Weird Wine Gifts for 2010

Ho Ho Ho! It’s Christmas time again. Like the snow and ice, the inevitability of having to buy things for other people who really don’t appreciate your efforts has come again. But, this year, rather than buying them that same old bottle of ’69 Amarone that you bought them last year, I have come up with some new ideas.

Like most weeks, when I do my articles, I did a little web surfing and found several good ideas that I thought I could take to the extreme. Of course, being the “localfile” that I am, I am going to try and make this as “home-town” as possible.

Adopt A Barrel - I’ve been seeing this more and more lately. Some wineries in Europe have changed their wine clubs up a little. Now, rather than simply being a member of some snobby wine club, the vintners are offering the opportunity to adopt a barrel of wine.

You get your barrel at an early age. Usually, just after initial fermentation. This allows you the opportunity to get to know your wine for a few years before you get to drink it. Just think. A gift that lasts almost as long as the credit card debt it takes to buy it!

The real benefit is that you will have further gift giving opportunities that come out of this. A barrel of wine will make a few hundred bottles worth of the good stuff. So, the next few years after your initial purchase you can be putting it toward racking and storage space for your loved one’s new one-of-a-kind juice.

I’ve talked with a few local artisan winemakers who are more than happy to do this if anyone is interested. The cost is about the same as a good used Hyundai car.


Adopt A Pig, Lamb, Goat, Cow or Other Edible Creature – Now we’re talking! Yes, I did find this as an interesting option for wine lovers out there. You can adopt a farm animal for your friend or lover with the whole intention of that person getting to eat the animal in the next few months or years.

Of course, most real wine lovers are also serious about their proteins. Afterall, you can’t pair a good bottle of wine with Tofurkey or Soysauge. Why not give somebody the opportunity to see the animal they are going to be pairing with that bottle of Cayuse or Leonetti that they have been saving.

There are several organic farms in the area. You could arrange to have the pig photographed and have the farmer write up a short story about the animal. Once the animal reaches full maturity the farmer will arrange to have it made into sausage, steaks, or what ever your true love desires.

Buy Her A Balthazar – Diamonds, shmiamonds! What a girl really wants for Christmas is a really big bottle of wine. Magnum bottles of wine have been around for centuries. Before the advent of the box, bulk wine was served in biggie sized bottles.

Big bottles come starting at 1.5 liters and go up from there. I have personally seen a “Solomon” sized bottle, which is an impressive 20 liters. A little tough to pour, but makes an impressive lamp. It is probably more reasonable to buy that hard to please wine lover a nice 3 or 5 liter bottle. Most local wineries offer them, and you can even get them artistically engraved. You can get magnums in most local wine shops as well just by asking.

Enjoy!