How Wine Becomes a Great Holiday Gift

How Wine Becomes a Great Holiday Gift

Bryce Sanders, President

Perceptive Business Solutions Inc.

Everyone knows I love wine.? In many cases, the greatest bottles we have in our collection were not purchased, but presents.? People know we like wine and figure we only drink the best.? We enjoy everyday wine like everyone else, but the bottles from famous producers are an unexpected dividend.? FYI:? They never get opened.? Why?? Because there are wines for drinking and wines for talking about.? If you are a regular person like us, where does wine fit into your gift giving?

1.????? Champagne.? This is the most festive of wines.? It features on plenty of TV shows in party scenes.? It often is packed in gift boxes, making it easy to wrap.? The brand recognition cultivated over decades means your friend knows they got a great gift.

2.????? Champagne glasses.? Can you ever have too many champagne glasses?? Wine fans know the answer is yes.? However, you can find ones with great shapes.? You can find pairs of flutes impressively packed in pairs.

3.????? Plastic wine glasses.? When you picnic outside or enjoy wine in the pool, you don’t want conventional glasses that will shatter.? You can buy glasses identical to those you would set on a formal table, but made out of plastic.? You can find stemless wine glasses in flexible plastic that are ideal for plane flights.? If you know people who travel or entertain outdoors, these are always good gifts.

4.????? Wine in a wooden case.? Decades ago, fine wine from Europe was shipped in twelve bottle wooden cases.? The name of the vineyard is printed or burned on the side.? Today, many producers use cardboard, but wine in wood cases is still available.? Have a chat with your wine merchant on a slow weekday.? This might be a six or twelve bottle case.? If the wine is $15 and the case holds six bottles, that’s a $90 purchase before tax. I think spending a few dollars more and adding a six-inch little crowbar (to open the box) is a great addition.

5.????? Large format bottles.? That’s the term to use with your wine merchant.? Double bottles are magnums, holding 1.5 liters.? Cheaper wines also come in double bottles, so you want to step up a level for maximum impact.? Double magnums are “four bottle bottles.” They come bigger too.? Your wine merchant should get them around the holidays.? Costco has them from time to time.? Ideally you find some under $100/bottle.

6.????? Champagne in quarter bottles.? The major champagne houses like Moet et Chandon and Pommery are two examples.? These each hold 187 ml or one quarter of a 750 ml bottle.? In addition to true French champagne, you can find Italian prosecco and American sparkling wines in these small format bottles.? You would want to get at least four, possibly more as one gift.? I like explaining they are the shower size or lunchbox size.

7.????? Vintage wines from an important date.? Port is a fortified wine associated with Portugal.? Because brandy has been added in production, it tends to last a long time.? You can get older ports at a specialty wine merchant.? Armagnac is not Cognac, but a close relative.? Armagnac has vintage dates.? Cognac does not.? Giving a wine or spirit from an important date, like their birthday or wedding anniversary is an impressive gift.

8.????? The latest wine book.? There seems to always be a new one coming out in December. There are several well-known wine critics and they know these make great Christmas presents. Do some research to learn if you can get a copy autographed.? The publisher should be able to tell you if there will be a book tour or getting an autographed copy directly from them is possible.

9.????? A year’s subscription to a wine magazine.? Wine fans love reading about wines.? They love reading critic’s reviews and agreeing or disagreeing.? The Wine Spectator and The Wine Advocate are the two major ones.? If they don’t get both, the missing one id a good gift idea.? Decanter is the UK’s major wine magazine.? Ideally, try to buy the print edition.? Your gift would be the latest issue with a red ribbon tied around it.

10.? The lesser wine from the famous producer.? The wine world is built on personalities.? There are wines like Romanee Conti is Burgundy, selling at about $20,000 a bottle in the 2021 vintage. (Really!)? The co-owner, Aubert de Villaine also produces a white wine in Bouzeron, made from the Aligote grape.? Made by Domaine De Villaine, it sells for about $52/bottle.

11.? Sending wine to their cruise ship.? Your friend is away for the holidays.? You arrange with the cruise line to have a bottle of champagne delivered to their cabin or served in the dining room on the first formal night.? It makes a great impact.?

When buying a gift for your wine loving friend, you don’t need to spend a bundle, but your gift can make a lasting impact.? They might call up and say: “Where did you find this great gift?”

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Bryce Sanders is president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc.? He provides HNW client acquisition training for the financial services industry.? His book, “Captivating the Wealthy Investor” is available on Amazon.

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