As wine professionals, this is the time of year when we go into overdrive helping you, the consumer, fulfill all of your wine needs for parties and gift giving. As wine lovers, we relish being able to share our love of wine with others. We know that buying wine anytime can be an overwhelming an experience, but possibly more so now that you have to cover your family, friends, co-workers, and a mystery person whose name you anonymously grabbed out of the office gift-giving basket. There are a million guides out there to “stress-free” holiday shopping, so we won’t promise that. But we can give you helpful tips on how to ease the insanity of it all… at least when it comes to wine buying.

Before we get into what to buy, here are a few things to know about how to buy. When intending to buy a bottle of wine for someone as a gift, the obvious suggestion that would help you and the wine consultant assisting you, would be to find out what that person likes to drink. The more specific the better, but sometimes this is impossible unless you do a little James Bond handiwork. If you can, find out what style they prefer beyond just red or white. Do they prefer Old World (European) or New World (USA, Australia, Argentina, etc.)? Do they have a favorite region? Is there a grape that they gravitate toward? Do they enjoy wine at all? These things are helpful to know.

Another thing to consider is the intended use of the wine. If you are buying for a wine enthusiast/collector who would most likely cellar the bottle for a few years, it wouldn’t make sense to buy a young, fresh wine that is meant for consumption now. Look for something that has good structure and aging potential. If you can answer any one of these questions, then you’re in good shape for an easier wine buying experience. If you can’t, the best you can do is at least go into your local wine shop with a price range and the wine consultant can help you find the most for your money. The most important thing to know is that you don’t have to go it alone. Any reputable wine shop will have people ready and willing to help you find just what you need.

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