Wine - The Perfect Holiday Gift

Last year, my sister in law gave me a wine gift basket that just thrilled me. It had in it two bottles of wine, two Riedel O glasses, a "Built" wine carrying bag, and best of all, Karen MacNeil's fabulous book - "The Wine Bible." This was truly a great gift.

A few months ago, my husband received a wine birthday gift from his sister. It contained two bottles of Australian wines, a CD of Australian music, tasting notes and a blindfold (so you can do a blind tasting - don't get any other crazy ideas!) This was also a great gift.

So I've been thinking about how varied and excellent wine gifts can be. You can send baskets with wine and gourmet foods, or sign your loved one up for a wine club, or buy a "country-specific" group of wines (ie: Italy or France), or give a gift certificate for an online wine class (such as Wine Spectator's Wine School). The choices are endless.

Wine also makes a wonderful last minute or hostess gift. The last two bottles of Coppola wines that I purchases (Merlot and that wonderful Claret) came with gold mesh gift bags and card included. (Of course, I'm not planning on giving those two away, but it was a nice idea.) Check with your local wine store - many of them will help you create a special and unique wine gift for someone you love. Trust me, it will be a lot more welcome than fruit cake.