Help Me Find a Good Bottle of Alcohol for a Gift

HairyChickens on 08/11/2022 - 20:17
Last edited 09/11/2022 - 00:54

I'm planning on giving a bottle of red wine to a mate of mine as a gift and I was wondering if you guys have any suggestions. Preferable full-bodied red wine like Cabernet or Shiraz. Not too much of a drinker so I would appreciate any suggestions from people who may be more informed.

Going down the rabbit hole of alcohol research and also in lieu of diminishing terms comment, I have decided to expand to other alcohol/spirits (e.g. Whiskey, Gin, etc.) Particularly lesser-known foreign stuff. So keep the suggestions coming! I greatly appreciate it.

Budget is around $100.

Thanks!

Food & Grocery

Comments

  • AndyC1 on 08/11/2022 - 20:24

    Sorry my go to Shiraz is the Coles Group's Big & Bold SEA Shiraz 750mL which is $5.50 in singles…
    My expensive Shiraz is the Pepperjack Barossa Shiraz that goes for between $18 and $20 when not on special.

    • HairyChickens on 08/11/2022 - 20:27

      I'll just get him a SEA of Shiraz with 19 bottles

  • 01001101 01000010 on 08/11/2022 - 20:26
    +6

    You could go Penfolds Bin 389. It's a Shiraz around $100 and is sometimes known as a baby grange.

    • kipps on 08/11/2022 - 21:49
      +1

      Octavius by Yulumba is better value than Grange and often around same price range as 389. Recommend trying it if you like 389 and Grange.

      Also Rockford Basket Press.

  • Keplaffintech on 08/11/2022 - 20:28
    +3

    You get diminishing returns after about $30-40 a bottle and you'd really have to know what a wine lover is into to make the most of a $100 bottle.

    Have you considered getting them a few wines? You could probably get a bunch of solid suggestions at $30-40 a bottle in this thread and just pick 3 of them.

    • AustriaBargain on 08/11/2022 - 20:57

      It's not all about the quality of the wine. The gift receiver may Google the price of the wine later on, if they aren't already familiar with it, and the idea is they see that it was $100 and not $30.

      • Keplaffintech on 09/11/2022 - 22:02

        IMO those are the worst gifts. Learning that someone wasted $100 on X that I don't really like

  • Ghost47 on 08/11/2022 - 21:13

    Just go to a Dan Murphy’s, usually they’re pretty good with suggesting wines.

  • bmxr on 08/11/2022 - 21:13
    +2

    Could just stick to the well known brands;

    • Henschke Abbotts Prayer 2018
    • Wynns John Riddoch
    • St Hugo Single Vineyard
    • Parker Coonawarra Estate

    https://www.danmurphys.com.au/search?searchTerm=coonawarra&filters=Variety(red-wine),price(85-115)&size=24&sort=PriceDesc

    But agree with posts above, $30-50 is a real sweet spot in terms of value and quality. Heding your bets across a couple of bottles from a few wineries is better than just one?

    • HairyChickens on 08/11/2022 - 22:19
      +1

      Yeh, I realised that too. That's why I decided to expand to other alcohols/spirits for my gift.

  • jv on 08/11/2022 - 21:58

    Help Me Find a Good Bottle of Red Wine for a Gift

    Can't go wrong with this…

    • try2bhelpful on 08/11/2022 - 22:58
      +1

      I knew it was Bowlers run even before I clicked the link.

      • jv on 08/11/2022 - 23:15

        good drop, isn't it….

        • try2bhelpful on 09/11/2022 - 08:30
          +1

          For the money not bad but not what this guy is looking for.

      • Sleeqb7 on 09/11/2022 - 11:09

        The worst hangover I've ever had in my entire life was from Bowlers Run.

        • try2bhelpful on 09/11/2022 - 11:38

          How many bottles? However, it does probably contain a number of preservatives.

          • Sleeqb7 on 09/11/2022 - 11:39

            @try2bhelpful: I don't totally remember. Between 1.5 and 2?
            Having had similar quantities of better alcohol has significantly less effect on the following day.

            • try2bhelpful on 09/11/2022 - 12:02

              @Sleeqb7: Yeah, often the worse the alcohol the bigger the hangover but 1.5 to 2 bottles is not recommended as “drink responsibly”.

              When drinking alcohol I try to team it with drinking water so I can flush the alcohol out ASAP and to avoid dehydration.

