Wine & Words for the Holidays

The countdown for that joyous gift-giving season is upon us, the time where presents are purchased and prettily packaged under the tree anxiously awaiting their recipients. However, if you are at all like me, you haven’t started your shopping, and just the thought of visiting a nearby mall makes your anxiety skyrocket more than that time your boss was unknowingly behind you while you were texting. Ooops. Now add in the extra pressure to find that amazing present that silently says, a lot of effort went into finding this gift that oh so perfectly complements your personality, whereas your normal go-to cheap bottle of plonk and lame-o murder mystery novel that simply say I didn’t know what to get you so I picked this up on my way over just won’t cut it anymore.

Have no fear, this wine chugging, I mean loving, bookworm is here to help by pointing you in the right gift-giving direction, but before you go running to the nearby wine store and local bookshop, let’s figure out what type of person you are buying gifts for.

The Flirty Friend
We all know that one person who wins people over by their smile, who bats their eyelashes to get their way and cleverly places a hand on an arm if they want something. Heck, we have even used this friend as bar bait to get free drinks.
Wine: Riesling – Traditionally made on the sweeter side to balance its sharp acidity, riesling is the wine that will make you fall in love. Sweet or dry, you’ll find aromas of citrus blossoms, and taste profiles of apple, lemon and mineral deliciousness.
Book: The Regulars, Georgia Clark

The Au Naturel Friend
This person loves incense, sourcing local ingredients, makes their own deodorant, smells like patchouli and always has a bottle of kombucha on the go.
Wine: Orange wine – Orange wine seems to be the new craze these days, but this winemaking technique has been around for thousands of years. This wine is a bit of a misnomer as it is not made from oranges but from white grapes that are fermented with their skins and seeds with little to no additives (no sugar and yeast, etc.). They taste funky, nutty and sour.
Book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig

The So Many Feels Friend
This friend loves love, has a dark and provocative side, but is sensitive to their surroundings. They’re sweet, with an added side of just the right amount of sass. This friend may also need a bit of hand-holding throughout life.
Wine: Pinot Noir – Nicknamed the heartbreak grape because it is a challenge to grow; this is a thin-skinned grape making it more susceptible to rot and disease and is very sensitive to fluctuating temperatures, however, when pinot noir is at its best, it is a seductive wine with aromas of red berries and clove.
Book: Milk & Honey, Rupi Kaur

The Badass Friend
This person does not stand for bullsh!t, even though there are times when this friend gets knocked down they always quickly get back up and walk on like a boss.
Wine: Cabernet Franc – Part of the Bordeaux five (cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, and petit verdot), and parent of cabernet sauvignon (hello, love affair between sauvignon blanc), cabernet franc has just the right amount of tannins and red-fruit characteristics to remind you that this wine is King Queen.
Book: What Happened, Hillary Rodham Clinton

The Vivacious Friend
We all have that one friend who is up for anything and everything; they are the life of the party yet they also have the ability to make everyone feel at ease. People usually gravitate towards this friend because of their effervescent personality and great sense of style.
Wine: Sparkling – This wine is pretty intense, (who are we kidding, so is this friend) in that it is one of the most technical wines to make because it requires two fermentations: one to make the wine and the other to make the bubbles. When buying sparkling wine ask what grape varieties were used to make the wine as typically chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier are the three grape varieties that make up the traditional sparkling wine recipe. Side note: Champagne and sparkling are similar in style but not in name (and price), as wine made outside of Champagne in France cannot be called champagne, hence why bubbly wine made here in Ontario is called sparkling.
Book: The Great Gatsby, F.Scott Fitzgerald

Here’s to happy shopping, yummy imbibing, and good books and most importantly, please drink responsibly and always read adventurously!** Thoughts and opinions in this post are my own and do not reflect those of my employer.**