Quote:
Originally Posted by t0rrent98
I happen to get my Cousin's gf for my secret santa and I hear she loves to drink wine
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The thing you need to know is whether her interests are on the deeper end of wine appreciation or on the quaffing end of appreciation.
If she's on the quaffing end, then just go with a wine from Troutman's lists and you will get something she stands a good chance of enjoying without spending so much. There would be no point in spending more because you'd be paying for something she wouldn't notice or wouldn't be important to her. Or you could get more bottles.
If she's on the deeper end of wine appreciation, then it's worthwhile spending the money on something that's going to be from a great region, is going to be cellared or is unique. You'll be paying for something that is meaningful well beyond the taste of the wine. That's the only circumstance in which I would recommend spending $60 for a bottle.
I do blind tastings in the industry, have judged wine professionally and have passed blind tastings and knowledge certifications. The truth is that you can get very good wine without dropping a tonne of money and the only reason to spend much more is if something special is going to be recognized by the person receiving it, which is largely intellectual and irrelevant to the average wine lover.
If I were you, I'd by a bottle of Asti DOCG and a red off one of Troutman's lists.
EDIT: Actually, seeing as it's December you might want to go with a Beaujolais Nouveaux. They are released annually on the third Thursday of November and their production process means their unique aromas are unstable and are gone within months. They're not expensive, can be enjoyable for aficionados and quaffers alike and are a little something special. I have a few bottles in the cellar now that have a cotton candy aroma that is lovely.