              • Sleeqb7 on 09/11/2022 - 12:07

                @try2bhelpful: Of course this is par for the course for me these days.
                However during the time this happened, I was not yet 20, and binge drinking was a regular passtime of mine.

                • try2bhelpful on 09/11/2022 - 12:52

                  @Sleeqb7: Yeah, the young, and binge drinking, is a, definite, problem. Also the fact they look for the cheapest options.

                  Fortunately by the time I got into wine we had a friend who was into the serious stuff. He had Granges from when they were $25 a bottle.

    • jizmo on 08/11/2022 - 23:53
      +2

      All tastes the same after the first glass..
      I remember when a mate swapped out a duty free bottle of Johny Walker blue for red . His brother still has no idea.
      Mind over a label on a bottle can be a status powerful thing

  • Bargain055 on 08/11/2022 - 22:02
    +1

    Hi, I would look for vintage/cellared wines for that budget and gift.

    Dan Murphy has cellared premium wines. Depending on where you are, some state has DM premium shop. You can go there and check it out.

    Some I can see online is Katnook Estate
    Prodigy Shiraz 2012 - any $119
    Vintage 2010/2012/2014/2015 would be nice.

    Others not specifically old - I would recommended are:
    Fox Creek estate Reserve Shiraz
    Jasper Hill Georgia paddock Shiraz
    Henschke abbots Prayer or vintage Shiraz
    Yarra Yerring No 1 or No. 2
    Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz
    Clarendon Hills Shiraz Hickinnbotham or Liandra
    And many more.

    But if you can't decide, just choose the nicest looking one out of the above.

    Good luck.

    • HairyChickens on 08/11/2022 - 22:17

      I'll definitely take a look at some of these thanks!

      I've decided that I might expand to other alcohol/spirits. Any suggestions?

      • jv on 08/11/2022 - 23:19

        I've decided that I might expand to other alcohol/spirits. Any suggestions?

        https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_2167/penfolds-grand…

        • Bargain055 on 09/11/2022 - 20:19
          +1

          Yes this is very nice

      • Bargain055 on 09/11/2022 - 20:19
        +1

        If you are considering spirits, I particularly enjoyed whisky. But you prob need to spend a little more than $100 for slightly better ones.

        One that is around $100 would be:
        Macallan 12 - slightly more now
        Glenmorangie Nectar Dor
        Glendronach 12 or 15, 18 is better but more exp.
        Aberlour 12
        Balvenie 14 double wood
        Glenfiddich 18
        For Blend would be
        Chivas 18
        Johnny Walker

        Good luck

  • Archi on 08/11/2022 - 22:34

    Age?
    What do he usually drink?
    What does he usually like eating?

  • Chazzozz on 08/11/2022 - 23:07
    +1

    If you want to have a look at whisk(e)y then my suggestions would be:

    Scotch whisky - Talisker 10yo or Talisker Port Ruighe. I like Talisker because it's a good midpoint between the smoothness of the Lowlands and the smoky/peaty of Islay. Port Ruighe will be sweeter and may be more palatable to a wine drinker. Both are around the $100 mark for My Dan's members.

    Irish Whiskey - Teeling Single Pot. Irish whiskey is super-smooth, and I find this one has plenty of characters without any one part overpowering the others. The Single Malt is on special for around the same price, but I haven't tried it so can't advise if it's any good. These are $77-$79.

    American - I would never knock back a 1L bottle of Gentleman Jack, a nice, inoffensive sippin' whiskey that's not too sweet, as a lot of American spirits tend to be from the high corn content. For something with a bit of character then I do like me a nice rye whiskey, but when I search Dan's there's not a lot available. Knob Creek is pretty good, but my personal preference is one of the better Canadian brands - sadly, they've become less popular here so they're getting hard to find.

    Anyway, I hope that helps you.

  • AustriaBargain on 09/11/2022 - 02:57
    +1

    Mezcal is trendy right now. Like tequila it's made from agave and usually drunk straight, but with oranges instead of lemons. Dan Murphys has 156 search results for mezcal (not all for mezcal) from 55.99 to 189.99.

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 09/11/2022 - 09:06
    +1

    Aldi, have some nice looking Gins for what seemed a reasonable price when I was there last week.

  • try2bhelpful on 09/11/2022 - 09:11

    If you are a Costco member they have some interesting drops; generally cheaper than elsewhere.

  • vince088 on 09/11/2022 - 22:09
    +1

    Can't go wrong with a bottle of Cognac.

    Remy Martin VSOP
    Martell VSOP
    Hennessy VSOP as a minimum

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