Over at the Wall Street Journal’s Tastings column there is something intriguing going on. Wine journalists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher have announced their wine gift pack for this holiday season. Now, you’d expect such a selection to be a $100 bottle of the finest French wine. That’s just not so. In keeping with my own tradition of having some reasonably priced wine on hand they have chosen a case of Gamay from the Beaujolais. Yup, not an expensive pinot but a bargain basement priced Beaujolais is their recommendation for the holidays.
As someone who has superficially enjoyed wine for years I love this choice. I’ve always been of the mind when ordering wine to never look at the menu prices to choose the most expensive. Dollars don’t always equate to quality, and some of the best bargains out there make the best wines. Our house wine is a pinot noir from Smoking Loon. It’s only $8 for the bottle, tastes great and works fantastic in sauces.
Beaujolais itself is a grape variety that isn’t super popular, and thus demands a reasonable price. I haven’t had Gamay, but I’m more than willing to give it a try this holiday. In fact, perhaps I’ll mention it to my parents who bought me and my wife a case of wines a few Christmases ago. One of the best gifts ever. Wine may not be appropriate to bring to a dinner party, but I’m more than happy to accept a case of Gamay Beaujolais if anyone were so inclined.
In the current economic climate it’s time for wine drinkers everywhere to embrace a deal.
Photo by WTL Photos via Flickr
