The year, as we all know, is unlike any other. We’ve become a world of mostly armchair travelers and stay-at-home wine drinkers. And so, for 2020, my holiday gift guide focuses solely on five newly-released books about wine that, when gifted with a bottle from the book’s pages, will thrill wine lovers — right inside their very own homes.

Better With Bubbles: An Effervescent Education in Champagnes & Sparkling Wines by Ariel Arce. Written by the owner of NYC’s Airs Champagne Parlor, this must-have addition to your wine book library is a fun read. You won’t even realize how much you’re learning, since you’ll be laughing so much. The book is chock full of interesting facts and stories about Champagne and its bubbly cousins from around the world. $29.79 at Amazon.com.

*Photo courtesy of Maisons & Domaines Henriot America*

Wines to Pair With Better With Bubbles: Henriot Cuvée Hemera 2005 ($199). Arce lists 6 wines in “Maisons I Love.” Included is Henriot, one of the few remaining family-owned properties in Champagne. The house, founded in Reims in 1808, produces both vintage and non-vintage cuvées, with the Hemera one of its most prestigious jewels. This 50/50 Chardonnay Pinot Noir blend is sourced from six Grand Crus villages. Extremely fresh, with beautiful aromatic intensity and a richness that belies its delicate fruit flavors, the wine can be enjoyed immediately as an aperitif, or kept for decades in the safety of a dark cellar where it will flourish over time. (97 points in Decanter magazine).

Ulysse Collin Champagne Blanc de Blancs "Les Pierrieres" NV Champagne ($133). Arce says this Champagne belongs in the category of “the most exciting yet consistent wines that people show off on social media, save for special occasions, and age in cellars.” A superb terroir-driven Champagne, this pure and creamy 100% Chardonnay mesmerizes with its stone fruit and citrusy lime and grapefruit notes.

The Wine Lover’s Bucket List: 1000 Amazing Adventures in Pursuit of Wine by Simon J. Woolf. Still upset that your wine tasting tour through Tuscany was cancelled? This book gives you the chance to add a few new places to that trip (and many more ideas) for when the time is right. $32.49 on Amazon.com
Wines to Pair With The Wine Lover’s Bucket List: Domaine de Bila-Haut 2018 L’esquerda Côtes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde ($26). Legendary Rhône producer Michel Chapoutier, a pioneer of biodynamic viticulture in France, also produces a series of Languedoc Roussillon wines, including this super juicy, full-bodied powerhouse. With silky tannins and bright acidity, this wine will knock-your-socks off. Woolf’s bucket list includes a visit to the M. Chapoutier headquarters in Tain l’Hermitage for “a cycle ride on the hill of Hermitage—the site of northern Rhône’s most prestigious vineyards.”
Reyneke 2017 Syrah ($27). Made in South Africa’s Stellenbosch region, this full-bodied red is a spine-tingling mix of black fruits, white pepper, dried herbs, and tobacco, all wrapped up in a refreshing acidity that leaves you wanting more. On page 387 Woolf writes, “Johan Reyneke is on a continual drive to improve quality at his Reyneke Wines, first converting his farm to organic agriculture and then to biodynamics. His reserve wines are some of South Africa’s most thrilling and are regularly awarded five stars in Platter’s South African Wine Guide.”

Wine and the White House: A History by Frederick J. Ryan, Jr.
Many books have been published about life in the White House, but never before has an entire volume been devoted to wine. This stunning coffee table-sized book shows how important a role wine has played in official White House hospitality — complete with illustrated menus, bills of sale, glassware, and historic photographs of Presidents mid-toast. There is a chapter devoted to over 100 dinner menus, some hand-written, beginning in 1877, and continuing through 2019. Interestingly, that first menu, for a State Dinner with the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, was written in French. While the last one, for a dinner honoring the Prime Minister of Australia, features three US-made wines, two from California and one from Oregon. $55 on whitehousehistory.org.
Wine to Pair with Wine and the White House: Dominus 2004 Napa Valley ($249). The book details a 2007 State Dinner during which George Bush and his wife Laura hosted French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Tending to the pride of their guests, the President served three California wines made through a Franco-American collaboration. The entrée was paired with a 2004 Dominos Estate Napa Valley (a baby at the time!) produced by Christian Moueix, the longtime winemaker at Château Petrus before moving to California. Today, the wine remains a superb combination of New World ripeness and Old World elegance; its bold, fruit-forward strength matched by a bracing acidity. This 85% Cabernet Sauvignon (with a sprinkling of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) has great balance and complexity with enticing notes of black fruits, leather, earth, tobacco and chocolate. Drink now or hold for another 25 years.

