question for wine drinkers

[buzz2400]

I do not drink wine so I need some advice. I came across an ad for wsjwine.com/3569003. You get 15 bottles of wine for about $90. Is this wine any good to give for christmas presents. My son always wants to buy presents for his aunts and was wondering if this was good enough wine so that he would give like two bottles per aunt.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I just looked on the BBB and see they have given them an "F" rating.

http://www.bbb.org/washington-dc-ea...pping/wsj-wine-in-montoursville-pa-235976339/

 

[MickeyP]

Just looking at the price alone should tell you not to give it as a gift. If you don't like it, why would they? If you don't drink wine, I wouldn't try to guess and give it as a gift.

 

[Jill in Chicago]

We are wine drinkers. Please do not give wine unless you know what kind of wine people like. There are so many different varieties. Some people like heavy earthy reds, others like light fruity whites. You could give a fantastic bottle of wine to someone who simply does not like Chardonnay, or Merlot, or Plum wine....

Think of it like soda pop. Some people are very picky about the pop they want to drink.

Is there a wine tasting bar near? Maybe a gift certificate for that? Or maybe a wine tasting event at a local "big box" liquor store. Many restaurants have wine tastings, or a happy hour with a wine and light appetizers. Maybe a cooking with wine cooking class?

If it's a gift from a youngster I would suggest going with a handmade card or an ornament and skipping the whole wine thing. (I know totally off topic. Sorry I had to throw it in.)

 

[RitaE]

I've never heard of that one but I've tried a couple of similar places ... wine.com and wineinsider.com or whatever. Both times the wine has been practically undrinkable.

I do better going to Trader Joe's. Great prices and they usually have an employee there who knows their stuff and can point you to the best deals.

 

[Muushka]

We are wine drinkers. Please do not give wine unless you know what kind of wine people like. There are so many different varieties. Some people like heavy earthy reds, others like light fruity whites. You could give a fantastic bottle of wine to someone who simply does not like Chardonnay, or Merlot, or Plum wine....

Think of it like soda pop. Some people are very picky about the pop they want to drink.

Is there a wine tasting bar near? Maybe a gift certificate for that? Or maybe a wine tasting event at a local "big box" liquor store. Many restaurants have wine tastings, or a happy hour with a wine and light appetizers. Maybe a cooking with wine cooking class?

If it's a gift from a youngster I would suggest going with a handmade card or an ornament and skipping the whole wine thing. (I know totally off topic. Sorry I had to throw it in.)

I agree with this 100%.

I love Chardonnay. Maybe a Pinot Grigio or Riesling. Period. When I get a red wine (Merlot or Shariz), it gives me the shudders!
And I save it for my MIL, who I know for a fact, drinks it.

 

[buzz2400]

thanks for the replies. My son is actually 20 now. He doesn't really know what his aunts and grandmother likes because he only sees them like twice a year (I refer to it as going to the other side - his absent father's side). Anywayy for years he would give them boxes of candy but now he wants to change it around a little and give something different. That family also doesn't like to give gift cards so son doesn't want to give gift cards either.

Thank you all for your replies. I never even thought to look at BBB.

 

[ktlm]

I like to get bottles of wine as gifts even if they are not a kind I usually drink or like. I like to try them without having to spend the money on them myself, and if it is something I absolutely know I won't like, then I can always serve it to guests, or pass it on to someone who will like it. You actually can get some good tasting wine at cheap prices. The thing to do (which your son would not be able to do until he turns 21), is to browse a store that has a decent sized wine selection. Most will have cards on some of the wines that show if the wine is an award winner, or if it has a good rating. Pick one that has a low price but that is a winner or highly rated. On vacation last year, we ran across one that was only $8.00 but had been picked as the winner of some California wine festival. I can't remember what it was, but it turned out to be really good. Australian wines often have some good ones in the cheap range ($12-15) too. I assume he knows that they drink alcohol or wine. If so, the other thing he might be careful about is if they are complete wine snobs (won't drink a bottle with under a 92 rating, etc). If they are that type, he probably should stay away from wine.

 

[Kitzka]

He might be better off going to a local wine store and asking for a nice brand of inepensive wine. I did that at our local liquor store and was steered towards Cupcake brand wine. It looks a little cutesey but they actually have great wine and my local store has it for $9 a bottle.

Since he wants to change it up how about getting a bottle or red and a bottle of white for each? If they only drink white or only red, they could trade.

Lara