The Wine Ponce: Dinner-party gift bottles

When showing up to a wine lover’s house for dinner, you can’t be clutching Yellow Tail. These bottles from Vintages say “baller.”

BY: The Wine Ponce

Osborne Pedro Ximénez 1827 Premium Sweet Sherry, $17.95

A well-kept secret among oenophiles, real Spanish sherry offers insane value. This sweet one is terrific with pumpkin, pecan, or apple pie.

Ponce notes: “Like the first episode of Downton Abbey, the this layered dessert wine immediately draws you in, whether you like it or not. A liquid butter-tart, with a finish that lasts until the season finale.”

Simonnet-Febvre Chablis 2010, $19.95

Chablis, the barely oaked Chards of Burgundy, make most grape-hounds’ taste buds tingly. It’s a slam-dunk with raw oysters.

Ponce notes: “With crunchy green-apple flavours, seductive minerality, and mouthwatering acidity, it’s hard to believe this crisp white is Chardonnay. It tastes more like premier grand crus (wines from better Burgundy vineyards) in the $30 range.”

Fattoi Brunello di Montalcino 2007, $34.95

When you need to pull out the heavy guns, nothing gives you an in with the in-laws like a bottle of Brunello. Pair it with braised short ribs.

Ponce notes: “Most Brunellos hover around $50, and are practically undrinkable in their youth. After two hours in a decanter, this one is ready to play, with layers of ripe cherries, new leather, and cigar box.”