Special Occasion Wines
If a wine’s cost is not always proportional to its deliciousness, the question remains as to whether special occasion wine is worth the price. Look at it this this way: When you occasionally overspend for a bottle, you are buying more than just the taste of a wine. You are investing in a memory, from the anticipation and acquisition of the bottle to its consumption and perhaps a late-night spooning with the empty bottle. I like to tell people that special occasion wine is also a socially acceptable way of flipping off the banalities and indignities of life, an indulgence that is less expensive and more social than fine art, collectable cars, or an addiction to Amazon Prime. My favorite special occasion wine types are as follows:
BUBBLY AND WHITE
1 CHAMPAGNE (FRANCE)
F. Scott Fitzgerald wasn’t wrong when he wrote, “Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right.” Winston Churchill would have agreed, as he reportedly spent more than $100,000 a year on his bubbly habit. You’ll never go wrong if you remember my catchphrase “Always Champagne”: big brand or indie; by itself or with food; nonvintage or expensive prestige cuvée; with elevated dishes or a can of Pringles; shimmeringly fresh or honeyedly mature. Just make it cold and make it count.
2 WHITE BURGUNDY (FRANCE)
Chardonnay at its most complex; generous but not heavy; fruity without being aggressively so; oaky, with shadings of vanilla or crème brûlée, but not sweet; finishes with minerality; know the famous villages of Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet; dial “L” for lobster as often as possible.
3 CONDRIEU (COHN-DREE-UH, A REGION IN FRANCE)
The Viognier grape from the northern Rhône Valley; medium to full bodied and bone-dry; a buxom offering of tropical fruits, but with European restraint; wallet draining, rare, and worth considering an indecent proposal for.
4 CHARDONNAY (CALIFORNIA)
A Creamsicle with euphoric powers; at its best, a blast of nectarine, pineapple, and butterscotch, balanced by plenty of vibrant acidity; not as lusted for in the media as it once was, but for many of us it remains the liquid embodiment of Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan”: “he on honey-dew hath fed / And drunk the milk of Paradise.”
5 RIESLING (AUSTRIA)
Achtung! Brace yourself for Riesling that is rich, always dry, with a gleaming stream of apples, pears, and white pepper; scours your senses with a gloriously stony minerality; unlike the Rieslings of Germany, labels are straightforward, save for a sprinkling of Viennese-chic umlauts; prices start in the $30s and can be triple that.
RED
1 RED BURGUNDY
The slayer, the most nuanced, beguiling, romantic and expensive wine in the world; France’s Burgundy region is also the world template for Pinot Noir; inconsistency bestows it with a feline elusiveness that makes aficionados anxious and poor and long for more; start with Volnay, a relatively reliable and accessible village; graduate to the grand cru vineyard Musigny, but not before mortgaging the house.
2 CABERNET SAUVIGNON (CALIFORNIA)
The ripe upstart: a lush, generous blackcurrant-y avatar of Californian sunlight; mint or juniper can emerge from the glass; texture is rich but typically smooth and polished; many connoisseurs’ first serious love and one that never fades; like a thieving supermodel, it is expensive but worth the cost.
3 RED BORDEAUX (FRANCE)
Iconic, aristocratic blends usually dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot; medium to full weight, often with prominent tannins when young; at its best, it shows profound complexity, with blackcurrant, tobacco, minerals, and often the signature scent of pencil lead; lamb is a soul mate; top chateaux have become dispiritingly costly.
4 BAROLO (ITALY)
Italy’s regal, uncompromising expression of the Nebbiolo grape; Piemonte-based blockbuster that needs years of age to lose its sadistic sheath of tannins and acidity; fine, mature versions can be astonishingly unique in nose and taste; signature scent is tar and roses, but leather and menthol often rise to the fore; king’s ransom in cost, but not as frightful as Burgundy and Bordeaux; almost a necessity to get food on the scene—ideally, rich fare like pasta saturated with butter and white truffles.
5 CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE (SHAH-TOW-NUF DEW PAHP, A REGION IN FRANCE)
Southern Rhône Valley’s most celebrated red; most are a blend dominated by the Grenache grape; pricey and nuanced, with roasted berry and bacon-y, savory goodness; bottles have embossed seals, which make them an extra-special gift; prays to the goddess of cassoulet.
ALSO CONSIDER
AMARONE (AM-AH-ROE-NEH, A TYPE OF WINE)
A powerful, swaggering capo; heady from dehydrated grapes grown in the Valpolicella district of Italy’s Veneto region; bold, extravagantly priced, high-octane taste that often requires ten or more years to mellow; sometimes has an intriguing cocoa-and-minerals quality; deserves to be drunk in a jewel-encrusted chalice.
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO (BREW-NEL-LO DEE MON-TAHL-CHEE-NO, A STYLE OF WINE FROM ITALY)
The Titan of Tuscany; zenith of prestige and power drawn from the Sangiovese grape; cherry and plum; sometimes a distinct herbal or licorice edge; astringent in youth, so give it some years; aftertaste can evoke leather or coffee; bull’s-eye pick with Florentine steak.
HERMITAGE (AIR-ME-TAHJ, A REGION IN FRANCE)
Northern Rhône’s mythical red; complex, Syrah-based power player; blackberry, crushed rock, olive, pepper, sometimes bacon or game or beef teriyaki; needs years to mellow; at home with hearty winter fare and peppery sauces.
RIBERA DEL DUERO (REE-BEAR-AH DELL DWAIR-OH, A REGION IN SPAIN)
Rich and smoky, with prominent tannins courtesy of the Tempranillo grape; ambitious bottles show complexity and sometimes considerable tannin; includes Spain’s top wine, Vega Sicilia.
SUPER TUSCANS (A STYLE OF WINE FROM ITALY)
Brash, complex, blackberry-scented reds from Tuscany; often notes of savory spice or tar; gained fame in the 1970s by using growing areas and nonlocal grapes (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, etc.) originally unsanctioned by Italian wine authorities; fanciful names that often end in -aia, such as the legendary Saissicaia, Ornellaia, and Solaia.