Business and Financial Restaurateur Sean Murphy

BRADENTON – With more than 25 years operating the award-winning Beach Bistro and answering questions about food, wine and culinary accessories, Sean Murphy has become an expert on holiday gift giving. Not that he ever intended to. The local culinary star says he’d rather not shop and dislikes big malls the way Santa hates to navigate skinny chimneys. But the famous restaurateur does have several solid suggestions for wine lovers on your holiday list.

“Last week at the Bistro, I took a call from a lady in Minnesota asking me for advice on Christmas gifts for her wine-loving husband,” said Murphy. “She’s thinking accessories. For my money, there are really only two wine tools that are worth acquiring – a real corkscrew and a decanter. The classic, best corkscrew is the Laguiole which has been manufactured in the small French mountain town of the same name since 1829. It’s an exemplary piece of craftsmanship and comes in a really cool wooden box.”

Murphy feels that another worthy gift is a wine decanter. “Recently, I was given a Cyrus orbital decanter – beautiful and functional,” said Murphy. “Any big Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec or Shiraz-style wine will benefit from the aeration. But there are many useful and attractive wine decanters at all price points out there that will decant wine properly and look stylish on your holiday table.”

But Murphy says his favorite gift is a bottle of wine with Beach Bistro gift certificate. The wine and gift certificate are packaged in a handsome silky bag and can be purchased by calling Dave, the Bistro “wine guy” at 941-778-6444. Dave will help you pick a superior wine value at Bistro wholesale prices, order the wine, have it wrapped along with a Bistro gift certificate and a menu illustrating food-wine pairings for your Beach Bistro holiday dining experience. A memorable meal with a wonderful bottle of wine and someone to share it with – now that’s a great holiday gift. The Beach Bistro is located at 6600 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach.