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"'Tis the season! The season, that is, for buying stuff for other people\u2014 many of whom you might not talk to more than once a year, or even like. Uncertain what to give Uncle Herb, or your second cousin who still calls you by that annoying childhood nickname? Feeling conflicted about what to get your boss? Your dentist? The guy who walks your dog? Fortunately, &lt;strong&gt;wine will do the trick in most gift-giving situations&lt;/strong&gt;. The only effort involves choosing the right bottle for the right person.\u00A0 To that end, you\u2019re welcome: this handy holiday wine-giving guide has you covered with a personalized pick for any scenario.\u00A0 Tacky wrapping paper not included.\r\n&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;Zachary Sussman is a New York-based wine writer. While not sipping or\u00A0typing, he manages the Creative Writing Program at New York\u00A0University. His website can be found at zacharysussmanwine.com.\u00A0&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/div&gt; For the first time ever, you\u2019re celebrating with your new girlfriend or boyfriend\u2019s family. The pressure is on, so you\u2019ll naturally want to show your good breeding. Few wines are more pedigreed than the bracing, mineral-dense whites of Chablis\u2014 particularly those from the area\u2019s top-ranked \u201CGrand Cru\u201D vineyards, such as the &lt;a href=\"http://www.domainechristianmoreau.com/eng/wines.html\"&gt;&lt;b&gt;2011 Christian Moreau Chablis \u201CLes Clos.\u201D&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;\u00A0Any parent would surely approve. Let\u2019s face it: Once your bottle gets divvied up between guests, there\u2019s no telling how much will end up in your glass. Still, nobody wants to be the cheapskate who arrives with a bottle of Yellow Tail. The solution? Find a label that appears far fancier than what it contains. Despite being one of the luxury region\u2019s most basic wines, a decent Bordeaux Sup\u00E9rieur capitalizes on name recognition while costing relatively little. Opt for the &lt;a href=\"http://www.polanerselections.com/producer/chateau-fantin\"&gt;&lt;b&gt;2011 Chateau Fantin Bordeaux Sup\u00E9rieur&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, which has the added benefit of featuring a fancy Old World font and vintage engraving of a Chateau. Your boss may have expensive taste, but you don\u2019t need to drain your entire holiday bonus on that cult bottle of Barolo or a Napa Cab. Instead, find something just as deeply structured that doesn\u2019t require access to an expense account. Once known exclusively for Port wine, Portugal\u2019s Douro Valley now churns out exquisite regional blends\u2014 such as the &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=\"http://www.ramospinto.pt/default.aspx\"&gt;2009 Ramos Pinto Douro Duas Quintas Reserva&lt;/a&gt;\u2014 &lt;/b&gt;which share many traits with the world\u2019s most \u201Cserious\u201D reds: power, elegance, and the ability to age. He\u2019s spent all year taking orders from you; now\u2019s the time to order something delicious in return. In addition to the top \u201Cflagship\u201D wine, most wineries produce a more basic effort sourced from their younger, less experienced vines. The &lt;b&gt;2010 Chateau Musar \u201CJeune\u201D\u2014&lt;/b&gt; the celebrated &lt;a href=\"http://www.massaya.com/Bekaa-Terroir.aspx\"&gt;Bekaa Valley estate&lt;/a&gt;\u2019s \u201Centry level\u201D bottling\u2014 will inspire your intern or assistant with a helpful dose of aspiration for the New Year. For that overly competitive friend who often feels more like a nemesis, sending the right signal is key. In the spirit of reconciliation, try a bottle of the &lt;a href=\"http://cleanslatewine.com/\"&gt;&lt;b&gt;2012 Clean Slate Riesling&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. A reference to the blue slate stones that line the Mosel River valley, this slightly sweet German Riesling represents the ideal diplomatic gesture. On the other hand, if you find yourself in less charitable spirits, a bottle of &lt;a href=\"http://www.crownwineandspirits.com/bitch-grenache-aragon-2010-750ml/\"&gt;&lt;b&gt;2010 Bitch Grenache&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; would send a clear message as well. After shepherding around a disobedient horde of canines, the dog walker in your life will appreciate a wine that\u2019s lush, floral, and highly aromatic\u2014a Glade Plug-in for the palate, if you will. Few grapes boast the immediate olfactory allure of Alsatian Gew\u00FCrtztraminer. The exotically perfumed &lt;a href=\"http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/france/22313.html\"&gt;&lt;b&gt;2011 Albert Boxler Gew\u00FCrtztraminer&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, for example, erupts from the glass with a riot of lychee, cardamom, and rose petals strong enough to erase the memory of whatever Fido may have left in the grass. For the one responsible for balancing your &lt;i&gt;chakras&lt;/i&gt; and recalibrating your &lt;i&gt;chi&lt;/i&gt;, only a \u201Cnatural\u201D wine will do\u2014preferably one with a bit of sunshiny California spirit to boot. From the radically \u201Clow-fi,\u201Dminimal-interventionist, Berkeley-based &lt;a href=\"https://donkeyandgoat.com/\"&gt;Donkey and Goat winery&lt;/a&gt;, the &lt;strong&gt;2011 Donkey and Goat Grenache Blanc&lt;/strong&gt; fits the bill. Handcrafted, sustainably grown, and naturally fermented, it\u2019s guaranteed to bring good karma to anyone who drinks it. Forget the usual slew of mugs, paperweights, and gourmet fruit baskets. You know what \u201Cteach\u201D really needs: a liquid antidote to the sound of children screaming all day. Based in the historic Frenchtown School just west of Walla Walla, the &lt;a href=\"http://www.lecole.com/\"&gt;&lt;b&gt;L\u2019Ecole N\u00B0 41 winery&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; provides a textbook lesson in Washingtong State terroir. Its luscious, apricot-infused &lt;b&gt;2012 ColumbiaValley Semillon, &lt;/b&gt;for instance,&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;constitutes the kind of homework no one minds grading. There are boisterous bottles to be cracked in the company of others, and there are meditative ones to be savored in solitude. After such a rough year, your pal might need some time to get back on his feet. The most fitting accompaniment to those bittersweet memories is a bottle of &lt;a href=\"http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1005139\"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Carpano Antica Formula&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a delicious vermouth that expertly combines the bitter and the sweet. With flavors of herbs, toffee, and licorice, it lasts a few weeks open in the fridge, enough time for him to bounce back to a state of well-being. Alas. No matter what you pick, it won\u2019t be the exact thing she had in mind. The vintage might be wrong, or the producer second-rate.\u00A0 Maybe she finds the style too oaky. Or not oaky enough. Why bother choosing for her, when you can let her choose for herself? &lt;b&gt;A gift certificate to a top local wine shop&lt;/b&gt; delivers the grownup equivalent of that \u201Ckid in candy store\u201D experience. If you insist on giving a physical gift, however, consider a pair of these &lt;a href=\"http://www.woodzee.com/woodzee-sierra-collection-robert-mondavi-private-selection.html\" target=\"_blank\"&gt;super cool shades&lt;/a&gt;, recycled from old Robert Mondavi Private Selection wine barrels. At least she\u2019ll be snobby in style."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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