Terri Ramsey Beavers The holidays are quickly approaching, which means lots of gift shopping and dinner parties. It’s easy to choose gifts for the people you’re close with since you’re familiar with their interests and preferences. On the other hand, picking presents for your boss, acquaintances, or new friends can be as mindboggling as a solving a Sphinx’s riddle. Fortunately, there’s one go-to present you can always rely on for last-minute presents—wine. A simple red bow tied around the neck of the bottle or a nice custom drawstring bag is enough for a decent presentation.
You’re not obligated to give a present to everyone you know. However, you should never go empty-handed when you’re invited to a dinner party or a celebration. And wine is the perfect gift for these occasions.
If you don’t know the first thing about wine (except that they’re made from grapes), then you’re in the right place. Here’s all that you need to know about giving wine as a gift.
Know the Receiver
When giving wine as a gift, the first thing you should consider is the taste of the person who’s going to receive it. It doesn’t matter if you think one tastes better than the other. If they love that type of wine, that’s what you’re getting them. You can also throw in a personalized wine wizard set they can use and keep for any occasion.
However, if your host doesn’t have a specific wine preference, think about their preferences in taste instead. Someone who is not particular about their wine will be happier drinking the familiar Chardonnay or sweet white wine over one that only true connoisseurs can fully appreciate.
The most important thing about giving wine (or anything else, for that matter) as a gift is that the receiver will love it. If your friend is more of a beer person, give them a six-pack craft beer or a gift card to popular breweries, and they’ll look at you with starry eyes.
Talk to the Experts
You don’t need to know your wine to choose the right drink to give your boss, acquaintance, or friend. Just rely on the judgment of someone who lives, breathes, and drinks wine. In other words, talk to the wine experts, and get their recommendations.
A wine connoisseur can probably give you a list of all the popular and best wines in the world and tell you all about how they’re made, but it doesn’t guarantee that they will choose a bottle that will suit the taste of your intended receiver.
That’s why you should make sure to tell them about the receiver’s tastes so the connoisseur can give you a reasonable recommendation. If all else fails, you can always ask about wines that a lot of people (even non–wine drinkers) love.
Don’t Mind the Price
Many people who don’t know anything about wine resort to buying something fancy to make up for their lack of knowledge. But wine doesn’t always work that way. When it comes to wine, it’s the quality that matters, not the price.
If you find a ten-dollar bottle that perfectly suits the taste of the receiver, get it, wrap it, and gift it. The receiver will appreciate it more if you give them wine that they like to drink.
Still unsure about which wine to get? For a safe bet, get a bottle from the middle shelves. The quality is good enough to be gifted, and the price falls between $20 and $40. The fancy wines are usually arranged on the top shelves, while cheap ones are kept low.
Choose according to the Occasion
Some occasions call for fancy wine while others call for the cheap basic stuff. Consider the kind of celebration you’re attending when you choose a bottle of wine to gift. You can also pair it with a nice decanter set that includes a decanter and spirit glasses. You can check it out here.
You can make special occasions more extraordinary by celebrating them with a high-quality vintage that the receiver will appreciate. For fun and casual celebrations, a bottle of sparkling wine can help everyone loosen up and get the party started.
Add a Personalized Label
Make your wine gift extra special by adding a personalized wine label to the bottle. Instead of sending a card, you can express your holiday greetings on the label. This way saves more paper and ensures that your greeting doesn’t get lost or forgotten along the way. Personalized wine labels are ideal if you’re gifting wine to multiple people.
But don’t stop at generic holiday greetings. Get creative. Include a witty pun or a cute picture of your pet to make the receiver smile every time they pour a drink of your wine gift. If you want to be fancy, you can even describe the wine on the label to let the receiver know about what they’re going to experience when they drink it.
Final Thoughts
You can never go wrong with wine. It’s the perfect gift for any occasion. Whether the receiver is a casual wine drinker or a true-blue connoisseur, they will appreciate a good-quality wine as a present. When gifting wine, don’t mind the price so much, but focus on choosing one that’s to the taste of the receiver.
The packaging doesn’t have to be fancy too. A simple red bow tied around the neck of the bottle is enough for a decent presentation. Wrapping or boxing in the wine may warm up the wine and ruin its taste. Finally, always remember to remove the price tag right after buying the wine so you don’t forget to take it off later.
Here is a list of the Best Wine Club Gifts for 2021 >>.