How To Send Wine As A Gift: 3 Options For Every Budget

How To Send Wine As A Gift

Sending wine as a gift is a beautiful way to surprise a friend, family member, or customer. Answering “how to send wine as a gift” depends on your location, circumstances, and a few other factors.

The Simplest Wine To Give A Wine Gift

There is one way you can send wine as a gift that is simple and easy. Buying a single bottle of wine as a gift is also the most affordable wine gift option. Hand deliver the wine gift to the gift recipient yourself. This is an excellent approach if you are giving wine as a gift at a dinner party. To make a good impression with your gift, keep the following tips in mind.

  • Alcohol Preferences. Before anything else, ask yourself if the gift recipient likes alcohol before searching for a perfect bottle. If the answer is no, provide another gift instead, like a book.
  • Wine Knowledge And Preferences. Next, give some thought to the gift recipient’s history with wine. For example, they might love French culture and sing the praises of the Champagne wine region. In that case, a bottle of French wine would be an excellent pick. If you do not have a favorite wine, use the following tip to find the perfect wine gift.
  • What Do They Like To Eat? Your friend might not have strong wine preferences, but they might have a favorite meal. For example, if your friend loves pizza and other tomato-based dishes, giving famous wines like Chianti Classico (a great red wine from Italy) or a nice bottle of Robert Mondavi makes sense. On the other hand, giving a bottle of sweet wine or semi-sweet Riesling is a good idea if your friend likes spicy food.
  • What Do They Hate? When all else fails, thinking about what your friend hates in food and wine can help you give a good gift. For example, your friend may prefer easy-drinking wines that can be appreciated right away. In that case, I would avoid wines with powerful tannins or aging.

Thinking through the above questions will give your wine gift more of a personal touch. Once you have selected a bottle of wine, give some thought to presenting it. If possible, send present your wine to a gift bag. Your wine shop may have wine bottle-sized gift bags available.

How To Send Wine As A Gift Long Distance

Sending wine to another person in another city, state, or country is a different story. Unfortunately, many jurisdictions have regulations that limit the transportation of alcohol. Here are some options to keep in mind.

  • Direct Shipment. Whenever available, direct shipment is the best way to send wine as a gift. With this method, you would ask your wine shop about their shipping policies or winery to ship wine as a gift. Usually, shipment within the same state or province tends to be easy with online retailers. Shipping over longer distances may be more expensive.
  • Courier Service. Sending wine as a gift via FedEx, UPS, or another courier service is often a good choice. These companies often provide overnight delivery so you can say happy birthday with your gift, even on short notice. You can usually track your bottle of Pinot Noir (or gift box with assorted snacks) the wine shipment and may have the option of insuring it. Note overnight shipping is rarely the most affordable shipping option.
  • Postal Delivery.  In the USA, this is not an option. The United States Postal Service (USPS) does not ship wine. Keep this factor in wine if you attempt to postal delivery of wine internationally to a US destination.

Sending A Wine Care Package or Wine Gift Baskets

If you’re not sure about your friend’s favorite bottle, there is another option to use. Several online retailers offer wine gift baskets. This type of wine gift will typically cost over $100 if shipping is included. This type of gift combines several items like a bottle of white wine, a cheese board, dark chocolate, gouda cheese, and white cheddar cheese.

Before sending a gift, there are a few points to keep in mind, like a wine care package or wine gift baskets.

  • Where To Buy. There are two general options. You can look at wine-focused stores (i.e., online wine retailers or online wine stores). When you buy a wine care package from a wine shop, you will have a wider selection of wines. The other option is to buy a gift box or gourmet gift baskets from a company like Baskits.
  • How Much Wine To Send. The most common option is to send a single bottle. However, some online wine stores will let you send several bottles of wine.
  • Sweet or Savory. When you send a wine care package, you can choose what to emphasize in it. On the sweet side, a box of chocolates, chocolate chip cookies, or milk chocolate truffles are all good options. On the other hand, your friend’s idea of perfect snacks might focus on cheese instead. Ins that case, ask about other options like cheese straws or gouda cheese.
  • Personalized Messages. The personal touch of writing a short message makes shipping a gift of wine even more memorable. For example, you might write a short note to express your gratitude with wine. For example: “Enjoy this Napa Valley wine and gourmet food! Happy Birthday!” If you’re not sure what to write as a gift message, check the excellent advice from the Emily Post website: The Etiquette of Gifting.
  • Recipient Schedule. When possible, consider the schedule of the person receiving their gift. If they travel a lot, sending a gift basket may not be a good choice. In that situation, writing a gift message and gift cards might be a better choice. Some online wine retailers make it easy to send gift cards digitally – you need the recipient’s email address.

The Perfect Gift For Wine Lovers

Sending a gift of wine to a wine lover is often a great idea. However, you might find the cost of shipping wines is too expensive. In that case, a wine-themed book is an excellent alternative. I recommend sending “Big Macs & Burgundy” (read my full review here) – it is the best food-wine pairing book I’ve ever read.

How To Send Wine As A Gift: 3 Options For Every Budget
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