Good wine by itself?

[Youngin]

Father's birthday tomorrow. My newfound interest in wines has given me the idea for that as a gift. He prefers red wines, and doesn't drink wine with a meal or anything, but will go through a bottle himself while reading at night (or with me if i'm lucky enough, very rare =(. As my last post "How to start?" would show, I know nothing about wine yet. What would be a good wine by itself. I'm looking to spend a decent amount of money, say $50, or 2 $25 bottles. Thanx for any replys in advance =).

[Innkeeper]

Won't say I've never enjoyed wine by itself, but I really do much prefer it with food.

[Randy Caparoso]

Great idea if he truly likes to sip wine by itself. Everyone has his or her own taste, and everyone's own taste is "good." So what I have to say would just be a guess insofar what he may like.

So here's my thinking: I think smoother, rounder, softer red wines are best for drinking by themselves. Heavier red wines with a lot of tannin (the bitter or astringent solids derived from grape skins and seeds during fermentation) are easier to drink with food.

The finest smooth, round, soft red wines in the world are made from the Pinot Noir grape. So I would go to a specialty wine store and ask for, say, the best American or French Pinot Noir they have for whatever price you want to spend. You'll have to go to a store with a good reputation, and when you do; look for a sales person who seems like he knows what he is talking about. You're on your own from here!

[Duane Meissner]

Consider buying him a port... that's my prefered sipper, and $50 will get you a good one.

DM