Advisors who intend to give wine to clients this holiday season are in luck. Making a good selection without spending a lot of money is now easier than ever — even for those who don’t know a great nose from terrific legs.

“Wine quality has gone up around the world,” says John Schreiner, a wine expert in Vancouver and author of The Wines of Canada. “It’s getting harder and harder to buy plonk.”

He suggests you let taste be your guide when choosing a wine that is fit to give. This is where nose (aroma) and legs (the coating left on the sides of the glass after the wine has been swirled) come into play. But it doesn’t take a lot of heavy breathing and glass swirling to choose a quality wine. “If it’s not cheap, it’s probably going to taste pretty good,” says Schreiner.

That said, there are a few decisions to make when selecting an appropriate bottle.

The first choice is simple — go red. “Generally speaking, more red wine is [consumed] than white, especially in the winter,” says Schreiner, who adds that you can’t go wrong with a Pinot Noir — thanks to the movie Sideways, in which main character Miles waxes poetical about Pinot’s virtues. “Because of that, I would be inclined to hand it out fairly liberally.”

But giving a quality bottle of red doesn’t mean buying something from Burgundy. New
World reds from the Americas, South Africa and Australasia are easier on the palate and the pocketbook than those from traditional wine-producing areas in Europe.

“New World wines are more fruit-driven and can accompany a wider range of foods,” says Michael Fagan, manager of the knowledge resources group at the Liquor Control
Board of Ontario in Toronto. However, your clientele’s age and degree of wine appreciation also should be considered when choosing between old and new.
“As we get older, our taste buds mature and preferences tend to shift to the Old
World,” says Fagan.

Aside from their more complex palates, older clients are also more likely to have their own cellars. “Collectors might prefer a wine that needs to lie down,” says Tony Aspler, a wine writer in Toronto whose reviews are available at www.tonyaspler.com. “But most people want to get it home and open it immediately.”

Your best bet? Choose a wine that doesn’t need to be aged, as most can also lie in the cellar if so desired. “Almost all will be fine for two or three years out,” says Fagan.

Although the palate-friendly taste of New World reds makes them a safe gift pick, steer clear of the familiar, Schreiner advises. “Yellow Tail is fine for a Tuesday night, but I would never give it away,” he says. “If you’re giving something that sells for $12 and is widely available, recipients are going to see it at the wine store and not be terribly impressed.”

Giving an expensive bottle from a well-known label with a wide range of price points can also backfire, especially if the recipient isn’t a wine aficionado. “If a label sells wines ranging from $12-$30 a bottle or more, such as Jackson-Triggs or Mission Hill, some people may not know the difference between the low-priced bottle and the high-end one, and assume you have given them the cheapest,” says Schreiner. “I would tend to steer away from giving wines from labels that have a lot of lower-priced wines.”

Instead of familiar standbys, give a taste of something different, says Fagan. “The biggest mistake most people make with wine is that they are afraid to experiment,” he says. “We tend to fall back on and drink the same thing all the time, but there is so much variety out there.”

However, looking beyond the obvious doesn’t mean passing over Canadian labels.
“Our wineries are continually making very good products,” says Fagan.

Ontario’s Niagara region and British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley are Canada’s main wine producers, with Prince Edward County (in eastern Ontario) and the Amherstberg region (in southwestern Ontario) both gaining a following with numerous small-scale wineries.

Niagara wineries generating a lot of positive buzz include Henry of Pelham (www.henryofpelham.com), Stratus (www.stratuswines.com), Peninsula Ridge (www.peninsularidge.com), Angels Gate (www.angelsgatewinery.com) and Cave Spring Cellars ().

Schreiner calls Henry of Pelham’s Speck Family Reserve Range ($30-$50 a bottle) outstanding, and says Stratus makes great wines that are easy to give. “They’re beautifully packaged,” he says. “The bottle itself creates a positive impression.” He also likes Peninsula Ridge (“If your recipient knows wine, he or she will know it’s something top drawer”) and Angels Gate (“Not terribly well-known yet but beautifully packaged.”) Aspler agrees; some of his top Niagara picks include Angels Gate 2003 Cabernet Franc ($19), Angels Gate 2002 Chardonnay ($17) and Cave Spring 2002 Syrah ($25).

