Help me pick a wine for father's day!

Andrew86 · Post by **Andrew86** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 10:57 am

Hi

,

My dad's quite the connoisseur

when it comes to wine and i want to get him some for father's day next week. So I walked into my local bottle shop yesterday and realised it's a lot harder than i thought to pick a wine! :cry:

I know that he loves anything from the hunter valley, its just that there were a lot more wineries from there than i expected. Sales assistant was nice but gave me a crash course in wine which overloaded me a bit. Plus i have no idea whether they're good or not (mum sticks to tia maria and baileys basically, no help there :roll:

)

Any advice or answers you could give me would be much appreciated, I live in Sydney so if you recommend a wine make sure its available here

.

What is your favourite wine and why?

How much would you usually spend for a good wine?

Are there any specific things you use to choose wine? vintage/awards etc

WhatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s the best way to buy wine, or should i say cheapest

? online/bottlo etc

Have you had any experiences with a hunter valley wine before?

I was told red is better for your health while white has more calories- is this true? Not that dad would really care

, but his health isn't the best.

Thanks in advance

,

Andrew

Craig(NZ) · Post by **Craig(NZ)** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 11:33 am

2004 Penfolds 389. Cant go wrong with that

If you wanna spend more buy a 6 pack

TORB · Post by **TORB** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 12:09 pm

Welcome to the forum, assuming that this is not a wind up.

That is one hell of a lot of questions considering you only want to buy a one off gift for fathers day and do not even outline price bracket.

Ratcatcher · Post by **Ratcatcher** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 6:01 pm

If you want a single bottle then the local discounter is probably your best bet. If you want a dozen, buy on-line or directly from the winery.

I reckon a wine buff would appreciate any bottle over $25.

If you want something extra nice you are looking at $50+.

However, I am a keen shopper so I'd probably be looking for a $40 wine for $25 and a $60+ wine for $50. ie: I'd never pay full retail price at a local bottle shop.

If he's a wine buff, don't buy something obvious like Penfolds, look for something a bit more off the beaten track. He's probably had heaps of Penfolds. If you are looking for a Hunter red have a look at www.winorama.com.au

Craig(NZ) · Post by **Craig(NZ)** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 6:52 pm

He's probably had heaps of Penfolds.

Exactly!! "He has had heaps" because he likes it?? Ive had a few Penfolds in my time, and although I wouldnt count myself a fan every vintage id far rather be given a bottle or 04 Penfolds 389 than a bottle of "04 Who Cares Vineyards 'No Name' Shiraz"

Good, safe and reliable. Not the only option by any means, but not a poor one!

Andrew86 · Post by **Andrew86** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 9:05 pm

Craig(NZ) wrote:
a bottle of "04 Who Cares Vineyards 'No Name' Shiraz"

lol! He does actually have 3 or 4 penfolds, not the one you are describing though, but i will look into that and ring around a few places to see if i can get a good deal. He has a lot of "semillons" so he might like something a bit different, as long as its white.

In regard's to second poster yes it was a lot of questions, and no price doesn't really concern me, as long as its not more than say $60..i didn't really expect anyone to suggest one more expensive than that

. Just after any special gems that he wouldn't perhaps know about for a surprise...

Thanks craig & rat

Andrew

griff · Post by **griff** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 10:08 pm

Andrew86 wrote:
Craig(NZ) wrote:
a bottle of "04 Who Cares Vineyards 'No Name' Shiraz"

lol! He does actually have 3 or 4 penfolds, not the one you are describing though, but i will look into that and ring around a few places to see if i can get a good deal. He has a lot of "semillons" so he might like something a bit different, as long as its white.

In regard's to second poster yes it was a lot of questions, and no price doesn't really concern me, as long as its not more than say $60..i didn't really expect anyone to suggest one more expensive than that . Just after any special gems that he wouldn't perhaps know about for a surprise...

Thanks craig & rat

Andrew

I would suggest the John Duval Entity Shiraz. 2005 vintage is out and it is about $40 or so. Nice Barossa shiraz and by the ex-penfolds chief winemaker. Sounds like it might tick the boxes but also may be one that your dad may not know about.

cheers

Carl

aj_syrah · Post by **aj_syrah** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 5:11 am

Hi,

You say that he likes hunter valley wines. Go for Meerea Park, either the Hell Hole or the Alexander Munro. Brokenwood 'Graveyard' might be considered the best hunter red.

AJ

SueNZ · Post by **SueNZ** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 5:20 am

Hi Andrew, You say he likes Hunter, so why not go for the new Wyndham Estate Black Cluster Shiraz 2003. It's comes from the company's oldest and best block in the Hunter Valley. It's not a cheapie ($~65), but certainly a cellaring prospect - actually I would say a definite cellar placer to let its profusive oak integrate.
Cheers,
Sue

Maroon&Blue · Post by **Maroon&Blue** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 1:39 pm

Bit late for fathers day but for my 2 bobs worth :

Gibsons Sparkling Merlot.

Always a favourite of mine & havent been dissappointed yet.