Wine Gifts Tips
Read these 8 Wine Gifts Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Wines tips and hundreds of other topics.
How to Choose a Wine Gift Basket
Wine baskets make wonderful gifts for wine lovers. But there are so many on the market to choose from. If your head is spinning with all the choices, wine experts say to narrow your focus by thinking of these three questions: Who is the recipient? Studies have shown that more women than men prefer wine accessories such as corkscrews and wine charms. If your recipient is a wine novice, choosing simple wines that are well-known will suffice. However, if you're sending a basket to your boss who is a wine expert, you might want to go bold and send more obscure wines. What is the occasion? Different wine gift baskets are suitable for various occasions. Wine gift baskets are a favorite for parties. You might want to choose a large basket with more wines than accessories for a party atmosphere so everyone can have a taste. What is your budget? You can purchase a great wine basket for as little as $25. However, expensive wines will cost more and you can send wine baskets that cost well over $100 if you choose.
Know How Your Wine Gifts Have Been Stored
When picking out a wine gift in a bricks-and-mortar store, you are able to take in your surroundings and get a feel for how the wine is being treated. Extreme heat or cold, direct sunlight, and dramatic temperature fluctuations are all enemies of wine. If you notice any of these conditions in a store, it's probably best not to shop there. However, if you're shopping online, check the frequently asked questions area to find information on how the online company stores their wine for future purchase.
When You Want to Buy Kosher Wine
If you are looking to purchase Kosher wine for a friend or family member, there are Web sites that can offer great selections. There are plenty of Kosher wines at online sites such as KosherWine.com and cheeseandwine.com. Find Kosher wines online from more than 20 countries including Israel, France Spain, Chile and Australia. Kosher wine gift baskets can include Kosher foods such as wafers, preserves, honey and gourmet cappuccinos.
Taking the Guess Work Out of Wine Gifts
Some wine Web sites take the guess work out of purchasing a wine gift for a specific occasion by carefully choosing event-appropriate wines for your loved ones. For example, Web sites such as mywinesdirect.com, offer a "cellar starter pack" for newlyweds, a gift pack that includes Champagnes for celebrations such as anniversaries or new babies, an "Estate" gift pack (wines labeled "Estate" are of high quality) for Housewarming gifts, etc.
Give the Gift of a Wine Tour
When considering a wine gift for a family member or friend, why not plan a fun and informative group wine tour? You can rent a private tour bus and cater your trip to your group. Or you can do a more casual visit by car. - Visit the wineries you have in mind before booking and gather information about activities such as whether the group can tour the vineyard or not. - Check with wineries to see if they allow large groups. Some of the smaller ones simply do not have the facilities to accommodate a bus load of people. Check with these organizations for wine tour planning guidance. Or ask about an organization that is closer to your home: - Valley Visitors Bureau (www.napavalley.org) - Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau (www.sonomavalley.com) - Washington Wine Commission (www.washingtonwine.org) - Burgundy Tourism Bureau (www.burgundy-tourism.com) - For Bordeaux Saveurs (www.classic-wine-tours.com) - Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association (www.twgga.org) - Pennsylvania Wine Association (www.pennsylvaniawine.com) - New York Wine/Grape Foundation (www.uncorknewyork.com) - Michigan Grape & Wine Industry Council (www.michiganwines.com) - Indiana Wine Grape Council (www.indianawines.org) - Oregon Wine Advisory (www.oregonwine.org) - Virginia Wineries Association (www.vintagevirginia.org)
the ultimate package
Friends don't let friends taste and drive. To give the ultimate gift in wine tasting, get your family or friends a guided tour to different wineries while be chauffered in a limosine. Check out beauwinetours.com, fingerlakeswine tours.com, ctwine.com and californiawinetours.com for information and pricing. You'll not only be giving a gift to remember, you'll be giving piece of mind!
Give a Personalized Wine Gift
When searching for the perfect wine gift, there is always the option of personalizing a wine order. Wine companies know that Americans enjoy personalized gifts. And so you can send a personalized gift card and custom-etched and hand-painted bottles. This makes for a good corporate gift for client gifts, sales incentives, promotions and special events because you can have your company logo etched onto the bottles. Choose from templates or create your own design. Or you can buy your own bottles and personalize with hand-made gift tags, wine charms, or tasting notes.
Beware of Chocolate Shipping Rules
Wine and chocolate are decadent together. And there are many gifts that include both. If you plan to ship wine and chocolate to a loved one, beware that many companies refuse to ship chocolate from May to October because of the heat. Talk to the company before you order to make sure they'll ship it for you in the summer months. Wine from the top companies is shipped with weather considerations as well. With wine the most important consideration is to avoid extreme temperature changes.