@page_break@Schreiner’s best bets from B.C. include Quails’ Gate (www.quailsgate.com) and CedarCreek (www.cedarcreek.bc.ca). “Their Pinot Noirs [Quails’ Gate Family Reserve 2002, $40; and CedarCreek Estate Select 2003, $25] are two of the best,” he says. “If you purchase something from their top two ranges, your recipient will be impressed.”

Schreiner also finds the wines from the cheeky Laughing Stock label (www.laughingstock.ca), run by Cynthia and David Enns, financial services industry consultants, to be seriously tasty. “The name for their blended red, Portfolio, is superb,” he adds. Portfolio’s ticker-tape label makes it an even more appropriate pick for the financial set, but advisors will have to keep it on the radar for 2006 as this year’s release is already sold out.

Compared with Niagara and the Okanagan, there is less to choose from in Prince Edward County. “Harsh winters have hindered total production,” says Rod de Courcy-Ireland, vice president of institutional sales at Northern Securities Inc. in Toronto and president of The Opimian Society, a wine-buying co-operative. That said, wineries such as Black Prince (), in which the Opimian Society has a stake, Carmela, (www.carmelaestates.com) and Waupoos (www.waupooswinery.com) may still have select bottles available for holiday giving.

There are both pros and cons to choosing a wine from a small-scale venture, such as those found in up-and-coming Prince Edward County. “Smaller properties become rare from a supply perspective,” says Fagan. And buying from a small producer guarantees you will be introducing recipients to something new. But, Schreiner advises, choosing a better-known bottle may impress brand-conscious clients. “You can always play it safe and give something from Wolf Blass,” he says. Wines from the Australian line are priced at $20-$90, and Schreiner says you can find great value in the $35 range.

Searching for that special bottle may mean veering off the beaten path to your local wine shop. Ontario and B.C. residents may have the luxury of buying directly from the cellar but, unfortunately, there is no such thing as a factory discount when it comes to wine. Buying from a wine agent (look under “wine & spirits” in the Yellow Pages) who sells many wines unavailable at wine stores is another way to get your hands on some more exclusive picks.

“Working with a good agent can save a lot of time,” says Schreiner. “Tell him your price range and give him an idea of what you are looking for, and he can come back with some pretty interesting options.” However, buying from either an agent or a vineyard means making a commitment, as most only sell by the case (of 12 bottles).

Joining The Opimian Society, which has 15,000 members across the country, is another consideration for future gift-giving. Members are able to buy Opimian-exclusive wines from every wine-producing country in the world, selected by a master of wine; however, wines take three to six months to arrive and are shipped only between March and October.

No matter from where you buy, expect to pay at least $20 for a bottle worthy of bestowing on others. “Anything above $20 is not cheap,” says Schreiner, who adds that quality Old World wines have a slightly higher sticker price. “I wouldn’t give a French wine that was less than $30,” he says.

Drew Abbott, senior investment advisor at TD Waterhouse Private Client Services in Toronto, agrees that $20 buys quality. “I typically send wine to my top 30 clients at Christmas, and there is a tremendous choice of good wines available at that price point,” he says.

However, Abbott will spend more if clients are known wine snobs. He recently gave
his top five connoisseur clients bottles of Antinori 1999 Chianti Classico ($40) from Tuscany. “It was drinkable right away, but could also sit for a few more years, if they wished.”

The Antinori was an educated choice for Abbott, who visited the winery on his honeymoon. “I’ve taken some wine appreciation courses, and I try to search for different wines that clients may not have had before,” he says.

He has also given clients gifts of icewine, a choice Fagan supports. “It’s a symbol of quality,” Fagan says. “People who receive it know that it is something special, and the best icewine in the world is made in Canada.”

And, this year, Abbott plans to include personalized wine-tasting notes with his holiday picks, which he will send to his clients by courier.

“Just make sure the wine is properly boxed and that the courier doesn’t leave it sitting in boiling heat or freezing cold,” advises Aspler.

Including a tasting note with the bottle need not be a daunting task for non-oenophiles, because most wineries offer their own online.

But even if you don’t include personal tasting notes, you absolutely must taste a wine before giving it. The gift-giver must know the wine, says Schreiner, and must also be
positive that recipients will enjoy it.

“And if I’m not absolutely certain that a client drinks alcohol, I won’t send wine,” adds Abbott. IE