The Kermit Lynch Holiday Gift Guide
by Madison H. Brown
© KLWM
© KLWM
The Kermit Lynch Holiday Gift Guide
by Madison H. Brown
When it comes to holiday shopping, the gift of wine is hard to beat— especially when it’s a thoughtfully chosen, hand-crafted bottle from one of our many talented growers in France or Italy. Beyond wine, we have an assortment of other goodies to stuff every stocking on your list, from artisanal olive oil to gift cards to ball caps. You’ll find these items and more in the Holiday Gift Shop—now open!
Gift Cards — It can be tough to choose a bottle for every person on your list, so give them the gift of wine AND of choice! Purchase physical cards from our Berkeley shop, or send an e-gift card—the ultimate option for last-minute gifting!
KLWM-Branded Shirts —Available in a range of styles and sizes, visit the KLWM Tees Collection or call the shop at (510) 524-1524 to order.
Wines In The Collection
The perfect tote for a bottle of wine, loaf of bread, or whatever else you might be bringing to that holiday party around the corner.
Here’s to creating new memories with these classic expressions of terroir and energy. May you enjoy every moment.
J. Lassalle France | Champagne
Sparkling Sale Selection, 20% off this month! The Lassalle women tucked this bottling away for seven years, allowing it to slumber on its lees. Well worth the wait, it is a classy and luxurious bottle with a beautiful label to boot.
Moulin Jean-Marie Cornille Provence
Made with mature black olives, the most buttery and decadent oil we import.
A. & G. Fantino Italy | Piedmont
The playful label, created by the late, famous Italian comics artist Sergio Staino, belies this wine’s class, structure, and ageability. Made from Riserva-quality Barolo Nebbiolo, it’s a throwback to the Baroli of yesteryear, profound and stately with notes of cherries, tar, blood orange, and spice.
Punta Crena Italy | Liguria
The first jar feels like a special treat, but by the second or third you realize they’re a pantry staple.
Locally screen-printed on soft and durable Port Authority pocketed full-length apron.
Domaine Robert-Denogent France | Burgundy
With mouthwatering notes of citrus, honey, and the faintest salinity, the Robert brothers’ Mâcon-Villages is immediately approachable (read: gulpable). Striking just the right balance of plush Chardonnay fruit and bright acidity, it makes for a perfect apéritif or partner to a variety of dishes, from charcuterie to sushi.
Kermit’s book is always on the list of best wine books to give as a gift. A bottle of wine from KLWM and this book; that's a perfect gift!
Bèrto Italy | Piedmont
Let this aromatic Piemontese vermouth spice up your cocktail game, or sip it on the rocks with an orange peel garnish.
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
Embodying what Tempier is all about—celebration, gaiety, and delicious simplicity.
Domaine Giacometti France | Corsica
As if a fistful of ripe summer fruit had been smooshed against a hot stone. The name is Corsican for “always happy,” and you’ll understand exactly why immediately upon pulling the cork.
An essential for Kermit and anyone who ages wine–this corkscrew perfectly opens older wines with the most fragile and challenging corks.
Vignai da Duline Italy | Friuli
Dessert Wine Sale Selection, 20% off this month! A sublime late harvest of Malvasia that is sumptuously delightful with a perfectly tart bite.
Riofavara Italy | Sicily
This delicious, handy dandy olive oil is the ultimate stocking stuffer for the adventurers on your list. The slim metal bottle makes it ideal for on-the-go EVOO indulgence.
Domaine Clape France | Northern Rhône
An irresistible charmer to be shared among good friends, characterized by a brilliant floral perfume and wild dark fruit that glides over the palate like velvet. Extremely limited availability.
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
This vinegar is particular because it’s made with sweet wine, which confers a very unique taste.
Sesti Italy | Tuscany
With a regal perfume that is both sweet and savory, a ripe berry fruit accented by balmy herbs and earthy wafts of incense, this enthralling Brunello is already approachable, but will reward you if you set aside a few bottles to open over the next ten years.
