When it comes to gifts that fit everything from valentines to anniversaries, a bottle (or bottles) of wine never fails to bring a smile to faces. But putting together the right wine gift is not an easy task. With so much choice, a world of potential accompaniments and huge choice in the way you deliver your wine gift, you can trip up on the details – especially when buying for someone who could part-time as a sommelier!
We’ve created this guide to help you perfect your wine gifting, from choosing the right grape variety to presenting it right, to ensure your lucky recipient falls in love with your present. We’ve even listed a selection of our favourite wine gift hampers that you can pick from!
Choosing the Perfect Gift for Wine Lovers
Wine can be a fantastic present, but often requires careful choices and subtlety in the creation or composition of the gift itself. Simply buying a bottle of wine is one route, but it might not fit the season or the palate of the person you’re buying for – especially if they know their stuff when it comes to wine.
To create a wine lover gift with tastes that are sure to please, you need to consider each part of your gift carefully.
Gifting the Right Wine
There’s more to picking the right vintage than selecting red or white, and much of this comes down to your recipient and the time of year you’re buying the gift in.
Much of your decision will be dictated by who you’re buying the wine for. The more about wine they know, and the better they like it, the more careful you need to be with your choice. The following factors are all things that you should consider.
- Do they have a preferred type of wine that they’ll always order at restaurants or at home? This might not be clear – they have a favourite type from red, white or rosé but sometimes it is not obvious. They may like wines from a certain country, a certain region, or that are made with a specific species of grape. If you can spot any of these trends in the wines they drink, you’re off to a good start.
- Consider what they like to eat. This may sound unrelated but if they have certain flavours that they particularly enjoy you can find wines with tasting notes that have or complement these flavours.
- The season you’re giving the gift in is a key consideration. During winter and autumn wines that are heartier or full-bodied better match the colder weather. The warmth of spring and summer, on the other hand, favours fruity flavours and lighter bodies.
- Don’t ignore the label! While the flavour of the wine is important, the look of your bottle plays a big part in the gift as well. An interesting label with an attractive visual design will heighten the gift and give the bottle a life after all the wine has been drunk!
Picking the Gift Accompaniment
Once you’ve picked your wine, you can enhance your gift by adding different accompaniments to pair alongside it. The best way to do this is in the form of snacks or small food accompaniments than can be enjoyed while drinking the wine.
The pairing should be dictated primarily by the wine you’ve selected, even down to the choice between sweet or savoury food, and the occasion or time of day the gift is intended to be enjoyed.
The flavour profile of your wine is the dictating factor. A richer or full-bodied wine with fruity notes should be paired with something equally rich and indulgent. For example, a dark and deep red could be paired well with a box of chocolates. Be sure to match the sweetness of the wine with the sweetness of the chocolate – if the wine is especially sweet, pair it with darker chocolate that is less sugary.
If you’re gifting a wine that’s intended to be enjoyed after a meal, a pairing of cheese and crackers could be ideal. Cheese is especially good as you can select a variety that matches the bottle you’ve brought, and there’s enough variety between both cheese and wine to find a match for almost any bottle. Here’s some typical pairings:
- Sweet white wines go great with saltier cheeses like gorgonzola or feta.
- Fruity and soft wines can be paired with soft cheese like brie, taleggio or goats’ cheese.
- Full-bodied reds go great with stronger cheese like cheddar.
Other good combinations include something crunch or salty – like crisps – with lighter and fruity wines to create a nice contrast in flavours.
If you want to provide pairings but can’t find one that combines well with the wine you have in mind, don’t force it. Bad pairings can reduce the overall quality of your gift.
Adding a Gift Container or Basket
The final part of putting together your gift is finding the correct package to present it in.
First, pick a container that comfortably fits the total of the gift and provides enough space, so the different components aren’t squashed in and are presented nicely. Equally, don’t pick something so big that your gift looks small. If you’re just gifting a bottle of wine, a wooden case provides an elegant medium for your gift and can be later used as a keepsake.
The occasion or season also informs what your gift should be delivered in. A birthday present may be best presented in a box that can be suitably wrapped, whereas a hamper that’s being delivered during the festive season is best delivered in a beautiful wicker basket.
What Are Your Options for Wine Gifting?
There are two options when it comes to gifts of wine.
First is making it yourself – choosing the bottle, selecting the accompaniments and pairing it with the right container. The versatility and ability to personalise a wine gift like this makes them especially popular throughout the year. But it is worth noting that they can be costly and time-consuming to put together, especially if you need to do extensive research on suitable pairings or wine.
There is, of course, another option – trusting the experts and buying a pre-prepared wine gift.
Why Buy a Wine Hamper Instead of Making One?
There are a number of benefits to buying a wine gift hamper that’s been designed by wine experts such as those here at Virginia Hayward.
Buying a curated wine gift takes the time and stress out of putting together the ideal present. Carefully chosen and assembled by our Master of Wine, each wine gift we offer contains unique wines with complementary pairings and packaged in a suitable case, basket or box. You can be sure of a beautifully curated gift while saving time and money on your gift.
Timely and careful delivery is also taken care of, ensuring your lucky recipient gets their gift at the perfect time with a special message directly from you.
What are the Best Wine Hampers?
We’ve chosen the best wine gifts and hampers from our range to give you a taste of what we have to offer.
What are the Best Red Wine Hampers?
Our Monteran Merlot in a Wooden Box is a simple yet refined gift for red wine lovers. This French Merlot has a rich flavour profile with a smooth texture, offering a delicate balance of ripe fruit aromas with hints of vanilla and spice. The rich body and fruity flavours make it a great autumnal gift.
Delivered in a traditional wooden case with a decorative front design depicting a grape vine, this red wine gift is a delicate gift best for a personal occasion for a lover of red or fruity wines.
For those seeking a food combination, our Wine & Pate Hamper pairs a Pais de Poetas Chilean Merlot, with its deep fruity notes, alongside the rich flavours of a duck pate, the sweet, fruity hints of a apple and ale chutney and the nutty texture of three-seed crackers. All of this is delivered in a timeless wooden crate.
What are the Best White Wine Hampers?
For those who want a gift hamper, our Four Wines in Wicker is a fantastic hamper that contains a selection of four wines, with two unique white wines within the basket.
First is a Chardonnay from south-eastern Australia, with grapes grown on the Tooma River reserve, with fruity notes of citrus, melon, grapefruit and lime contributing to a fresh and clean flavour.
This is paired with a special release Sauvignon Blanc from Santa Lucia in Chile, which has tasting notes of white flowers and tropical fruits and a smooth texture on the tongue. A fantastic gift for white-wine lovers with two complementary whites.
What are the Best Sparkling Wine Hampers?
When it comes to sparkling wine, our Pamper Hamper is the top of the pops. This luxurious hamper pairs a Robert & Reeves Italian prosecco with indulgent treats. Alongside a verbena care gift set, the Linden Lady 8 Dome Truffles provide a velvety contrast to the bubbly notes of the prosecco for an apt combination.
Thanks to the sparkling prosecco, and its pampering care set and truffles, the Pamper Hamper is the ideal gift for an anniversary – whether you’re giving it to your own partner or as a gift for the lucky couple.
Conclusion
Whether you opt to build your own personalised wine gift or choose to save time and money with one of our specially curated wine gifts, you can deliver a special experience for your lucky loved one through a present that hits the flavour notes they love.
To learn more about our wine gifts and browse the complete range we have on offer, explore our wine hampers page and find the perfect gift.
