” wines.
Do not give wine specialists wine or other alcohol from large houses (unless it is Cristal from Louis Roederer, of course) - they are unlikely to appreciate it. It’s better to choose a bottle from a small estate with its own philosophy and necessarily a pronounced terroir.
Do not be guided by gender stereotypes, such as “women like sweets and men like strong drinks.” In the case of wine lovers, this is unlikely to work.
Are you afraid you won't get it right with the bottle? Well, a certificate for a purchase in a store will always help out - especially at the last moment.

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Wine

It is necessary to choose wine especially carefully and depending on the person’s preferences. If you don't know what wines he likes, stick with the tried and true classics: Bordeaux, Tuscany, Piedmont or Champagne.

Sparkling

You don’t have to wait until the New Year holidays to give champagne or sparkling wine. A bottle of cool “bubbles” in itself puts you in the mood for a holiday. Moreover, such a gift will certainly be appreciated not only by women, as some might think, but also by men who understand wine.

If price doesn’t matter to you, feel free to take champagne - it’s always beautiful, prestigious and elegant. For brand lovers, choose large well-known houses - Louis Roederer, Lanson, Deutz, Pol Roger. If you are planning a gift for creative people who love craftsmanship, it is better to turn to Champagne recoltans from small producers: Pierre Péters, Bérêche et Fils or Paul Bara.

If your budget is more modest than 3000-5000 rubles or you think that champagne is banal, expand your boundaries and look for sparkling wine outside of Champagne. For example, absolutely stunning wines can be found in Spain. Manufacturers such as Mestres and Recaredo successfully prove this.

Sparkling wine from Russia can be an unusual and stylish solution. Wines from Lefkadia Temelion, especially those aged 60 months, Esse from Crimea or the premium line Abrau-Durso Imperial.

From left to right: Louis Roederer Brut Premier, Lanson Black Label Brut; Mestres Cava; Temelion 60 Brut

Red

In order not to fall flat on your face, it would be good to know your preferred style. Does a person gravitate towards powerful and rich reds or, on the contrary, appreciate subtlety and elegance?

The first group can safely choose a bottle of a classified chateau from the Left or Right Bank of Bordeaux. Don't forget to check the vintage - remember that 2007, 2011 and 2013 are considered the weakest in Bordeaux in recent years.

A more original solution would be wine from California, where, as you know, there are more than enough bright stars - Opus One, Screaming Eagle, Ridge, etc. In addition to well-known estates, there are many small producers. And for men who are interested in hockey, you can present a bottle from Igor Larionov - Larionov Library Release Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville from Napa Valley. Rich, complex, luxurious wine.

Barolo and Barbaresco are always a good gift idea. Intense and rich wines with history, capable of long aging, are ideal for intellectuals, aesthetes and connoisseurs of the great wines of Piedmont.

Don't forget about the majestic wines of the Northern and Southern Rhône. Look for complex, serious examples in Côte Rotie, Hermitage, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Saint-Joseph.

We smoothly move on to the finest wines, which are best given as gifts to enthusiasts and experts. This style is dominated by pinot noirs from Burgundy, spätburgunders from Germany and volcanic wines from Etna based on Nerello Mascalese.

Want to stand out? Then grab a bottle of red from a Russian estate. From our personal recommendations: “Sikora’s Estate”, “Galitsky and Galitsky” and Pavel Shvets.

From left to right: Joseph Drouhin Gevrey Chambertin; Contrada Santo Spirito di Passopisciaro Animardente; E. Guigal Saint Joseph; Larionov Library Release Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

White

In the case of white wines, you need to immediately decide which side you are on: fat oaky or acidic and piercing? It is also better to buy young wines: no older than 2015.

A classic white from Burgundy will always be a beautiful gift: Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chablis, Pouilly-Fuissé. In the range of rich oak wines, it is also worth looking towards Bordeaux, especially white wines from prestigious chateaux. As a rule, these are wines based on Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, aged in oak.

A more non-trivial gift would be a bottle of classy Riesling from the Mosel or Rheingau, especially in the GG category. Bright, acidic and noble wines can be given to both wine lovers and professionals.

If you need to choose an unusual bottle that will surprise, then we suggest taking note of dry furmints from Tokaj, assyrtiko from Greece, timorasso from Piedmont or carricante from Mount Etna. Often, less popular regions show the best combination of price and quality.

Fans of strange wines will certainly appreciate orange, a wine made from white varieties fermented on the skins. Of course, if we are talking about a gift, here is our advice - take a closer look at the wines from the Italian genius Gravner.

