Wedding Milestone Trio: 1, 5 & 10 Anniversary Wines

You have two choices when it comes to wedding gifts: Settle for one of the registry gifts that the couple is likely to misplace the first time they move to a bigger living space – or send a memorable gift that'll bring enjoyment for a long time to come.

With these three wines – a bottle for the bride and groom to open on their first, fifth and tenth anniversaries – you're sending the recipients something to look forward to, and perhaps starting them out on their own discovery of great wines. Of course, they'll actually use and enjoy your gift – and remember who gave it to them.

First Anniversary: NV Pommery Apanage Champagne
This longer-aged blend of 60 percent Chardonnay, 20 percent Pinot Noir and 20 percent Pinot Meunier is made of grapes grown in many of Pommery's best vineyards. The wine is dry, delicate and flavorful, with zesty citrus overtones and a crisp finish. Pommery calls Apanage its "gastronomy cuvée," as it is one of the house's most food-friendly wines. It has aromas of brioche, citrus fruits and golden apples, and on the palate the wine is harmonious and bright, with flavors of grapefruit, lemon, buttered toast and hazelnut that linger in your mouth. Suggest that the bride and groom pair this with lighter fare, such as salads, quiche or sushi.

Fifth Anniversary: 2009 Andre Goichot La Maladiere 1er Cru Santenay Pinot Noir
The 2009 vintage is one of the best of the past decade in France's Burgundy region, making for superbly balanced, elegant Pinot Noirs that age beautifully. This wine comes from family-owned Maison Goichot, which sourced the Premier Cru grapes from the village of Santenay, in Burgundy's Côtes de Beaune area. Santenay is known for its thermal baths and lithium springs, but this wine provides nearly as good a calming effect (quite possibly necessary after five years of marriage), with its rich, opulent, ripe, dark-cherry fruit flavors. But the wine also has underpinnings of truffle, leather, violet, tea and underbrush, making it a perfect pairing for gamy meats such as roast squab, quail, lamb or venison.

Tenth Anniversary: 2006 Paolo Scavino Bricco Ambrogio Barolo
Founded in 1921, the Scavino estate has earned rave reviews for its wines. Antonio Galloni, who reviews Italian selections for The Wine Advocate, says, "Scavino's wines are still characterized by a plushness and opulence of fruit that sets them apart. They should be on anyone's shortlist of must-have wines." Sure enough this wine is powerful, with concentrated fruit, firm tannins and classic notes of tar and roses in addition to cherry and plum. Full and round, it has focused and concentrated ripe, dark fruit characters such as cherry and black plum, along with rose bush, licorice and cedar notes. The palate is rich, deep and polished, with elegant, firm tannins. It will be drinking perfectly 10 years from now.

—Nicole Niebisch

Nicole Niebisch has worked in the wine industry for the past decade. She started in New York restaurants as a sommelier and, prior to joining Lot18, spent five years working for Folio Fine Wine Partners, an importer and producer of wines from several of the world's top regions. Nicole holds certificates from the Society of Wine Educators and the American Sommelier Association, and the Diploma in Wine and Spirits from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. Read more about Nicole here, or follow her on Twitter.