Fine wine makes an ideal Christmas gift, and not just for the discerning collector on your list. There’s something magical about owning good wine for the first time. But which wine? And will you be able to find it? It seems that every winery in the exploding viticulture universe is making small lots of expensive bottles nowadays, and many vie for attention in Toronto, which is considered a very knowledgeable market. There’s an octopus’s garden of high-end wines at the LCBO, but there is limited shelf space, and our overall selection is meagre in comparison to major cities where free markets reign. And the pressure to shoehorn so many wines onto the shelves creates rapid turnover. The best buys among Vintages’ semi-monthly releases sell out in days, or even hours. (Most of the selections below hit stores December 8, so you’d best step lively.) The good news is that Vintages has significantly upped its on-line sel­ection (www.vintages.com), sold through special offerings, periodic Small-Lots Collection releases and its Classics Catalogue. Orders are retrieved from the warehouse and shipped to your local store for pickup, but this approach takes anywhere from four to six weeks. If you’ve run out of time and want to take your chances with what’s available in-store, my advice is to spend more. You’ll find several excellent wines in the $50 to $100 range (beyond that, many are famous but overpriced). As for judging the tastes, preferences and style of the person on your list, why should buying wine be any easier than buying a sweater?

For weekly wine news, read Lawrason on Wine, exclusively at torontolife.com