Wedding Gift

First, there are a few considerations: Where are you located? What is the couple's taste in wine? What do you mean by inexpensive? Do you want these gifts now, or later, to reflect the vintage of the wine and the marriage?

For the first year anniversary, whites that are released in the year of the marriage (though gifted upon release) will work fine. It's 2005 and I'm drinking some 2004 Sauvignon Blancs. The 2005 harvest will not start for some months, with many of these wines being released late in 2005. See the possible problem there?

Now, some white Burgundies will last for 5-10 easily, but will not be released for some time. They also tend to be more expensive than, say US/CA Chardonnays. Some US/CA Chards will easily last 5, and a very few might go for the 10 year mark, but this is pot luck. Those with the potential will also cost more. Good German Rieslings will easily last 10, and some 20+ years, but again, these are not inexpensive.

As for 25 years, well you have Cabs, some Merlots, Bordeaux blends, and the bigger reds from Italy, Spain, and of course red Burgundies. The ones with aging potential will not be inexpensive, and will probably not be released until some years after the wedding. There are the Ports, Madeiras, Tokays, Sauternes, and the German "late harvest" whites. These could easily last for several generations, but again, are not inexpensive.

Now, if you don't care about the vintage coinciding with the year of the wedding, it is far more simple. I'd opt for this, or for maybe giving a wine/ wines for the one year anniversary, then at, say five years, giving a Port FROM the vintage of their wedding (provided that a vintage is declared). This would be the 20-25 year wine. You might also give a Cab, Bdx blend, Rioja, Barolo, red Burgundy, from a previous vintage, for the intermediate anniversaries.

As an example, I gave friends a Taylor Fladgate 1985 Port (the year of their marriage, though IIRC released in the US in 1989) in 1990 for the five year anniversary. We plan on drinking it this year for their 20th. I was lucky, as

1985 was a declared vintage for most Port houses, and though it never lived up to its potential (according to the wine-press), it is still a very good Vintage Port.

Sorry to possibly spoil what seems like a simple idea and a wonderful gift, but there are tons of variables -- not to mention how the couple might store the wine. Once you get past the first anniversary the problem compounds exponentially.

Hunt

Lest I should appear to be the pedantic antipodean, of course, the 2005 vintage is now completed in Australia, New Zealand, Chile and South Africa.

Some 2005 NZ Sauvignon Blanc will start appearing on the shelves in August or September, but by far the greater volume will not show up until well in '06.

Duh, of course! And here I was even drinking one of those "old" 2004 NZ SBs, as I typed! Should have had a fresh release in my glass . Thanks for pointing that little bit out to me - I keep forgetting about the harvest times in the Southern Hemisphere.

BTW, how is the current wine looking down there? I must have missed the WS assessment.

Hunt

Another thought, How about a "gift certificate" promising that they'll receive various 2005 wines upon release or when available. You don't have to be specific on what wines they'll receive. A gift that keeps on giving. :-)

Just a thought, Dick R.

Wine does not last that long, generally. There are few wines that should age 25 years before being opened, and they are not 'inexpensive'. I cannot think of a single wine that would really be in peak condition after that long. Ports or whiskies are a better choice.

25 years is not that long. Plenty of Bordeaux and Rhones will make it that long. So might Champagne. A better choice might be Sauternes. Inexpensive is in the eye of the beholder. A good bottle of scotch won't be cheap either. Perhaps this person should qualify what they mean by inexpensive.

Dimitri