Wine Gift Baskets

Personalize Gift Giving With a Specialized Wine Basket

Dec 27, 2008 Ellen Wilson

This unique gift idea will be sure to melt hearts on Valentine's Day, or on any special holiday.

You can purchase a basket at many grocery stores or food specialty companies. Get great deals on baskets at thrift shops.

Wine Gift Basket Companies

If you don't have much time, many companies specialize in pre-made wine gift baskets. Many of these companies will let you specify what types of items you would like to add to the basket, or have very specialized gift baskets. Check with each company as to what they have to offer.

Design Your Own Basket

It was Omar Khayyám, in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyám, who penned these famous words: "A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread — and Thou."

Treat these romantic words like a recipe for what to add to your wine gift basket.

Basically there are thousands of wine choices, but you can narrow all the choices down to four: red, white, and sparkling wines. You can also add a fifth choice – price.

Red Wines

Greatest Quality ($-$$):

  • Montravel Rouge 2003. Intense and aromatic, nice balance of fruit and acidity. Chateau Puy-Servain Songe. France
  • Ribera del Duero M2 de Matallana 2003 Current and dark cherry aroma with spicey tones and good balance. Telmo Rodriguez. Spain
  • Lirac 2005 Bold wine with spicey fruit tones. Domaine La Lorentine. France

Best Bargains ($):

  • Ghemme 2001. Vanilla and fruity taste with a dry finish. Mazzoni, Piemonte. Italy
  • Chianti Classico 2004. Great Year for Italian Red Wines – berries and spicey wood tones. Ormanni, Tuscany. Italy
  • Rosé du Printemps 2005. Refreshing with light, fruit flavors. Domaine Wardy. Lebanon

White Wines

Greatest Quality ($$):

  • Pouilly Fumé Silex 2005. A dry white wine with smoky flavors and mineral tones. Didier Dagueneau. France
  • Bacchus Dry 2005. Dry wine with a nice zest. Camel Valley. Great Britain
  • Ovilos White 2006. Apricot and honey aroma, with notes of citrus and lemon. Biblia Chora. Greece

Best Bargains ($):

  • Riesling Qualitatswein Trocken 2005. Apple and peach notes with a nice acid finish. Knebel, Mosel. France
  • Vlaamse Landwijn Pinot Blanc 2005. Fruity apple and melon aroma. Aldenyck, Belgium. Belgium
  • Corbières Blanc Vieilles Vignes 2005. Spicey with peach notes. Domaine Roque-Sestières . France

Sparkling Wines

Greatest Quality ($-$$):

  • Milléseme Brut 1999. Big bold wine with a creamy finish. Bozel. France
  • Vintage Rosé 2002. Refreshing, red berry taste. Deutz. France
  • Pinot Reserve Sparkling 2002. Light and dry with hints of lime. Chapel Down. Great Britain

Best Bargains ($):

  • Blanc de Blancs Cuvèe Prestige NV. Slightly tart with buttery pear tones. André Jacquart. France
  • Marques de Gelida Cava: Brut 2003. Clean, crisp and very fruity. Marques de Gelida. Spain
  • Mont Marcal Brut Cava Sparkling Wine. 2003. Dry, yet refreshing, with tangy, citrus notes. Estate Bottled. Spain

Breads to Add to Basket

  • Baguettes
  • French Bread
  • Ciabatta

Cheeses – Wonderful Accompaniments to Bread and Wine

Soft Cheese such as Brie – Aged mild to strong. Works well with most white wine. Try pairing mild brie with stronger wines such as Chardonnay, Brut Champagne; or a spicy wine like Gewurztraminer. Stronger brie works well with mild wines, such as Riesling, Muscat, or sweeter sparkling wines.

Hard Cheese such as Aged Gouda or Cheddar – Works well with many types of red wine. Try pairing these cheeses with Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, or Grenache.

The copyright of the article Wine Gift Baskets in Old World Wine is owned by Ellen Wilson. Permission to republish Wine Gift Baskets in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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