Stemware

Yes, most of us have an abundance of glasses, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t like new ones, especially if they’re unique. One of my favorite gifts was several years ago my brother-in-law and his wife gave my wife and I a set of glasses that I liked so much that I went out and bought more of them so that I’d have a set of eight. The wine lover in your life probably has a good set of regular red and white glasses, but maybe some nice stemless glasses, or some champagne flutes, or even an interesting decanter.

Wine

This doesn’t have to be an expensive bottle of wine, and probably shouldn’t be to be honest. What it does need to be though is special – something memorable. For example, some years back for my Father I bought him a bottle of Portugese wine (his family is from Portugal) that was imported into the small town just outside of Boston where he grew up. The wine was good enough, only cost me about $20, and he loved the significance of both where the wine originated from and where it was brought in through.

Accessories

Yes, I have a lot of corkscrews, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in new ones if they’re interesting. Giving a basic corkscrew may not be the best choice, but an interesting one that is either large and as much a decoration as anything or something special that uses compressed air or one that attaches to a key chain are all unique enough to be a great stocking-stuffer even for those of us with plenty of corkscrews.

Decorations

Paintings, bottle or glass storage units that are as much decoration as functional unit, and even tins that can store bottles for giving them as a gift and then have the tin used as a decoration on a shelf are all great options. Not only are you supporting their love of wine, but helping them to beautify their home at the same time.

It’s the Thought

It’s something we’ve all heard for years, but it really is the thought that counts when it comes to wine gift giving. Acknowledging their love of wine in your gift giving choices will be appreciated no matter what you give.

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So a few weeks ago Wine Country Gift Baskets reached out to me about reviewing one of their gift baskets. I hesitated for a moment before responding, not because I wasn’t interested, but because I honestly had no idea how to go about reviewing something like a wine gift basket. In the end I replied that I was like to review one of their baskets, and I’m really glad I did.

Maybe it’s just me, but my initial reaction to the thought of wine gift baskets was something akin to how most people react when presented with a Rose’ – they see pink wine and instantly think of cheap white zinfandel. I’ve only been exposed to a few wine gift baskets in the past, and they were, honestly, kinda cheap. Because of this, I was impressed when the Steeplechase gift basket showed up.

I’d had a bit of an idea of what to expect ahead of time thanks to a link sent to me showing which gift basket was being sent my way, but there’s something about a semi-stock image on a website that doesn’t always do the real thing justice. The packaging was both visually appealing and practical – instead of a true basket, the entire package was cradled in a metal tub with some scroll work on it that, quite frankly, my wife and I plan to reuse.

The wine and all the foods were arranged in a way that made them easy to see, but also kept them in place. All in all it was a great packaging and it looked high quality, which I think is half the way to actually being high quality.

My wife and I committed to going through the gift basket together this past weekend, as we always enjoy a lunch of small munchie-type foods and after cleaning out admittedly dirty house, we were going to need some wine. The gift basket contained a wide assortment of spreads, crackers, and even some candies, but there were a few that really stood out and that I feel need some mention.

Of the foods, both the cheese dip and the cheese spread are noteworthy. The cheese spread because instead of your standard processed cheddar spread, it was an Asiago cheese spread which wasn’t revolutionary, but I appreciated having something in there that was different than the standard cheddar. The cheese dip, which was powdered and combined with some cream cheese, was just great. So great in fact that we didn’t finish the whole thing and it’s covered in my fridge to be enjoyed later. I didn’t want to throw it away, it was that good.

Of the more dessert type foods, I have two complaints. The walnut shortbread cookies were amazing, like I wanted to bathe in them amazing. Put more in the basket because they are spectacular. The caramel chocolates were kind of a let down. I should qualify that by pointing out that I am not much of a chocolate person, and neither is my wife, but we both tried one and only one. The other caramels, however, were quite tasty.

“But George, what about the wines? You’re a wine writer afterall.”. Good point. The wine selection is what I figured it would be – a Chardonnay, a Merlot, and a Cabernet Sauvignon. They were, however, better than I was expecting.

The Chardonnay had a little oak to it, but it did this great job of walking a middle ground between being a really full-bodied Chardonnay and being a lighter steel Chardonnay. For a gift basket with a range of foods and as something you’ll send to somebody else who’s tastes you may not know, that’s actually a great thing.

The Merlot surprised me with how good it was. Nice and dark with good fruit and a hint of tobacco made this easily the biggest surprise of the basket for me. Merlot is a grape that I’ve grown to enjoy again after some bad experiences, but I’m still hesitant around it and this one just reaffirmed my decision to keep trying it.

The Cabernet Sauvignon was, well, a California Cab. Fruit forward with a medium body, it wasn’t anything ground-breaking ,but it also was better than your average run-of-the-mill entry level Cabernet.

So, the question really comes down to is this basket worth it. This particular basket retails for $75 (not counting shipping), and honestly, it’s totally worth it. My wife and I both were very impressed with the gift basket, and in fact lamented that we hadn’t shared it with others, though then I probably wouldn’t have gotten as many of those amazing shortbread cookies. I would not in any way be embarrassed to send this to somebody I know, and while I certainly can’t speak to all of the baskets, Wine Country Gift Baskets has definitely jumped up to the top of my list of places I’d go to send one.

Related posts:

1. Wine Gifts Baskets: Sharing and Caring
2. A Memorial Day Weekend Trip to VA Wine Country
3. The Foodie Guide to Pairing Wine and Cheese

There are a lot of different ways to share your love of wine with the special people in your life, such as dinners, wine of the month clubs, or trips to vineyards.  However, one way to show your family in friends that you appreciate wine, and that you know they do too, is to send them a wine gift basket.

A Great Alternative

While a fan of wine of the month clubs, a wine gift basket serves as a nice alternative for those looking for a wine gift without a recurring monthly cost.  Also, many gift baskets feature food such as chocolate or cheese that has been specially selected to pair with the wine in the basket, great for the recipient as it gives them to enjoy with the wine that they know will pair well with it.

A Nice Introduction

For your friends that are just getting into wine, there are many inexpensive options out there to introduce them to new wines while avoiding either you or them having to invest heavily in a trip to the wine store, a vineyard, or signing up for the more elaborate wine of the month clubs, which can be very pricey.

Something for Everybody

While there are certainly wine gift baskets that reach a price tag of more than $150, there are just as many quality baskets that can be had for under $40.  No matter what your price range is for gift giving, you can find a wine gift basket to suit your pocketbook.

Always in Season

Wine is always in season, and is a great gift for any season.  Birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s day, Mother’s day – it’s all a great reason to give the gift of wine.  If the person you’re giving it too appreciates wine, it won’t really matter what the holiday is, of even if there is a holiday.

No matter your reason for sending it, a wine gift basket is a great way to let the people in your life know that you appreciate your shared love of wine.  There are plenty of great places to get a basket to fit your budget, so why not go show somebody that you’re thinking of them?

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