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Health & Fitness

High Quality and Economical Holiday Wine Selections From a Recognized Pro

Wine recommendations from a Wine Spectator Grand Award winner. The Pluckemin Inn's Wine Director, Brian Hider.

As we enter the holiday season, wine plays a large role in gift giving and, of course, consumption. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Brian Hider, to discuss some of his wine recommendations for the holidays, which were high quality yet economical selections. Brian is the Wine Director and Co-Director of Operations of the highly acclaimed Pluckemin Inn, located in Bedminster, N.J., and oversees www.pluckemininnwineshop.com.  

Brian, along with Pluckemin Inn owner, Gloria LaGrassa, recently accepted the Wine Spectator's highest honor, the “Grand Award.” The Wine Spectator selected only five restaurants in the world this year, and only 74 restaurants worldwide currently have this Grand Award designation.

Brian has been in the wine industry since 1996, and has a broad knowledge of wine, particularly in California and France. When asked what he looks for when initially selecting wines, Brian said his first criterion “is to look to producers who make their wines with the greatest respect towards grape growing, vine maintenance, harvesting and vinification.”

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At the Pluckemin Inn, Brian is tasked with maintaining and growing a vast selection of wines, currently numbering about 50,000 bottles, from various regions and price points to satisfy the tastes of customers from across a broad spectrum. He believes that when choosing a wine to either serve or gift for the holiday season, it is essential to take into account a couple of basic points: budget and varietal. 

In these challenging economic times, it is essential to establish a defined budget, “So there aren’t any surprises.” Brian strongly encourages people to be adventurous in their selections and try many varietals. With many options out there, Brian asks, “Why just drink the same thing every time?”

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We started discussing red wine and Brian suggested beginning with light reds and moving towards heavier, bolder reds. Brian’s first thought leads us to Pinot Noir, which Brian described as “a difficult wine to make both well and inexpensively.”  However, there are always exceptions to the rule. Brian’s example is the 2008 Jelu Pinot Noir from the Pantagonia region of Argentina. This bottle retails for about $11 and Brian claims it “is an exceptional value for its lively fresh flavors and medium bodied structure.”

Moving towards a more structured wine of the same varietal, Brian then suggested the 2009 Domaine Maillard Bourgogne Villages from France. This winery is a small, family-run estate, and the two brothers do most of the work for the fruits of their labor. According to Brian, the 2009 vintage ended up being a “riper,” and perhaps a more fruit forward year than previous ones, yet the Maillard Borgogne 2009 still shows the “true purity of the pinot grape and the impeccable balance that this bottle delivers.” This bottle retails at The Pluckemin Inn Wine Shop for about $25.

Keeping with the same theme of Pinot Noir, one of Brian’s passions, we move across the globe from France to California. Brian speaks highly of a Pinot from the Sonoma Coast. It’s the 2008 Ceritas pinot from their Escarpa Vineyard. Brian describes this bottle as possessing “spicy fruit with a clear precision on the finish, medium bodied that is just a delight.” 

We next turn to what Brian described as one of the most popular wines in the United States: Cabernet Sauvignon. He generally describes California “Cabs” as being full-bodied wines with deep red fruits and supple tannins.

Brian suggested two California Cabernets that have an exceptional price-to-quality ratio. These two suggestions include the 2009 Rock & Vine Cabernet and the 2007 Shelter “27-29.”  The Rock & Vine sells for about $13 per bottle and has “great structure, lots of fruit, currants, and big black cherry- ness going on,” as described by Brian. Also along the lines of great California Cabs, Brian has been quoted as saying, “Shelter, for their price point, makes an exceptional product.” This bottle will run you about $38.

In the dark cold of winter, not many people think of serving or gifting white wine during the holidays. Actually, there are quite a few inexpensive whites that make the list for holiday gifting. There are two white wines that Brian emphasized.

First, he suggested the 2010 Florian Mollet Sancerre Tradition from the Loire Valley in France. Brian said it's “a great buy” at $18. According to Brian, “this wine carries the classic notes of herbal tones, flinty-ness, and herbaceous-ness.” 

Brian continued that for the special occasion, “nothing beats a bottle of White Burgundy.”  Brian’s latest favorite is the 2009 Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1 er Cru Clos de la Mouchere. He added that this bottle originates from one of the top producers in the Cote de Beaune and “has excellent purity of fruit, mineralty and salinity from the soil, that all comes together for one great White Burgundy.”  This retails for around $90.

In closing, Brian advised to “not over-think your wine selection.”

He said, “It is important that wine not be the focal point, but rather the facilitator for people to share experiences and social interaction with family and friends.”

Happy Holidays and please don’t drink and drive.

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