Veuve Fourny et Fils France | Champagne
Sparkling Sale Selection, 20% off this month! Not crafted to be luscious Champagne; it’s textural, and energetic, with zesty citrus notes and crunchy fruit. If you’re looking for the perfect palate opener, this mood-brightener, with its fervent and fine bead, will prime you for a sparkling soirée.
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Southern Rhône
Full-bodied yet delicate, infused with the joie de vivre of the south of France.
Grottafumata Italy | Sicily
One of Sicily’s most coveted oils, perfumed with bright citrus, dried fruit, and herbs.
Here are the twelve cheer-inspiring bottles that I’m looking forward to enjoying, giving, or sharing with family and friends this December.
Locally screen-printed on soft and durable Port Authority pocketed full-length apron.
Produit Pic France
This whole-grain moutarde is enhanced with the addition of grape must, which gives the must-ard a purple color and a unique sweet, savory, spicy flavor.
Don’t limit yourself to using this as just a condiment—it adds a good kick to sauces too.
The perfect tote for a bottle of wine, loaf of bread, or whatever else you might be bringing to that holiday party around the corner.
Here’s to creating new memories with these classic expressions of terroir and energy. May you enjoy every moment.
France | Champagne
Sparkling Sale Selection, 20% off this month! The Lassalle women tucked this bottling away for seven years, allowing it to slumber on its lees. Well worth the wait, it is a classy and luxurious bottle with a beautiful label to boot.
Provence
Made with mature black olives, the most buttery and decadent oil we import.
Italy | Piedmont
The playful label, created by the late, famous Italian comics artist Sergio Staino, belies this wine’s class, structure, and ageability. Made from Riserva-quality Barolo Nebbiolo, it’s a throwback to the Baroli of yesteryear, profound and stately with notes of cherries, tar, blood orange, and spice.
Italy | Liguria
The first jar feels like a special treat, but by the second or third you realize they’re a pantry staple.
Locally screen-printed on soft and durable Port Authority pocketed full-length apron.
France | Burgundy
With mouthwatering notes of citrus, honey, and the faintest salinity, the Robert brothers’ Mâcon-Villages is immediately approachable (read: gulpable). Striking just the right balance of plush Chardonnay fruit and bright acidity, it makes for a perfect apéritif or partner to a variety of dishes, from charcuterie to sushi.
Kermit’s book is always on the list of best wine books to give as a gift. A bottle of wine from KLWM and this book; that's a perfect gift!
Italy | Piedmont
Let this aromatic Piemontese vermouth spice up your cocktail game, or sip it on the rocks with an orange peel garnish.
France | Provence
Embodying what Tempier is all about—celebration, gaiety, and delicious simplicity.
Tuscany
Bright, intense green with hints of fennel and parsley, a Tuscan treasure.
France | Corsica
As if a fistful of ripe summer fruit had been smooshed against a hot stone. The name is Corsican for “always happy,” and you’ll understand exactly why immediately upon pulling the cork.
An essential for Kermit and anyone who ages wine–this corkscrew perfectly opens older wines with the most fragile and challenging corks.
Italy | Friuli
Dessert Wine Sale Selection, 20% off this month! A sublime late harvest of Malvasia that is sumptuously delightful with a perfectly tart bite.
Italy | Sicily
This delicious, handy dandy olive oil is the ultimate stocking stuffer for the adventurers on your list. The slim metal bottle makes it ideal for on-the-go EVOO indulgence.
France | Northern Rhône
An irresistible charmer to be shared among good friends, characterized by a brilliant floral perfume and wild dark fruit that glides over the palate like velvet. Extremely limited availability.
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
This vinegar is particular because it’s made with sweet wine, which confers a very unique taste.
Italy | Tuscany
With a regal perfume that is both sweet and savory, a ripe berry fruit accented by balmy herbs and earthy wafts of incense, this enthralling Brunello is already approachable, but will reward you if you set aside a few bottles to open over the next ten years.
