© by Nigel Lelew So the bad news is there's only 28 more days until it's Christmas, and if you're anything like me, then you haven't even begun to think about what to get people yet. So I thought that I'd bring you a few ideas for the perfect Christmas gift, all with the theme of wine. OK, so the first idea is going to test your imaginative skills to the full, it's a bit tricky to demonstrate in the paper! It's a sort of bottle holder with a difference and it's certainly going to be a bit of a talking point. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but the principle is the same for all of them. Just picture, if you will, a thick clear piece of perspex about 9 inches long and a few inches wide with a slotted hole in it. Now, the ends are chamfered so that when you put it on a flat surface it leans and falls over, sounds good doesn't it! ... but, hold it at an angle and put the neck of a wine bottle horizontally in the hole and hey presto, the whole thing stands up and defies gravity! What about a board game for those long winter evenings. There's a few around, including one is called Quaffers. Basically each player runs a vineyard, tries to bankrupt his neighbours and it's a great excuse to have a few drinks as well. I suppose it's a bit like Monopoly played with a few bottles of wine. What about something that will last the whole year. Maybe a subscription to a wine magazine like Decanter or WINE, then whenever the magazine comes through the door, it'll remind him or her of you, and will be something to look forward to for the whole year. I'll leave you with one last idea ... a wine sleeve. They're the silver coloured sleeves filled with a kind of gel. Keep it in the freezer and when you've forgotten to put the white wine in the fridge, slide the jacket over the bottle and it's chilled. And if they've already got one, try buying the bigger ones for champagne bottles, perfect for the Millennium! So now for a couple of recommendations if you do want to give a bottle this Christmas. The first is Jean-Louis Malard Premier Cru Champagne. It's a pale straw colour that has a wonderful fresh fruity aroma. In the mouth there's a fresh citrussy flavour, full of crispness followed by a brilliantly long clean finish - that's a tremendous Champagne at £17.49 from Threshers, Wine Rack and Victoria Wine. Whats even better is buy 6 or more and you can personalise the label. Even better! For the red recommendation try this Port. it's Waitrose 1994 Late Bottle Vintage Port and it comes in a Magnum ... that's two bottles in one. Pour this into the glass and just look at the density and depth of colour. Port always reminds me of toffee apples, but amongst the caramel there's also soft green peppers and some fruit too. That's the limited Millennium edition in a Magnum from Waitrose at £19.99, and remember thats twice the normal bottle. Feel free to e-mail me at comments@vinrouge.co.uk
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