Top 10 Gift Ideas: Fine Wine from Cose Di Lusso

It's that time of year when Tony Bonheim at hears, "So I want to buy some wine as a gift and this is all I know ..."

No problem.

"We can work with almost no information and still find the perfect wine gift for you to give," Bonheim said. "Two facts — your budget and red or white — is enough to get us started."

Just knowing a person's food preferences — are they a spicy food fan? chocoholic? love sushi? — can help pinpoint that special bottle of wine.

And with bottles starting at $11, Cose di Lusso can fit any budget. "You should be able to drink good wine every day," Bonheim said.

Top 10 List

Cose di Lusso's prices cover a full range, from high end, unique and "quite special" wines to its "Dirty Dozen," which are 12 value-oriented wines chosen for taste, not price. 

For its Top 10 list, Bonheim aimed to impress:

1. Menu Wine Breather Carafe: For the red wine lover, the beautiful carafe has a built-in aerator and cap. It's $59.
2. Bordeaux 2009 Six-Pack Sampler: This pack offers six different Bordeaux from the Decade's Greatest vintage. It comes with a map and information on each of the six chateaus. It's very valued-oriented, Bonheim said, at $70.
3. Chateau Guirand Sauternes six bottle vertical with case: In case you don't know (I didn't) a vertical case means the same wine in multiple years. In this case the wine is six vintages of Grand Cru Sauternes from the 1996 to 2004. "These wines age forever," Bonheim said, "and you can see the color change with age." The case is $499, although individual bottles are also available for purchase.
4. 1998 Veuve Clicquot Le Grand Dame with case: This is the quintessence of Veuve Clicquot champagnes. It comes in a stunning black case for $149.
5. Decantus Connossieur set: This ultimate aerator set comes with five pieces: strainer, pouring stand, travel bag, display stand and aerator. Its set up allows hands-free pouring. It's $75.
6. Wine Cork Cages: These handsome structures, in globe, bottle or barrels shapes, allow wine lovers to save their corks and memories in style. Prices range from $26-$29.
7. Opus One vertical three bottle box: The Opus One name is legendary and this gift gives three of California's most famous wines in one attractive box. The years are 1997, 1998 and 2007, although bottles can also be purchased individually. It's $763 for the set.
8. 2006 Brunello di Montalcino sampler: In this sampler you get three top Brunellos all from the same year and the same region but different vineyards but a true taste-test. Forget the Pepsi challenge, the real question is which wine do you prefer? The one from the east side of the hill, or the west? The set is $180.
9. French Two bottle box: Cose di Lusso has paired two French classics in an attractive box for gift giving. It's $78 for the Chateauneuf-du Pape and Bordeaux pair.
10. Tenuta Luce Della Vite: Six spectacular bottles of wine in the coolest box. The set includes three 2006 Brunello di Montalcino and three 2006 Super Tuscan Red. The set is $720. Bottles are also sold individually.

What Christmas means

With so many holiday gatherings on the horizon, it only made sense to tap into Cose di Lusso's expertise on what to bring:

• Best wine for the holidays: What would Bonheim take to a nice holiday dinner? "Londer Vineyards Pinot Noir. It's a real crowd pleaser." It's $16. Owner Andre Pidun would take Worthy, a 2006 Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley, mainly because he is curious to try it himself. "You should just drink what you like," he said. A bottle is $26.
• Best champagne to toast in the New Year: "Ruinart. It's a rose and that adds body and makes it look festive in the glass," Pidun said. It's $79.
• Favorite holiday movie: Bonheim offered up Die Hard. "Nobody gets it, but it's my favorite."
• Favorite holiday memory: "When I was probably 12 or 13 we went to Austria to ski for Christmas. There was about 6 feet of snow, Santa came on his sleigh and their was a gift for each child. It was a real Christmas," Pidun said.

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