Nine Centuries in the Heart of Burgundy: The Cellier aux Moines and Its Vineyards by Philippe Pascal.
Winery owner Philippe Pascal, with the help of historian Gilles Platret, tells the heartwarming story of the neglected vineyards in Givry, Burgundy that he and his wife Catherine fell in love with in 2004. The domain’s fascinating history, detailed with a stunning array of photographs, goes back to the Cistercian monks who farmed the land beginning in the 12th century. The book leads the reader from olden times to the present day, with the arrival of the Pascals, who left behind a corporate life in Paris to become, as Philippe likes to say, farmers. The Pascals have returned many of the winery’s ancient winemaking traditions to the estate, while, at the same time, introducing the most up-to-date modern techniques. $85 at Barnesandnoble.com.
Wine to Pair With Nine Centuries: Domaine du Cellier aux Moines Givry Premier Cru ($47) This gorgeous Premier Cru is described in Food & Wine Magazine as “a pleasure” and “a great present for any Burgundy lover.” Medium-bodied with ripe red fruit notes and earthy mineral-like undertones, this crisp Pinot Noir, with its soft tannins, engages wine lovers with hints of rose, vanilla and cinnamon, along with a lip-smacking finish. Drink now or hold for another 10 to 15 years.

Inside Bordeaux by Jane Anson.
While I don’t yet own this book yet (hint, hint!), I am a big fan of wine writer Jane Anson, a correspondent for Decanter magazine, considered the foremost authority on Bordeaux. The book has already garnered praise from critics worldwide, including:
“It is about terroir and it does tell us that Bordeaux is even more wonderful and exciting than we thought it was.” (jancisrobinson.com)
“For Bordeaux lovers, this encyclopedic book reads like a smooth and elegant Pauillac, as it also has much density and substance to it, as well. Highly recommended.” (Panos Kakaviatos, founder of Wine-Chronicles).
“Best of all is how contemporary this book feels. Climate change is ever-present, as is her emphasis on the growing number of producers who have turned to organic or biodynamic farming.” (Eric Asimov, The New York Times, November 2020)
“This is an excellent book and a must-own for any wine lover. Anson’s desire to share her insights and finds. This book is sprinkled with heartfelt recommendations.” (Victoria Moore, Daily Telegraph, May 2020).
“The best book yet on Bordeaux.” (Elin McCoy, Bloomberg News)
Inside Bordeaux can be purchased for $80 at Sothebys.com

Wine to Pair With Inside Bordeaux: Couvent des Jacobins 2012 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. ($42). In her book, Anson notes that you could pass by this fascinating winery, situated in the center of the Bordeaux’s picturesque Saint Émilion village, “without realizing that it’s a wine estate.” Interestingly, the actual chateau is located on the site of a 13th century Dominican monastery, yet today the winemaking, while carrying on many of its traditions, also includes modern vinification techniques. “The origins of this wine producer date from the 13th century and today its nearly 11 hectares make up 14 soil types, including the famous limestone plateau,” Anson writes. “Since 2017, the winery has new two-tier stainless steel vats to allow great extraction in the lower compartment and more gentle extraction above.”

The 2012, a blend of 85/15 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, is a dark fruited wine (think cherries and blackberries) with a floral bouquet and fine toasted notes of vanilla and licorice, wrapped in silky tannins. Round and supple, it can be enjoyed young or aged for a 10 to 15 years.