Gifts combining wine and food will brighten holiday spirits
Some people just love to go Christmas shopping.
They plan months in advance, making notes when someone on their gift list mentions something they’d like to have, or they creatively select just the perfect gift based on a deep knowledge of their friend’s personality and needs.
Others (many others), put it off until the very, very last minute — for them, Christmas shopping won’t start until darkness begins to fall on Christmas Eve. They consider enduring the last-minute crush and the trick of plucking the last, best gift from a shop’s near-empty shelves as seasonal rites of passage.
Whichever camp you are in, or if you’re somewhere in-between, gifts of wine, wine accessories and wine-related goodies will probably fit your needs — and as an added bonus, these gifts are always in good taste.
The Wine Rack in Downtown Lodi, in addition to offering a large variety of local, regional and international wines, also carries a diversity of wine-related items.
The small shop’s displays are filled with wine bottle openers, wine decanters, wine-themed coasters and “butlers,” the little trays that let you carry your wine glass and your hors d’oevres with just one hand.
The shop also carries a variety of crystal wine glasses and stem-ware.
“Nice glassware sets the table for ambiance,” said Lynette Litton, the Wine Rack’s proprietor.
On the walls, offered for sale are paintings by local artist Earline Lund ($90 — $250). The original oil paintings highlight the area’s pastoral vineyards, as well as still-lifes featuring grapes and bottles of wine.
Litton said that sparkling wines are always welcome at holiday celebrations, and she carries several — from high priced French champagnes like Cliquot ($35) and Dom Perignon ($130) to more reasonably priced California sparkling wines. (By French law, to be called “champagne,” a sparkling wine must be produced according to strict standards in the Champagne region of France.)Litton said her favorite is a California sparkling wine called simply “J,” ($25) produced by J Vineyards in Healdsburg. “Bubbles are just the beginning,” reads the brochure that accompanies the bottle, and Litton says it’s true.
Other wines provide a holiday feeling just by looking at the label — “Norma Jean,” has a label featuring a vivacious “Marilyn Merlot” in a candy-striped bathing suit ($16). Another offering is “Partie” a 2001 cabernet blend from Kreig’s Kellar that comes in a bottle decorated like a fireworks display ($24).
“You could buy them both and ‘Partie’ with Marilyn,’” joked Litton.
Nearby at Lodi Cooks, proprietor Meyer Puzon has some accessories for wine drinking, but the shop specializes in making the vital connection between great wine and great food.
Starting with a variety of cookbooks like “The Perfect Match; Pairing Delicious Recipes with Great Wine,” by Brian St. Pierre ($27.50), and “The Wine Lover’s Cookbook; Great Recipes for the Perfect Glass of Wine,” by Sid Goldstein ($22.95), the downtown cooking specialty store also has the tools to make those meals happen.
Puzon pointed out a special enamel-coated cast-iron pot from Le Cruescet that is perfect for beef bourguignon ($160).
The enamel coating keeps the acidity of the wine from reacting with the iron, he said.
“It creates a nice, nice sauce when you’ve created the dish,” he said. Puzon pointed out that the hearty flavor of Lodi’s old-vine zinfandels makes them perfect for use in the recipe.
Wine and cheese are also a perfect combination, and Lodi Cooks offers a variety of cheese slicers, cheese knives, cheese wires, cheese planes and of course, cheese graters ($3 — $75).
Another gift that will be appreciated by wine-lovers on your list is membership in a wine club. Most wineries in the area have clubs that offer special pricing and first choice of limited bottlings. Typically, the winerys’ clubs will mail two bottles of wine a month, with different wines for different seasons (prices vary).
The Wine Rack has a Wine of the Month Club that comes in three levels: The Adventurer ($34.95 a month), the Collector ($44.95 a month), and the premium level Sommelier, offering two bottles of “The best wines California has to offer” ($99.95 per month).
And of course, both shops offer the gift-buying procrastinator’s best friend: Gift certificates.
The Wine Rack is located at 101 S. School St., telephone 339-9003, and Lodi Cooks is located at 5 N. School St., telephone 334-5751.