France | Champagne
Sparkling Sale Selection, 20% off this month! Not crafted to be luscious Champagne; it’s textural, and energetic, with zesty citrus notes and crunchy fruit. If you’re looking for the perfect palate opener, this mood-brightener, with its fervent and fine bead, will prime you for a sparkling soirée.
Southern Rhône
Full-bodied yet delicate, infused with the joie de vivre of the south of France.
Italy | Sicily
One of Sicily’s most coveted oils, perfumed with bright citrus, dried fruit, and herbs.
Here are the twelve cheer-inspiring bottles that I’m looking forward to enjoying, giving, or sharing with family and friends this December.
Locally screen-printed on soft and durable Port Authority pocketed full-length apron.
France
This whole-grain moutarde is enhanced with the addition of grape must, which gives the must-ard a purple color and a unique sweet, savory, spicy flavor.
Don’t limit yourself to using this as just a condiment—it adds a good kick to sauces too.
More Collections
Holiday Sale!
Now through Sunday, December 28th, take 20% off the selections below from France and Italy...
Heartwarming and Spirit-Lifting Chablis
Whatever the weather, Lavantureux’s wines are as heartwarming and spirit-lifting as ever—and still deliver value, considering the craftsmanship that goes into each bottle. We’ve put together a collection of four wines featured in our Holiday Sale—their classic Chablis, the overdelivering single-vineyard “Vauprin,” and two newer bottlings from some of their most exciting vineyard additions in recent years—so you can get them at a discount and savor these beauties in their seasonal element.
From the Cellar: Holiday Edition
We’ve done some digging of our own, and came up with a collection of perfectly cellared bottles that would make for epic companions to anyone’s grandest events. You’ll find whites and reds from numerous French and Italian regions dating back up to thirty-five years, with styles and price points for everyone…
Annual Dessert Wine Sale
Gingerbread cookies, yule logs, pumpkin pies…Sauternes, Banyuls, Muscat…Whether you prefer your treats baked or fermented, no holiday meal is complete without the final flourish of dessert. Now through the end of December, 20% off per bottle!
Annual Sparkling Sale
With seasonal celebrations and feasts around the corner, now is the time to stock up on sparklers from Champagne and beyond. To kick off our annual sale, we’re shining the spotlight on the KLWM quartet of Champagne growers, each with a distinctive house style that exquisitely translates its unique terroir. Get to know all four, as well as a range of lively offerings from regions like the Loire, Alsace, Veneto, and Savoie…
The Incomparable Jean-Pierre Monier
Pure and honest, Monier’s wines are farmed biodynamically and raised with the bare minimum of intervention. There are many Saint-Josephs out there today: put Monier on your shortlist.
Domaine Tempier: the Wine, the Family, the Exuberance
Domaine Tempier is a wine—it is also a family; exuberance and finesse are the traits common to both,” wrote Richard Olney back in 1984. What’s remarkable about this simple yet spot on-observation is how true it rang then, how true it rang forty years prior to that, when Tempier had just released its first wine, and how true it still rings today, forty years later.
New Arrivals
Here is a collection of recent arrivals. Every week, we’ll be adding a dozen or more new arrivals, so check back often for your favorite classics or new discoveries!
The Carpe Vinum Collection
An ever-changing offering of wines that are just about to sell out; one last opportunity to seize a range of selections before they disappear from our shelves forever.
50th Anniversary Merchandise
When the esteemed French wine artist Michel Tolmer created beautiful artwork for our 50th anniversary, we knew right away that we had to feature it on a few select items of merch. After spending maybe a little too much time researching the options, we landed on a classy, leather-strap cap, a comfortable t-shirt made from 100% cotton, and a tote made with incredibly sturdy, fair-trade, and organic cotton by a certified B corp that invests in the livelihoods of women and farmers of India, featuring three wine sleeves and two other compartments for all of your other needs!
Recent Wine Club Selections
Our five wine clubs feature our best values from France and Italy as well as complex and cellar-worthy wines.
