During this magical season we’ve got to keep in mind, who we’re buying wine for this holiday. When shopping for a good wine consider the person you’ll be handing it took with a bow and a bag, it’s not you.
Have you had those gifts given to you where you think to yourself, “when have they ever seen me wear brown?” This is the same concept when buying your loved one a bottle of wine; when have you seen them drink a red wine?
I’ve received tons of brown sweaters from my grandmother and she’s the only person I know that loves the color brown. This can also translate to alcoholic beverages, for instance, my step-mother almost always drinks a white wine, I cannot recall a time where she has sipped a lovely red. Why would I buy her a Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon when I now she always buys a Chardonnay?
“You can still indulge in a little creativity. I like introducing adventurous friends to unusual wines made with less known varietals or from an up-and-coming wine region. Young people, particularly newlyweds, can be given a mixed case of reds, whites, rosés and bubblies so they can develop their wine taste buds one bottle at a time.” (chicagotribune)
You don’t buy an Macintosh user Windows software so why would you buy a Merlot drinker sparkling wine? The result will be a shelved gift, or worse, a re-gift to someone that actually likes the gift you gave them. When I receive a white wine as a gift I put it in my wine fridge and save it for when I have parties and know white wine drinkers will be present. But, I could have bought a few bottles of white for the occasion, as a present I’d rather have something I can use myself.
If you don’t know what food pairs well with the wine gift you’re giving, ask someone. If you don’t know what foods your receiver likes best, observe them at the next gathering and see what type of wine they enjoy. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing to buy a bottle of wine, especially an expensive bottle, to someone that usually drinks beer? Sure, they’ll thank you for the gift but they won’t realize the value of the bottle nor care about drinking it, allowing it to gather dust for years (if they keep it).
This goes for most gifts you’d buy someone but with wines it can be a costly risk when you could just invest in a T-Shirt and a Mall Gift card instead. Unless it’s a gag gift, spend some time doing the research and watching your target before making the purchase.
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