From left to right: Gravner; Domaine Servin Chablis Premier Cru Montee de Tonnerre; Peter Jakob Kuhn Riesling Trocken; Oremus Tokaji Mandolas

Fortified

Among the “gift-alcohol” associations, the category of fortified wines, represented at least by port wines and sherry, is sometimes overlooked.

Fortified wine from the Douro Valley has been considered the world's great wine for centuries and is valued no less than prestigious Bordeaux or Barolo. The special terroir helps make truly unique wines here: rich, sweet, viscous and long-lived.

Among the variety of styles for a gift, it is better to choose vintage versions - that is, indicating a specific vintage year. They are considered the most prestigious. It’s even more interesting to take a bottle indicating a specific vineyard, quinta. Nevertheless, you can also give a port wine of the LBV category - the younger brother of vintage, which has two significant advantages - price and earlier ripening. So you can drink it right away, rather than waiting several years for it to soften.

Quinta do Noval Colheita 1995

Strong alcohol

Strong alcohol has its own serious advantages when it comes to gifts. At a minimum, there is no risk of purchasing a bottle with a cork or wine that is not in good condition.

A good option would be elite cognac, especially the VSOP or XO categories. Let us clarify that cognac is a strong drink made from grapes, produced exclusively in the area around the city of Cognac, and only from certain varieties. Production technology is also strictly regulated. Armenian, Georgian and Russian drinks are not cognac at all, but brandy.

To make a bottle of cognac look even more festive, take a set with special glasses for a strong drink.

From left to right: Michter's US*1 Sour Mash; Hine Antique XO

It is no less prestigious to give quality whiskey. There are plenty to choose from, depending on your budget. Unfortunately, not every bottle will be a good gift. Like wine, whiskey has many nuances. The quality is influenced by aging, barrels, raw materials and country of origin. All this is worth considering, especially if a person understands whiskey.

American bourbon stands apart - a corn-based drink aged for two years in new barrels. If in the 20th century this category was not respected by experts, a few years ago the situation changed dramatically. The improvement in the quality of production and the increase in the number of boutique farms played a role in this.

It may seem strange, but premium vodka would be a good gift option for men. Particularly Crystal Head from actor Dan Aykroyd, which comes in a striking skull-shaped bottle. This alcohol will definitely create a sensation. And by the way, the quality of this drink is also excellent, because vodka contains no flavorings, sugar or any additives at all.

From left to right: The Macallan Single Malt 12; Crystal Head

Maxim Polkin will definitely not forgive us if we don’t recommend buying sake as a gift. First of all, you will agree that this is a super original move. Secondly, sake is an excellent option for traveling without leaving home, because with this unique drink you become immersed in the culture of Japan. And yes, sake is not rice vodka at all, but a completely independent and special drink, close in strength and organoleptics to wine.

There is an option to make a drink with your own hands using a special “Father Superior” kit: selected and mixed herbs, berries, flowers and spices need to be poured with distillate to your liking, then aged and after a month you will receive a ready-made original tincture.

The idea of such a designer came to the mind of railway engineer and idealist Valery Kinyakin. Preparing to congratulate his friends on an important holiday, he caught himself thinking that there was nothing to give. I don't like anything at all! And he came up with “The Abbot.” The first batch was assembled out of pure enthusiasm and in the best startup traditions - with the help of familiar technologists and designers. It sold like hot cakes, so they decided to develop “Father” seriously.

Now the second series of tinctures is on sale - with improved recipes. It contains hundreds of ingredients and five accents - mountain herbs, red root, prunes and herbs, Borodino bread, wormwood and hibiscus. Notable advantages include designer packaging and delivery throughout Russia.

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Budget up to 7000 ₽

Australian Shiraz: Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2016

Price: 6999 ₽

We haven't left you without an option for an Australian high-alcohol shiraz. But as a gift, you should choose not just anything, but a blockbuster from the best estate in Australia, whose Grange wine has become a legend. If you ask why in this case we do not recommend the best wine from the estate, we will answer: we are saving your budget.

Bin 58 Kalimna Shiraz has a distinctly hot Australian climate. The wine harvest is collected in different regions: the Barossa and McLaren valleys, Padthaway and Adelaide. Aging - 12 months in American oak barrels. As soon as it appears in the glass, shiraz shows bright notes of blueberry, prunes, tobacco and spices. And the rich taste with perfectly balanced acidity and velvety tannins captivates and demands a juicy steak.

Wine accessories

Glass and any kind of wine gadgets will especially help when the budget is not enough for truly cool wine. Or when you are not sure what exactly the recipient prefers.

