Wine Gifting Guide: Pick the right wine for anyone
Wine is usually a gift option top of mind for a lot of people. Whether it is for a close friend, family member, client, supplier, housewarming – whatever the moment is, wine is a thoughtful idea.
Generally speaking for selecting a gift, given wine is so broad, have a think about the amount of money you are looking to spend. This might vary depending on who you are gifting the wine for, or the occasion, but before you start exploring wines make sure you know a rough bracket on what you’re looking to spend. Not only this, but you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a wine that your recipient wont fully appreciates or would feel guilty drinking. Thinking about this as a first step will make the wine selection a little easier.
When buying wine for someone, it is so important to think about what they like in the buying process, not what you typically drink or prefer. You want the wine to be received with significance and appreciation from the person it is for. People have different preferences when it comes to wine so if you do know what they enjoy, veer towards this. You might also like to ask the person what they enjoy if you aren’t sure.
A great tip to really personalise your wine selection for the gift is to think about a unique quality, milestone or a place of significance for your recipient. Think about personal experiences they have had, for example, if you travelled somewhere with them, their favourite place to holiday, or perhaps where they are born and find a wine and vintage from regions that compliment that. For instance. If your recipients favourite holiday destination is California, you might try to find a wine from that specific wine region to add significance and thoughtfulness behind your gift.
If your gift is for a milestone event, such as an anniversary, try and scout out a vintage wine for the year the event or occasion occurred.
Top styles to consider for gifting:
Champagne and Sparkling Wine
The ultimate and safest gift giving wine option. Whether you are giving Champagne, or a sparkling wine from a particular wine region around the world, this is the most flexible option to give a recipient. The infamous wine signifying celebration, also perfect for the foodie as they are completely food friendly and literally pairs with any food, and perfect for the adventurer or serious wine lover if they like to cellar their wine. There’s little room for error with a Champagne or sparkling wine gift. Plus, there’s nothing more exciting than opening a bottle of bubbly for that special occasion!
Red wine
Your next best style of wine to gift is going to be a red wine, particularly if your recipient is a male. Males are more likely to gravitate to a red wine over whites. The most common red wine to gift is Pinot Noir or Burgundy, again consider your budget here.
Other excellent red wine options and more of the well-known varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz or Syrah. You will also find some great value red wines from Rioja or an Argentinian Malbec.
If you know your recipient is an utter wine lover and collector, you might like to look at wines such as Bordeaux, Barolo or Montepulciano.
White wine
Although a slightly less popular option, preferably give white wine to a recipient if you know that is their wine preference. The alternate is that you might look to give a white wine if its summer and you’re looking to gift a wine more thirst-quenching. A white wine can be a great casual entertaining wine and again, can be very food friendly. Some varietals you might want to look out for would be an unoaked Chardonnay (unless you know the recipients enjoys an oaked style), dry Riesling, Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio or Semillon.
Alternate varieties, natural and rosé wine
We would generally suggest gifting these types of wine if you know the person well and what they typically like to drink, as these options may not be the top of mind for a lot of people and could be a slightly riskier option if you aren’t sure what your recipient enjoys.
What to do if you aren't sure what wines your recipient enjoys?
You might not know the recipient of your gift well in situations like gifting for a corporate client, a supplier, your boss or even if you’re a real estate agent gifting a housewarming present for your clients’ home purchase!
When in doubt of what wine to buy, our recommendation would be to stick to a Champagne or sparkling wine – you just can’t go wrong with this option. For the collector, the foodie, the adventurer, Champagne and sparkling wine is your least risky option.
Some other options for gift giving if you aren’t sure what your recipient would like is to give a gift card where they are go and select their own wines that suit their preferences (hint, if you do this make sure you ask what they ended up purchasing so you know what they enjoy for future instances!). If you know they appreciate wine and enjoy discovering new wine producers, a Wine Club subscription is a different, but unique gift option that many people love.
Check out our own Curated Drops online Gift Cards and Wine Club subscriptions to give the perfect gift to your recipient.
Consider wine gift boxes:
A gift box that comes with a wine is a great option if you are looking to incorporate the wine into a bigger gift idea. This way all the thinking is done for you and your recipient will receive the items wrapped and ready to give.
We have a great range of gift options, including our gift box range where we can thoughtfully partnered with small Australian businesses to bring you a premium and bespoke gift box collections like no other. Our gift box range have your recipients in mind and are themed to help you select the right box for any occasion.
Head to our gifting section on our website for our unique selection of gift boxes and browse our extensive bespoke selection of wines to suit all your gifting needs.
If you need help to select the perfect gift, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@curateddrops.com.au and we’ll be more than happy to help you choose your gift.
