The Auswine Forum

Hi all,

Thinking of a wine related gift for a 50th for wifey's uncle just getting into wine in the last 5 years.

Thoughts appreciated.

Cheers,

Monghead.

as a gift id like the HOG or Grange as it is something I wouldnt consider buying myself

For the price of a '98 Grange (or HOG for that matter) you could probably get a '96 Grange and a '96 Bin 707 - both stellar wines that would stack up to the '98 and your uncle could have the best of both worlds i.e. a shiraz and a cab...

Tony

No prize for guessing what I would like to get as a gift.

If I was paying I would got the other option

Isn't the '98 HOG the one with the brett problem?

I agree with tonsta in full here - a 1996 Grange and 1996 Bin 707 for the same money is just too good to pass up compared to these options. Lucky Uncle.

Cheers,
Ian

My feeling is the same as Ian, I thought I'd read the 98 Henschke's were below par.

If he's the sort of person who normally drinks $30 and under bottles I'd buy a mixed 3 pack of RWT, St Henri, Mt Edelstone, Mt Langi or something like that or Cullen or Moss Wood etc from a good vintage.

If he already drinks those wines regularly already then go for the Grange or HoG.

I certainly wouldn't include 28, 128 and 407 in a "special" gift pack regardless of the vintage.

If you were buying for me and I am a $20 and under drinker with a couple of dozen "special" wines in my collection I would prefer a 3 pack of $60 to $100 wines rather than 1 x $400 wine or 6 x $50 wines or any combination with $25 wines in it. But that's me.

Thanks for the replies thus far.

Good thoughts.....

Agree that a '96 Grange and 707 would be a much nicer gift, but I was hoping to source these wines from my cellar, and I guess i am less willing to expend the 96's than 98's. Sorry, a bit greedy...

Ratcatcher, very insightful..... Good point about omiting the regular Bins in a special gift. I will take that on board. Thanks. You are also right, he is a $15-25 dollar man, with $25-40 for very special occassions (only once from memory), so maybe a selection of $50-100 might be the go.

Thanks all

Monghead

If you're just starting to appreciate wine, a gift of a HOG or Grange would be very well recieved. Even if you've been into wine for far too long and spent far too much money on it, it would also be very well recieved but personally I'd prefer the 96 vintage of either Grange or HOG over the 98. The 96 HOG is supposed to be quite the wine.

RE: the $50 - $100 vs the HOG or Grange issue.

I guess the thing is with a special birthday gift you are trying to make it a SPECIAL gift.

If he sees St Henri or Mt Edelstone or Cullen as a special wine (as I do) and the gift is all about drinking them then he may appreciate the variety of 2-3 excellent bottles. But I guess a lot of non-wine geeks don't really know Cullen or Mt Langi and part of the fun of getting a special bottle of wine for a special birthday is the bragging rights that go with getting a Grange or a Hill of Grace.

For example, my father-in-law tries to big note himself about wine but he bases his decisions on price and name. If he chooses the wine at dinner you can be assured that it's the famous wine names from the 80's and the price that determines what gets selected. But he's also the sort of person who will bring a bottle of St Henri to a Summer BBQ and a bottle of $9 Cellarmasters label to a 40th birthday. So for example if your father in law was talking to him about what he got for his 50th he would never had heard of Cullen or Bannockburn or Rockford so your father in law's gifts would create no interest but if it was HoG or Grange then he would Oooh and Aaah over it.

I guess what I'm saying is give your father in law whatever he will get the most fun out of for whatever reason. If part of the fun is telling his mates at work or at the golf club that he got a bottle of Grange rather than 3 great bottles of wine that people have never heard of then maybe that's the way to go.

But in answer to your original question, what would I want, I'd want the 3 great wines rather than 1 icon.

monghead wrote:Agree that a '96 Grange and 707 would be a much nicer gift, but I was hoping to source these wines from my cellar, and I guess i am less willing to expend the 96's than 98's. Sorry, a bit greedy...

If it's a case then of picking a wine that's likely to be the most impressive to your Uncle but also what you're likely to miss drinking the least, it would have to be the 1998 HOG because of the reason I mentioned earlier.

Cheers,
Ian

Has he been good to your wife

The decision is easy from here !!!

I would be more than happy to receive either gift

FYI

Wifey's uncle received the HOG...

Hope I'm there when he uncorks it.

Cheers,

Monghead

monghead wrote:FYI

Wifey's uncle received the HOG...

Hope I'm there when he uncorks it.

Cheers,

Monghead

Yes make sure he knows you want to drink it with him , I did that for my father with a bottle of his vintage port , he had it at his 60th so every one could try it..................

Dazza,

Observing the social niceties, I allowed my wife to suggest that to him, and he seemed agreeable. I just hope he does not forget!

Monghead