When choosing glasses as a gift, pay attention not only to the design, but also to the quality of the brand - glass from Ikea or Auchan is definitely not the best solution. But this does not mean that there are no good options in the democratic segment.

We recommend taking a closer look at the high-quality and proven brand Spiegelau, which offers a large selection of crystal glass glasses. But if we are talking about impressing a person, then take my word for it, Zalto glasses will strike the heart of anyone, even the most inveterate wine expert.

Don't limit yourself to just glasses. You can also give other accessories to wine lovers: designer decanters, champagne coolers, bottle stands. And as an addition, you can take drop stops - a small thing, but nice.

Budget up to 3000 ₽

Port: Kopke LBV 2013
Price: ≈ 2400 ₽

When hearing the word port, a good half of the male population's eyes brighten. So you can safely take advantage of this and take a bottle of fortified sweet wine from the Douro as a gift. Helpful tip: take a late bottling vintage port - LBV (Late Bottled Vintage). This is a Ruby style port from one vintage with aging for 4-6 years, as opposed to two years for a classic vintage. After bottling, LBV is ready to drink, unlike the same vintage. And what’s important is that the price of LBV is much more affordable.

LBV from the historic and respected house of Kopke is made from the indigenous varieties of the Douro: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Rorish and Suzao. From the first acquaintance, it will delight you with the open aroma of black berries, chocolate, dried fruits, pepper and nutmeg, as well as a rich taste with pleasant sweetness and skillfully disguised high alcohol. An excellent gift set - port wine and the right glasses for it in a beautiful package.

Gift-impression

Who would refuse to finally listen to a series of lectures at a wine school or at least take part in a thematic tasting with a pro? The choice is now as wide as possible, from funny and perky to serious and professional lectures. Pay attention, for example, to the classical wine school “Enotria” in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Vasily Raskov’s school “Backhademia” and regular tastings of our author and excellent speaker Ilya Kirilin (announcements on the Instagram profile @garnacha_man).

In conditions of semi-closed borders, a trip, for example, to the Abrau-Durso wine resort, would be a good gift. A few days at the Imperial Hotel with Champagne Spa, sparkling wine tasting, a tour of the production and historical cellars and dinners with Black Sea cuisine - a great option for anyone.

If you wish, you can book a whole tour of the wineries of the Krasnodar Territory or Crimea through the SimpleTravel agency. And as soon as the borders open, we advise you to rush to the most famous wine hotel and spa center, located in Bordeaux in the vineyards of Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Les Sources de Caudalie.

Wine cosmetics

Another interesting idea for a gift for women is wine-based cosmetics or products with resveratrol, a polyphenol contained in the skin and seeds of grapes. A powerful antioxidant prevents aging and has antibacterial properties.

One striking example is the Caudalie brand, whose owners also manage the famous Bordeaux estate Château Smith Haut Lafitte. Cosmetics are most closely associated with wine and have even patented several original formulas. Find more options for wine cosmetics here.

Books

The best gift is a book. Or this: the best gift for a wine lover is a book about wine! There are many options: a theoretical basis in the form of publications by SWN, Oz Clark or Jancis Robinson, reference books with wine ratings and tasting notes, books dedicated to specific regions. The main thing is to find out what level of knowledge the person you are going to buy the book has. The list will expand even further if we take publications not only in Russian, but also in foreign languages.

A good option for sommeliers and those who are very keen is Moleskine wine. A special notebook was created for those who reject Vivino and are used to writing tasting notes by hand.

By the way, here you will find a complete selection of cool books - both for beginners and advanced.

Tip 5. What to give to men?

It is known that there are no mates according to taste, but almost all men like it stronger. There is no doubt that cognac is the leader in this category, and such a gift will please any member of the stronger sex. If you want to turn to other “heavy artillery,” then you can look at Cuban rum, Scotch whiskey or Mexican tequila. Not everyone has such types of alcohol in their home bar, and such a gift can please any man.

When choosing among the variety of strong alcoholic drinks, avoid buying cheap and dubious brands. Only drinks aged in oak barrels are suitable for gifts: single malt whiskey, aged tequila and old rum.

It would be appropriate to use a gift here. For example, a fragrant cigar would be an excellent addition to cognac, and lime and a set of shot glasses (so-called “horses” with a thick bottom) would be suitable for tequila. For a whiskey lover, you can give a mold or ice tongs.

Men can and should be given good aged wines, preferably red ones.
After all, a man is a hunter, and red wine will be an excellent accompaniment to meat. Wines for men should be tannic, bright and strong in taste. Does your man appreciate the best? We have selected 13 best varieties of tea for it.