Marking Time with Wine

Willa Napier Bryan had some Champagne last Friday night. The vintage 1995 Amour de Deutz, with its lemon entrance and biscuity finish, graced her lips on this special occasion. Her expression was rather indifferent, in spite of just having tasted a $149 bottle of Champagne. But then again, she was only 72 hours old.

Wedding? Birth? Promotion? Anniversary? Just name the special occasion, and somewhere among the guests, a supporting actor if you will, is a special wine. "Special" can mean sentimental or memorable-it doesn't mean expensive, although the occasion normally justifies pushing the budget.

Champagne is what first comes to mind, although this effervescent elixir symbolizes much more than christening ships. Champagne (a generic label for sparkling wine sourced from a specific AOC region in France) is a brand, AND a state of mind. No other beverage will get your guests to stand up straighter, ease them into faint airs of distinction, or make them feel special for being with you. Napoleon liked Champagne because its "pop" reminded him of cannon fodder (and hence his victories)-Hitler ensured that upon each battle victory, his soldiers were rewarded with Champagne.

Wines can make or break the occasion-having nice wine at the reception can earn you reviews like "It was such a nice ceremony, and the reception wines were amazing!" And you'll want to splurge a little beyond the grocery-store Chardonnay for the anxiety-ridden dinner when hosting the boss.

Each year like clockwork, we begin Christmas Eve with Champagne and Caviar. Even the children have thimble-fulls, and for a brief moment, we all transcend our socio-economic spheres and feel like the Rockefellers.

Wine is a subtle way of showing your guests that you honor them. Our friends Ward and Jocelyn, whom we see far too seldom, brought a 2001 Viader (55% Cab Sauvignon, 45% Cab Franc) to dinner one night. It was memorable, and we felt honored to have shared in a special, small production, $100 wine like that.

Wines mark time. Moms' deservedly receive many birth presents (aka "push presents"), but here is one for dads. Starting in the third year after the child is born, if a vintage is to be declared for Port in the child's birth year, a Vintage Port will be released. Purchase one, renowned for living decades if not a century, write a special "paint-pen" note on the bottle, and give to the dad encouraging him to cellar appropriately and share with his child sometime in their adult-hood. This gift immortalizes the gift giver and forges a special bond to the recipient.

Start a cellar for your children while they are young (preferably, but not mandatory). Open a bottle on each birthday after they have reached adulthood. Turn the annual tradition into a ritual whereby you tell them where/how/why you procured this wine, and what was happening in their lives that vintage year (or year of purchase). They'll thank you for recounting stories about them, and cherish your sense of forethought.

Gift a case of fine wine to newlyweds, with a special note hidden under tissue paper wrapped around each bottle. Direct them to open certain bottles, one each year on their anniversary, by numbering the bottles. The excitement and anticipation will be spread out over 12 years, not to mention being able to enjoy a fine wine, which has mellowed, like the marriage, over time.

Gift a wine that matches the personality of the recipient. Is he serious, mysterious, and very intelligent? Bring him a suitable wine, perhaps a classed growth Bordeaux with dark colors, complex aromas and layers of tastes. And what if she is fun loving, young at heart, and enjoys a little panache and elegance? Sparkling wine is the answer for her, and not necessarily Champagne. If she is one to appreciate a little sweet peach in her wine, then an Italian Prosecco will match well. In all cases, express your insight to this "match" on the note accompanying the bottle.

By all means, purchase fine wines when you travel to romantic and exotic destinations and bring them home to regenerate those hidden moments via liquid time capsules. No aphrodisiac compares to wine when cementing a special memory with a loved one and delivering you right back to that moment. A Chateau La Pujade red wine from Southern France sends my wife and I back to our alfresco dinners with winemaking lovers Philippe and Vivianne, free-range rotisserie lamb, a slight chill in the air, petite Monte Cristo's, and brandy.

Of course you can buy personalized wine (we gave out sparkling wine splits with our initials at our wedding reception) or even utilize decorative labels which conceal the original label, providing a palette for scripting a special note. However, while both of these are catchy, seldom are they associated with excellent wines.

For fine wine, you are better suited to arrange for a glass etching company to work directly with your winery of choice so your fine wine will be enclosed in a bottle that is itself a piece of art. This is more expensive and very time intensive-but it is the ultimate in providing a gift that will undoubtedly be opened under special circumstances. Much easier (and in some ways more personal) is to simply make your thoughts known via gold or silver paint pen on the side of the bottle.

Whatever the occasion--hosting guests, bringing a gift, or celebrating--wine will appeal to the emotional and the cognitive side of all involved.