Father's Day drinks: 9 bottles to buy dad this year

Present buying is often tricky, especially when it comes to wine and spirits. Should you get something you’d like to drink and receive yourself? Or do you try to guess what your friend or family member – in this case Dad – would like, bearing in mind what you know of their taste? The good thing about Father’s Day is the summer date - June 19 – so fingers crossed, it will be a gloriously warm Sunday, perfect for an alfresco lunch or barbecue, where your present will go down very nicely indeed. Whether you choose a bottle to open there and then, or something for Dad to keep and savour, you’ll want something decent and, hopefully, impressive.

For Sunday afternoon wine sessions and an open grill, a lighter red with good acidity, such as Barbera, Cabernet Franc or Pinot Noir, will complement many dishes and won’t leave you feeling too drowsy. These grapes will all stand up to cheese, fish and meat, so you can relax and enjoy the company instead of worrying whether the wine works. A full-bodied sparkling rosé, from a warmer climate, would also be just the job.

If your present is going to be kept for future enjoyment, vintage Champagne, or fortified wines and spirits including port and whisky, are safe bets. Unless they benefit from further bottle-age, as vintage port might, they can be enjoyed in the moment and will be perfect whenever Dad needs to rustle up a cocktail-hour Old Fashioned or a post-dinner digestif.

And if he doesn’t finish the bottle himself, what’s left will be great for sharing at Christmas - or on other occasions between now and then that call for a celebratory bottle.

Click through our gallery above to discover nine suggestions we feel sure dads will love.

Nuria Stylianou is our WSET-qualified wine and spirits columnist. Email her on nuria.stylianou@gmail.com and follow her on Instagram @nu_on_the_vine

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