© 1996 JDM Enterprises All Rights Reserved Vol. H No. 50 SELFISH GIVING by Jerry D. Mead For many years I have secretly practiced what I call "selfish giving." It has nothing to do with being conservative with a dollar and the practice is not restricted to year-end holidays. It can apply to any gift-giving situation. Let's say the intended recipient shares your passion for food and wine. You could give them a lovely wooden wine rack and that would be a nice gift. But what's in it for you?, I ask. Same recipient, and assuming you're going to be with them when the gift is opened, you give a bottle of decent bubbly and a tin of fresh caviar. I can't guarantee it, of course, but the odds are very good that the mood of the season combined with the perishable nature of the fresh sturgeon eggs, will see you offered some of that gift! And whether single or married, gift certificates to your significant other for "your" favorite restaurant (it really should be one they like too), almost assures that you'll get a piece of the action. If you don't, I'd seriously consider reexamining the relationship. If you put your mind to it, I'm sure you can some up with your own creative applications of "selfish giving." Cruises that require double occupancy? Really expensive bottles of wine that neither one of you would ordinarily buy and that he/she would be a real rat to drink without you? Two nights at a bed & breakfast in wine country? This same logic can apply to house gifts. Sure, you can take a potted plant or some fresh cut flowers, but looking at a few posies for the duration of your stay isn't much of a selfish pleasure. And too many wines that you take along generate a big thank you before disappearing into the wine cellar to be shared with someone other than you at some far distant date. Here are some clues as to how to increase the chances that your gift of wine will opened while you're there: It isn't very subtle, but take a bottle of Champagne or white wine already chilled. (It is bad form and a little too much to already have the cork extracted and reinserted so it can be pulled out by hand.) Never take big red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon or French Bordeaux that might be perceived as needing additional aging to be their best. Do take fresh, fruity wine types that cry out to be consumed sooner rather than later. Give a rave review of the wine as you present it, mentioning the 90-plus point score it received from "Mead On Wine," it's several gold medals won, how you wanted to get another bottle for yourself but this was the last one on your merchant's shelf, and all the while allow a small drop of drool to form at the corner of your mouth. Or, at this time of year, take along a bottle of Nouveau, either the French stuff from Beaujolais or a California counterpart. They are the first red wines of the new vintage, produced by a method that makes them palatable when only a few weeks old, and they go very well with ham and turkey if you're attending a holiday dinner. And they have a reputation for needing to be consumed before the new year comes in. And speaking of nouveau, Beringer has released its 1996 version and it will go nicely with holiday meals. BEST BUY WINE OF THE WEEK Beringer 1996 Nouveau Gamay Beaujolais ($6.50) Fresh, fruity, grapey style with flavors of plum and blueberry. It's a red that likes to be chilled (maybe 30 minutes in the fridge) and that can be enjoyed with food or all by itself like a white wine. It's a red wine that people who don't like red wine might like. Rating: 88/90 COLLECTABLE WINE OF THE WEEK William Hill 1992 "Reserve" Cabernet Sauvignon ($25) Big and rich with blackberry and cassis fruit and a bittersweet chocolate background. Firmly structured, but without harshness or astringency. Very pleasant and appealing cedar and earth complexity. Enjoyable now, but cellar-worthy for a decade or more. Rating: 92/86 PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR As you may have noticed, we frequently make available the awards books of the major wine competitions at some modest cost or other. Well, I noticed this one woman kept ordering the same awards book over and over during the year, and it was becoming a bit of mystery as to what she was doing with ten copies of one awards book. I finally got the chance to ask and this is what that clever person is doing. Any time she has an occasion calling for a gift, she gives one of these competition awards books and a bottle of award-winning wine from that show. That way, the person not only receives a nice bottle of wine but supporting information that it is indeed a very special bottle, and a shopping guide for later. So next year when you're ordering the results of the major wine shows, order a few extra to keep on hand for this nifty gift-giving concept. STOCKING STUFFER So you've already bought the important gifts, but you want to put something small under the tree for the fun of opening more packages. Private Preserve ($9.95) is nothing more nor less than an aerosol can of gas, primarily nitrogen. There's a little spout attachment that allows you to spurt the gas into a partially full bottle of wine, and when you then recork the bottle the gas will protect the wine from oxidation for days, weeks, even months. There's way more than 100 uses in each can. And it works to protect anything that suffers from contact with air, so you can protect those fancy olive oils, gourmet vinegars, Cognacs and liqueurs. Fancy liquor stores, wine shops and winery tasting rooms are the best place to find it. If you have difficulty finding any wine or product mentioned, call my office and we'll help you find a source. Really! Call (800) 845-9463 Wines are scored using a unique 100 point system. First number rates quality; second number rates value. For a reprint explaining the scoring system in depth and a pocket scoring guide, send $1 to: Mead's 100 Points, P.O. Box 1598, Carson City, NV 89702-1598. HOME The Mead On Wine Web Page is designed, maintained and hosted by Wines on the Internet. Reproduction rights reserved. Latest Update: December 29, 1996