FIELD
NOTES; To Have, to Hold and to Open (Eventually)
OCTOBER 12, 2003, THE NEW YORK
TIMES
By Bernard Kirsch
FOR
some older, more established couples about to marry, the thought
of receiving -- and then scrambling to return -- 10 serving
platters and 6 sets of sterling silver candlesticks given
as gifts is enough to make them want to drink. And so they
are taking the next obvious step: they are registering for
gifts of fine wines.
It is a growing trend, which some are buying into as a
way to accumulate bottles to enjoy and share with their
friends, while others are doing it either to start or to
build up their wine collections.
One couple, Rochelle McCune, who was 37 when she married
Michael Alderete, then 32, registered with the Sebastopol
Fine Wine Company (707-829-9378) of Sebastopol, Calif. ''We
were adults,'' Ms. McCune said, ''and we were mixing two
households and didn't need another toaster.''
Sandra Lewis, 30, and Warren Muller Jr., 41, were less
interested in gifts of ''pots and pans from uncles and aunts,''
Mr. Muller said, than in receiving a bottle of 1999 Dominus
Napa Valley (about $140) and, perhaps, a 1998 Babcock Pinot
Noir ($55). The couple, who became engaged in a vineyard
in the Stellenbosch wine region of South Africa and live
in Martinez, Calif., registered with 67 Wine and Spirits,
a New York store with which they were familiar.
Bart Hopkins, who is a buyer at 67 Wine (www.67wine.com),
said that while his store has had a wedding registry for
about three years, the notion has only recently caught on.
''People began to register as a curiosity,'' Mr. Hopkins
explained. ''Now it has become a very successful venture
for our clients and for us. But still, this idea is in its
infant stages.''
His shop and others are trying to make the process for
registering wine choices painless. Couples are encouraged
to come in for a consultation and a tasting at shops like
67 Wine, the Italian Wine Merchants (www.italianwinemerchant.com)
and Vino (www.vinosite.com), all in New York, Terranova
Fine Wines (www.terranovafinewines.com) of Monterey, Calif.,
and the San Francisco Wine Trading Company (www.sfwtc.com).
Visitors to Italian Wine Merchants are brought into the
tasting room, where Chris Deas and Derrick Mize, who handle
the shop's registry, allow the couples to freely sample
a number of bottles before narrowing down their wish lists.
Those registering at wine shops are cautioned to keep in
mind that if they register only for, say, expensive bottles
of Veuve Clicquot's La Grande Dame Champagne (about $120
each), they are likely to end up with quite a few more pots
and pans than they were anticipating. Ms. McCune and Mr.
Alderete took pains to draw up a balanced list of bottles
at various price levels. As a result, Ms. McCune noted,
''Nobody went supercheap.''
Still, because some wedding guests are uncomfortable buying
alcohol, couples are advised to register elsewhere for more
traditional wedding gifts, too.
Many retailers create a formal wine profile with each couple's
likes and dislikes. ''You want to find out things like,
does the couple prefer boldness or lighter wines, international
style or modern or more traditional wines, red wine or dessert
wine,'' said Charles Scicolone of Vino.
Some couples list specific wines and vintages -- a 1997
Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicholas François Champagne
(about $50); a 1999 Dry Creek merlot ($20) -- and others
will simply tell the store to inform guests that they love
California pinot noir or super-Tuscans from Italy.
Wine shops love to create lists and packages. Mr. Deas
of the Italian Wine Merchants believes that popular sellers
will be a $150 case of indigenous Italian whites, which
can include verdicchio, trebbiano and 10 others. He also
suggests a $200 collection of indigenous Italian reds that
include sangiovese, nebbiolo and other choices.
The shops will also put together lists of wines that can
be consumed immediately, or will be right for the first
anniversary, for the 5th or for the 25th.
''Wines are like the couples,'' said James Turney, who
handles the wedding registry at Morrell's (www.morrellwine.com)
in New York. ''Each couple has a vision of how their lives
together will evolve, in much the same way there are different
visions of how a wine will age.''
Two couples -- Mary Bone and Chris Tutty, both 30, who
were married last month, and Ms. Lewis and Mr. Muller --
echoed the same sentiment, hoping that the wines will bring
them even closer to the guests.
''We'll bust it open 10 years from now with the people
who gave it to us,'' Mr. Muller predicted.
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