We’re heading into the holiday gift giving season. What if you’d like to give someone a bottle of wine? How do you know which one to choose? Here to help us with that is Natalie MacLean, editor of Canada’s most popular wine review site at nataliemaclean.com.
Welcome back, Natalie. So if choosing the right wine is so tricky, why should we give wine as a gift at all?
When you give the gift of wine, doubles are fine unlike toaster ovens, there are no wrong sizes unlike that ugly sweater and regifting is so much easier compared to fruitcake or a bathroom scale.
And let’s be honest, has anyone ever said, “Oh no, not another bottle of wine!”
Sounds great! Let’s start with your first wine.
Animus Douro Red
Douro Valley, Portugal
We’re heading to Portugal’s spectacular Douro Valley, one of the world’s oldest wine regions where terraced vineyards climb steep hillsides along the river. It’s produced by Vicente Faria Vinhos, a winery committed to farming organically and reducing its environmental impact.
They’re saving the planet one delicious bottle at a time. We’re helping by drinking it. Teamwork.
Feel free to try the Animus Douro Red. It’s a bold blend of native grapes like Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz that delivers intense aromas of blackberry, plum, and violet, followed by rich dark fruit flavours with notes of chocolate, leather, and a touch of Mediterranean herbs.
The finish is long and warming with velvety tannins that coat your palate. This is a wine with serious personality and main character energy.
Animus means spirit or soul in Latin, and this wine captures the passionate character of Portuguese winemaking. And here I thought my high school Latin class would never be useful. In vino veritas! Carpe this vino.
Tell us about the next wine.
Trivento Malbec Reserve
Mendoza, Argentina
Trivento is Argentina’s number one Malbec brand worldwide, in a country that’s famous for Malbec.
The grapes are grown in the most prestigious regions of the country. Malbec thrives in their high-altitude vineyards in the foothills of the Andes where the temperature difference between day and night creates incredible complexity.
Mother Nature has created the perfect spa retreat for grapes: hot days, cool nights, and mountain views.
Feel free to try the Trivento Malbec Reserve. This wine shows intense red color with aromas of ripe cherry and red currant with a whisper of vanilla smoke on the finish. It’s the kind of aroma that makes you pause mid-sentence because your nose has decided the wine deserves your full attention.
I’d pair this with grilled portobello mushrooms stuffed with herbed quinoa and topped with melted aged cheddar that bubbles and browns perfectly, or perhaps some dark chocolate chili that’s been simmering for hours with tender chunks of beef and a hint of cinnamon.
What do you have for us next?
I love this Pelee Island Wine Advent Calendar – is a masterpiece of anticipation—like a countdown to joy, one cork at a time.
Pelee Island Advent Calendar
Ontario, Canada
12 tiny doors, 12 little pours. Who needs chocolate Santas when you have Cabernet to keep you company? I detect aromas of surprise and delight.
The kit includes 12 half bottles of red, white, rosé and sparkling wines so you can try something new every second day. Pair with this good conversation and laughter, but please, not fruitcake – or only if you insist.
You can buy the Pelee Island Advent Calendar in the liquor store or order it online at www.peleeisland.com.
What is your final wine today?
Lisbon by Night Red Blend
Lisboa, Portugal
This mysterious Portuguese blend captures the romance of Lisbon’s cobblestone streets with its complex mix of native grapes creating layers of dark fruit, smoke, and spice. The label even glows in the dark. Can we turn off the studio lights please so we can see that? Kidding!
This is your liquid passport to Portugal, transporting you to a Lisbon wine bar with fadistas singing and the scent of grilled seafood in the air.
Lisbon by Night is crafted by Vidigal Wines, a small but adventurous winery founded in a 19th-century monastery, where the vaulted stone cellars are still in use today.
Feel free to try Lisbon by Night. The wine revels in blackberry liqueur notes intertwined with tobacco and a hint of Mediterranean herbs, finishing with warming spices that linger like a perfect holiday evening.
Fun fact: Lisboa, the wine region around Portugal’s capital, has a maritime climate, and wines from coastal regions tend to have higher acidity and fresher flavours than wines from hot inland areas. That Atlantic Ocean breeze helps preserve acidity and brightness.
I’d pair this with grilled octopus with smoked paprika and roasted red pepper coulis where the char from the grill echoes the wine’s smoky notes and the sweet peppers complement its fruity richness transporting you to a Portuguese tavern on a crisp night.
Or try bacalhau à brás featuring salt cod shredded into golden matchstick potatoes bound with scrambled eggs creating comfort food that sings with the wine’s savory complexity
Also partnering well is pork tenderloin with fig compote where the caramelized exterior gives way to juicy pink meat while sticky-sweet figs bridge the wine’s fruit and spice.
Or finally dark chocolate torte with sea salt where bitter cocoa and mineral salt draw out the wine’s depth creating an elegant finish to your evening.
Natalie, these suggestions are fantastic! Any final words of wisdom for our viewers?
First, remember that wine gifting is an art form, and like all art, it’s subjective. If someone doesn’t appreciate your carefully selected bottle, that tells you more about them than about you. I’m kidding. Sort of. Mostly.
I’ll leave you with this toast: May your glasses be full, your guests be merry, and your holidays be filled with wines that bring people together and create memories worth savoring.
And the real magic is that long after the bottle is gone, the memory stays, which is the best kind of gift anyone can give. Cheers!
Thank you, Natalie! Where can we find you and these drinks online?
Online, my website is nataliemaclean.com.
On Instagram, you can find me posting wine reviews and tips at: @NatalieMacLeanWine where I share wine picks and wine mistakes that make me more relatable. There are more of those than I’d planned.
Posted with permission of CHCH. Please drink responsibly.
