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Vintage solution to gift dilemma

Suzanna Chambers
Saturday 16 May 1998 23:02 BST
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THE traditional wedding list, complete with fluffy towels, a kettle and a canteen of cutlery, is in danger of being made redundant. With couples who have lived together or who marry late in life, the need for gifts to furnish a home seems at best unnecessary, or at worst, a nuisance. So what better than a present which is an investment for the future and eminently drinkable?

One wine merchant has dreamt up a wedding list for the connoisseurs of Sauvignon, Chardonnay and claret, which guarantees newly-weds enough alcohol to drink their way through the first few years of married life without having to step out of their flat.

The idea came from Robin Barclay, 33. Robin, who has recently married Janice, said: "My girlfriend and I were both living in flats and we had already got two of everything. We just didn't need any more cafetieres. But what we did want was wines. We both love wines and thought `Why not have a wine list?'"

Robin and his wife-to-be traipsed around wine shops to see if anyone could accommodate their wacky wedding list and were taken under the wing of Robin Davis, at Swig, the wine merchants for the Serious Wine Imbibers Group, based in London's Belsize Park.

Robin and Janice's guests were not so sure of their unconventional wedding list. "There were some people who thought it was outrageous but others were more than happy to indulge us." But everyone gave generously and the newly-weds ended up with 146 bottles of wine, champagne and port.

Since Swig adopted the idea, it has organised a matrimonial cellar for several couples. "Every couple has different budgets - some people want to start filling up their cellar while others just want to have enough wine to have a couple of years of good drinking," Robin Davis said.

The average list consists of about 30 bottles, ranging from pounds 8 to pounds 75. Most couples opt for at least one bottle of Taylor's `94 port, setting guests back pounds 75, and a bottle of champagne, the most popular being Billecart- Salmon at a modest pounds 19.99.

What happens when bride-to-be and fiance have differing palates and can't agree on a good bottle of wine?

"It does happen, but we can organize a list with wines for her and wines for him," explained Mr Davis. "You can also choose a red wine such as Pinot Noir which people who like white wines find very drinkable."

Swig offers to deliver the wine to the matrimonial home or to an independent warehouse. "We usually deliver after the couple have got back from their honeymoon."

The idea does not surprise Antonia Swinson, assistant editor of Brides and Setting-up Home magazine. "People are moving away from pots and pans, towards luxury items of all kinds," she said.

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