Wine gift baskets are perfect for giving year-round, especially on Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, for anniversaries and during the winter holiday season. Other occasions where wine baskets make welcome, unique gifts include college graduations, birthdays and retirement celebrations.
While you can certainly buy a nice wine gift basket from most liquor stores and gourmet food shops, it is less expensive to make your own. All you need to do is choose a wine your gift recipient will enjoy, some useful accessories and tasty nibbles.
When packaging your wine gift, don't restrict yourself to wicker and picnic baskets. Use any attractive container, such as a neoprene wine tote, decorative plastic or heavy cardboard container, wire basket or colorful gift box. As long as your gift basket container is sturdy enough to hold the wine, accessories and food, it will work just fine.
Include accessories in your gift basket that you know the gift recipient doesn't have, or could use more of. For example, if the gift recipient has a decades-old corkscrew, get them a new or electronic model to go along with their wine. Other accessories that are ideal for wine gift baskets include wine charms, wine totes, which can also serve as packaging, wine toppers, travel corkscrews and wine glasses.
If gifting red wine and including glasses in your package, choose a glass with an oval-shaped bowl that is slightly tapered toward the top. Choose a standard wine glass to go along with white and blush wines, and champagne flutes or slender wine glasses for dessert and sparkling wine gift baskets.
Choose food items for your wine gift basket that complement the type of wine you're giving – this is key to ensuring your gift will be fully enjoyed.
Red Wine Gift Baskets
Red wines generally have the highest alcohol content and are fuller-bodied than other wines. Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon are types of red wines you can put in your gift basket that can be easily found in most supermarkets.
Smoked meat, medium and sharp cheeses, dark chocolates, fresh berries, fig preserves, pasta and sauce, and olives pair well with most red wines. If you're looking to make a low-cost red wine gift, create a sangria gift basket, complete with a bottle of red wine, recipe instructions, a lemon, orange, lime and, if you wish, red berries.
White and Blush Wine Gift Baskets
White wines and blush wines generally complement the same types of foods. The main difference between the two is color--blush wines have a pinkish hue--and the fact that blush wines can be a bit drier than white wines. A few well-known white and blush wines are White Zinfandel, rose, Chardonnay and Riesling. If you're on a budget, a white or blush wine is an ideal choice to include in your gift basket, as you can commonly find bottles that cost less than $10 each.
There are several types of sweet and savory foods that would go well in a white or blush wine gift basket. Try including nut-covered cheese balls and peppered crackers, biscotti, shortbread or butter cookies, solid or filled chocolates, gourmet caramels or fresh fruit.
Sparkling and Dessert Wine Gift Baskets
Sparkling and dessert wines are typically sweet and fruity, and in the case of sparkling wines, slightly bubbly. Examples of sparkling and dessert wines include Moscato d'Asti, prosecco and ice wines.
When making a gift basket with sparkling wines or dessert wines, choose sweet foods to compliment them. Chocolates are a staple in any type of wine gift basket, but are especially suitable for one containing sparkling or dessert wine. White and milk chocolates are the most complementary, but if your sparkling or dessert wine is a bit fuller, like a rose moscato, it may be able to stand up to mild dark chocolates. Other food items to consider including: panettone; creme brulee or dessert mousse mix; miniature angel food or butter cake; chocolate-covered fresh fruit; a small wheel of brie along with a jar of gourmet preserves or jam.
If you have time to make your own wine gift basket as opposed to buying a ready-made one, don't hesitate to do so. No matter what the occasion, custom wine gift baskets are most always appreciated and fondly remembered.
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