While pink and bubbly may go over well with the ladies, it is certainly not the Valentine’s Day gift for a man. Men usually appreciate more robust and assertive alcoholic beverages and, with that in mind, we offer the following suggestions.
We will start with an old Japanese saying: “Take the obvious and reverse it.” By doing so, you will come up with an imaginative gift rather than the usual and expected.
If wine is the order of the day and only the best will do, the Robert Mondavi 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve To Kalon Vineyard ($145) is at the apex of American wines. As a gift, it will not only be treasured, but will put you in a new place in his heart.
If stronger beverages are his thing, there are many spirits available that are high quality, affordable and definitely not the usual fare.
Cognac can become an expensive affair, but there are other choices that will, if you will pardon the expression, knock his socks off. Porton Pisco ($40) is a Peruvian crystal clear beverage supplied in an attractive bottle that is equal to many of the better Cognacs in the marketplace at a considerably lower price.
Another replacement for Cognac that is probably new to him is calvados. Calvados is an aged apple-based brandy from Normandy, France, that is almost unknown in this country but will definitely get his attention. One we liked was the Boulard V.S.O.P Calvados ($40).
For a man that appreciates spirits and has an adventurous flare, try Chopin Single ($50). This vodka-like spirit - imported from Poland, where Vodka originated - is a soft, smooth and flavorful beverage with all the attributes one seeks in a fine sipping spirit.
For those who want a truly novel gift, try Amarula Cream ($20). In South Africa, there is an indigenous tree, the marula, on which there grows the yellow, thick-skinned marula fruit that, when ripe, is a favorite food of the local elephants and monkeys - and makes them a bit tipsy. Just the idea of drunken elephants and monkeys makes this flavorful cream cordial a great gift.
If the man in your life is a gin aficionado, there is an interesting one made in, of all places, France. G'Vine ($40) is typical of a French beverage in that it is packed with flavor. This gin displays a great depth of juniper berries, which have been combined with a host of botanicals and grape flowers, ending in to what we believe is among the most flavorful gins that we have ever tasted.
In the red wine area, one of the most popular varieties is the pinot noir and the J Vineyards Russian River Valley 2013 Pinot Noir ($40) is among the finest from California. The aroma is an ever-changing display of black cherry, blackberry and plum with leather, coffee and clove in the background. The flavor is just as expansive and concentrates on plum, blackberry and boysenberry with oak.
Nixa resident Bennet Bodenstein is a wine columnist and manages ArticlesOnWine.com. He can be reached at frojhe1@att.net.
