Photo by Larry and Renee

Holiday shopping got you down? Just can’t find the perfect gift for those people on your list? Just Grapes has the answer! We’re truly a one-stop shop for everyone on your shopping list (even the little ones–our never-expiring tasting cards will still be valid once they turn 21!). To make it even easier, we’ve put together a guide for all those hard-to-shop-for loved ones.

For your BFF Since Like, Grade School:

She’s seen you at your best, dolled up to the nines in your Christian Louboutin knock-offs, and at your worst, with your head in the toilet of some dive (and she even held your hair back). Show her how much you care with Bitch Bubbly. This sparkling Shiraz/Grenache blend is just fruity enough with its candied raspberry-cherry-ripe strawberryness. It’s saucy and sweet with just a little bit of an edge, just like your bestie.

For your Hipster Friend Who Really Likes Wes Anderson:

2008 Mod: A cheeky, technicolor Vespa label and a cool, crisp white on the inside? Sounds perfect! This Alsatian-esque Pinot Gris actually comes from Victoria, Australia. Light, crisp and nuanced, this lemony-limey white will have your hipster friend sweeping his bangs out of his face to get a whiff of that white-flowery nose; he won’t believe his beard! After a thank you in the form of a fist-pound, he’ll nestle this in his messenger bag, right next to his aviators and a cd of a band you’ve never heard of.

For The One:

The One needs no introduction; you just know The One. Same goes for The Wine. Robert Parker gave this 2004 Shiraz 99 points, which means to him, this is about as close to perfect as it gets. This Wine is so deeply complex with its smoky, woody, black-and-blueberry notes right off the bat–and that’s barely scratching the surface! The Wine continues with licorice, spice and chocolate, and a bunch of other notes my tiny mortal mind can barely comprehend. If infinite ecstasy had a flavor, it would taste like The Wine. Gift it wisely.

For the Friend-You-Wish-Were-More-Than-a-Friend:

The story usually goes something like this: boy meets girl, girl likes boy, boy likes girl, but they just stay friends. Why? Quit asking so many questions! Regardless, 2003 The Fight has enough game for both of you. Sure, there’s two sweaty dudes duking it out on label, but think of it as metaphor for yourself boxing your own insecurities…or something to that effect. Round and juicy, this incredible Shiraz has hints of earth and licorice, which also happens to be a recipe for love. Just make sure she opens this big Shiraz with you over dinner, and not with some other guy.

For the College Kid Who Just Turned 21:

He’s lean, he’s mean, he’s a beer-chugging machine. He’s also almost out of college, and someone needs to let him know that doing keg stands of Natty Light shirtless just doesn’t cut it in the real world. Do him a favor with the 2007 Sineann; a Cab so lush, so approachable, so bursting with blackberry jamminess that it just might blow his precious little mind. Full-bodied enough to make him feel like Big Man on Campus, yet silky and fruit-forward enough for a kid just dipping his toes into a good wine. You’re welcome, little guy.

For the Person You Just Really Want to Impress:

Sometimes, we just need a gift that will render the receiver utterly speechless. For this occasion especially, the  2005 Anamorphosis Shiraz was conceived. With perhaps the most epic packaging in Wine History, the mirrored Anamorphosis sits in the center of a poster by Hungarian artist Istvan Orosz, and a mystical image appears in the reflection (to me, it looks like either William Shakespeare or a mustachioed Jeremy Irons)!  Our second 99-pointer on the list (could it be Mr. Parker is getting a little loose with those double nines? Nah–it’s just that Just Grapes has got all the good stuff), this fruit behemoth can be enjoyed now, or put to bed for 20+ years.

That’s it for now! Check back soon when we tackle the people who are really hard to shop for, like Mom and Dad, Joined-at-the-Hip-Couple, and Wine-Geek-You’re-Afraid-to-Buy-Wine-For!

But acid is absolutely essential to the structure of a wine. Too little and a wine will taste flat and lifeless. Too much and a wine will taste sour. A balanced wine will have the proper amount of acid to contrast with the other parts of its skeleton–primarily the sugar, alcohol and tannins. There is no uniformly “right” level of acidity. What is right for a red grown in a warm climate is very different for a white grown in a cool climate.

You’ll hear acidity referred to most often with regard to white wines, particularly those grown in cooler climates. “Racy” and “crisp” sometimes hint at a wine with higher acid. In cool climates, where grapes mature more slowly, acid has time to develop unimpeded. Acid is lost from (and sometimes added back in to wines made from) grapes as they grow in warm climates through respiration.

Acid and sugar generally are in opposition because of climate. Grapes growing in a warm climate, ripening more quickly, develop higher levels of sugar (which can be converted into alcohol during fermentation). Grapes growing in a cooler climate ripen very slowly–sometimes a wine grower finds it hard to achieve a necessary level of ripeness (and therefore sugar) before harvest. As you can see, making wine is a delicate balancing of variables; the best winemakers must find center on that tightrope.

You could look up a wine’s level of tartaric acid or its pH level to know just how acidic it is. But unless those numbers lie outside the realm of normal, they’re rather meaningless without the context of the wine’s other elements.

Just take a taste instead. You can sense acidity in a very specific way. After you have filled your mouth with wine and swallowed or spit, notice whether your mouth waters. The more your gums tingle and water for a few moments, the higher the acidity.

Acidity is especially nice to cut through fatty, creamy or sweet dishes (just like what you’ll be enjoying over the holidays). Just Grapes has some perfect examples. But really, it’s all about the balance. And the right level of acid is mouthwatering!

There are so many reasons right now to have extra bottles on hand: watching the game with friends on Sunday afternoon, hitting a BYOB restaurant before the theater, evenings in front of the fireplace with candles and some mood music, days when you come home from work in the damp, dreary, cold dark and need a little warmth from the inside. Not to mention the beginning of holiday season.

It’s so fortunate that Just Grapes hosts a sale at this time of year. You can save as much as 50 percent on more than 100 bottles during the appropriately named Fall Wine Sale, beginning tomorrow, September 16, through Sunday, September 21. Shop online or come in and see what yummy new wines you want to take home to warm up your wine rack.

And if you find a few roses and cool whites to take home, well, that’s OK, too. We’ll tell the fashion police and the wine police to take a hike through the crunchy fall leaves. See you there!

So it is with great pleasure that I sample the best fruit of that beautiful country’s earth here. Spain’s wine is just reaching the downslope of up-and-coming, steamrolling toward established and known. Tempranillo, perhaps the most familiar red, is gaining wide acceptance from both the Rioja and Ribero del Duero regions. And perhaps one of my favorite discoveries was made several years ago here in the States: I learned that Spain has its own version of Champagne, something called cava. You can hardly pass through Barcelona without at least a glass. (I think I had two.)

While the plains of Spain are known mainly for their reds, there’s some great white coming out of the country, too. Just Grapes’ Master Class on the wines of Spain today featured 2007 Bodegas Nora, Nora, Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain, and 2007 Bodegas Naia, Naia, Verdejo, Rueda Spain. Try these out with a few friends, and you’ll truly be the savvy Euro sipper.

I’m a big fan of Monastrell, a great medium red that goes well with food or holds its own alone with good company. It takes me on a little passport-and-luggage-free trip to some of my favorite places, where long afternoons with friends and wine are a part of the workday and life moves at a slower pace. Maybe I’ll pour it into a carafe, break out some crusty bread with oil and toast to the vino de Espana.