Forget socks and ties and appeal to dad’s vinous side.
My top choice is Our Father’s Shiraz 2014 (STAR BUY), created by a fellow Master of Wine Giles Cooke in memory of his father, who died of lung cancer. Cooke wanted to give something back, so instead of running a marathon he selected a 125-year-old vineyard in Barossa Valley – and made a shiraz. And it’s one of the best Barossa shiraz I have tasted, with very overt wild berry and violet aromas, a lush soft palate with beautifully ripe tannins and a fine long finish – serve with roast beef or venison. Donations go to St Columba’s Hospice in Edinburgh which helped his father, and other charities.
£25, www.ourfatherswines.co.uk
If your dad likes a traditional rioja with his roast lamb, La Rioja Alta Vina Arana Reserva 2008 is a Reserva in its prime right now with soft spicy richness and a lovely mellow length.
£19.75, Majestic Wine
If he is a Rhône ranger who drinks Côte du Rhône, Crozes Hermitage or Chateauneuf du Pape, give him a deliciously mature meaty example of syrah from the northern Rhône: St Joseph Rouge 2005 Domaine de la Cote Ste Epine. It’s brilliant value for those who like their reds spicy and mellow.
£17.99, Raeburn Wines, Edinburgh
Most dads love stoking the barbie, so help him along with a juicy new malbec: Zuccardi Brazos De Los Andes Malbec 2014. Violet, chocolate notes, lush damson fruits with a soft velvety texture and a touch of spice from syrah – it’s a match for beef steak or venison sausages.
£7.49, Majestic Wine
Affordable mature claret is often hard to find. For lovers of mellow cabernet-based Haut Medoc claret, Chateau Lanessan 1998 is still holding up well after 18 years.
£17.99, reduced from £19.99, www.laithwaites.co.uk
Is your dad an amarone lover? The market is flooded with cheap amarones these days, so make sure you get him the “real deal” when it comes to Verona’s ancient dried grape wine. Amarone Classico Della Valpolicella 2011 has dark chocolate notes, lush intense mouthfeel and bittersweet soya notes.
£58, Drinkmonger, Edinburgh; Villeneuve Wines, Edinburgh/Peebles; Fine Wine Co, Edinburgh; Luvians, Cupar/St Andrews
One of the best gifts for a wine lover is a life subscription to the UK’s best wine mail-order club – The Wine Society. Their wines regularly see off stiff competition in our tastings for this column – from brilliant Spanish bargains at £6.50 to clarets for current drinking – and it can be bequeathed.
£40, www.thewinesociety.com
If your dad has expressed an interest in learning more about wine, give him a voucher to try out a wine tasting evening, wine and charcuterie tasting or fine wine dinner in Edinburgh, Glasgow or St Andrews.
From £35, www.rosemurraybrown.com
If your dad enjoys wine and travel, The World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson MW would make a great gift with its potted profiles on each wine region and detailed maps.
£40, www.amazon.co.uk
Does your dad have a penchant for port? Penfolds Father Grand Tawny (STAR BUY) is a refined elegant Australian fortified wine – a port-style of wine that the Aussies used to be famous for back in the 1900s. Each individual grape variety (grenache, shiraz, mataro and cabernet) is aged separately in old cask – the average age of the blend is ten years plus and contains around 15 different vintages. This is a mature nutty tawny which could be served as an unusual aperitif.
£19.99, www.laithwaites.co.uk
If your dad loves gadgets, club together with the rest of your family and buy him the latest in wine preservation – the Coravin Model Two Elite. With this ingenious device he can draw off just a glass of wine from his favourite bottle – and enjoy what he wants, when he wants, without finishing the bottle.
£279, www.coravin.co.uk; WoodWinters, Edinburgh; Harvey Nichols; Selfridges
If you want to celebrate with champagne, buy the best non-vintage widely stocked by top independents: Champagne Charles Heidsieck Reserve Brut NV (STAR BUY). It has a rich biscuity aroma and honeyed palate from the high percentage of mature reserve wines.
£43, Drinkmonger & Beerhive, Edinburgh; Lockett Bros, North Berwick; Luvians, Cupar & St Andrews; Aitken Wines, Dundee; Valhalla’s Goat, Glasgow; Wine Society
• Join Rose’s Hidden Gems of Spain wine & charcuterie tasting in Edinburgh on Friday 14 October, £45, www.rose murraybrown.com
