Red Wine Suggestions please!

[MyCatTibby]

It’s a family member’s special birthday coming up. They love red wine and we would like to get them a special bottle. We don’t drink wine at all and are a bit clueless but would love to get them a really good bottle. Budget is up to £100 does anyone have any suggestions?

Are they really really into wine? I very much doubt a £30 bottle is that much worse than a £100 one. I’d probably get a few slightly cheaper ones!

I'd try and find out if they like New or Old World wine, and then if they like e.g. French, Italian, Argentinian. And then if you are able go to a decent independent wine shop and ask for a recommendation within your budget.

Barolo is always a winner.

But you don’t have to pay that much - they would prob appreciate 3 decent bottles instead.

Maybe give Berry Bros in London a call or email to ask for suggestions and give them your budget? I call in when I’m in London for meetings but they do sell online, do gift boxes and don’t talk down to you at all, despite being a v posh shop. They also do some really reasonably priced wines - it’s not all £1000 a bottle vintage stuff. If you call in they always call me Madam, even though I’m only buying a bottle of £30 Fleurie as a treat :-)

Red wine lover here and would much prefer the £100 be spent on a decent case of wine than one really expensive bottle.

As a vino fan myself I would be thrilled of someone thought to get me something special

Suggestions- get them a £50-100 voucher to order their favorite (or a case depending on prices and taste) as they will know what they want and really appreciate it

Ask them or someone who knows them what their favourite is

Get something relatively new and highly praised from a good merchant - I love trying new sellers as there are always some exciting developments. Malbecs are good.

They will be made up that you thought about it.

Love fleurie btw

I nice Argentinian Malbec. But I'd rather have 5 £20 bottles than 1 £100 bottle - I doubt you taste the difference.

I made that mistake and bought my BF dad an expensive vintage Bordeaux. Unfortunately he preferred a really gutsy red so it was completely wrong.
I’d go to specialist shop and get two or three bottles of a better quality wine of what they normally drink.

I agree a voucher so they can choose their own unless you are certain what style of red they like.

Second Barolo. Should manage to get 2 or 3 very decent bottles for your budget.

Thank you all so much for your suggestions! I think a few bottles of one they really like rather than one expensive one is the way to go. I’m going to try and find out what they really like. The Voucher idea is a good one too so they can choose themselves. Thanks everyone!

I worked as a wine merchant for a long time selling bottles worth 1000s etc. Find out what wine they usually love and get a recommendation. If someone is a real wine lover then 100 isn't too much on one bottle. However for most of my friends who really like wine I'd get two for 50 or even 3 at 30ish. It's still massively more than what they would spend. Do not spend the money on boxes/packaging if they are a true wine lover.

Thank you @WhatILoved that’s a good suggestion. I wouldn’t say they were absolute wine lovers with expert knowledge they just enjoy a decent red.