Wine Gift Baskets - Great Gifts for Anyone on Your List

A wine gift basket makes a wonderful gift to get for friends, family members or co-workers, especially for those who are especially hard to buy gifts for. Wine gift baskets are filled not just with wine but also with foods and other treats that go well with wine. They are great for gifting even to those who don't really indulge in wine-drinking. For that delicious port or old vintage red wine that you'd like to gift someone special, presenting it in a wine gift basket would only enhance the presentation.

Among gift basket ideas, a wine gift basket is undoubtedly one of the best options as a gift if you don't know what to get someone. It will leave the recipient overjoyed and be remembered as a great gift, even after the wine, cookies, nuts and fruits have been enjoyed.

Amongst all the other treats you get in a wine gift basket, wouldn't it be great to find your favorite Merlot or Sauvignon Blanc nestled in there too? You can enjoy a glass or two while you munch on some nuts or indulge in a chocolate while you sip on that Cabernet you have been eager to taste for months.

The wine gift basket can come with bottles of wine in any size; the hotel miniature ones are particularly nice to receive. It could in fact be filled with a mixture of wine varietals in these small sizes so you can try a bit of each.

Aside from the wine, you can get treats that compliment every wine you get in the wine gift basket. This can range from crackers to truffles and even fruits. Wine gift baskets are not your run of the mill treats either. They are always a selection of top quality delicacies and the most elite treats you can imagine, and everything looks truly grand.

For an extra special feast for a 21st birthday, a wedding or a unique anniversary gift, you can also get a wine gift basket with deluxe sparkling wines or champagne and a gourmet selection of cheese, nuts, chocolate and other delicacies.

The baskets themselves are also not run-of-the mill designs either. You can get high quality, fabulous-looking baskets made from dark wicker, contemporary metal and porcelain to suit every occasion. For a business colleague, a plastic composite gray style would be perfect. Look around and you will find an endless assortment of wine gift baskets to choose from.

Any occasion is great for a wine gift basket and there will always be that perfect person to buy it for. You can be sure your recipient will truly appreciate the thought, detail and great vintages that your wine gift basket holds. How about a sparkling wine gift basket with crackers and an assortment of cheeses and chocolates for an office promotion or for a wedding anniversary?

Wine gift baskets are great for gifting on any occasion; personal or corporate.

Build A Wine Closet At Home

When you are passionate about wine you begin collecting it … and when you begin collecting it you need a place to store it.

A closet can easily be turned into a mini wine cellar to store your growing wine collection.

Consider the position of the cupboard or closet in relation to the outside walls of the house before you construct your wine cellar.

Try to avoid converting a closet situated against an outside wall into a wine cellar. The outer walls of your house or apartment can frequently be subject to wide fluctuations in temperature. Ideally, choose an internal closet where your wine will be able to be stored at a more constant temperature.

The degree and the speed of the temperature change are critical to successfully storing and aging wine. The gradual change of a just a few degrees between summer and winter doesn't matter. A similar change each day will harm your wines by ageing them too rapidly.

The most important rule when storing wine is to avoid large temperature changes or fluctuations. You'll notice damage of this type immediately from the stickiness that will often form around the capsule. Over time the continual expansion and contraction of the wine will damage the integrity of the cork. It's just like having the cork removed and replaced every day. When this occurs, tiny quantities of wine can be pushed out along the edge of the cork (between the cork and the bottle neck) allowing air to seep back in. Your wine will be ruined once air comes in contact with your wine and the irreversible process of oxidation begins.

Stored at a temperature range of 55º to 58ºF the wine will age as intended, and develop fully. Higher temperatures will age wine more rapidly and cooler temperatures will slow down the ageing process. Your wine will be irreversibly damaged if it is stored at a temperature above 82ºF for as little as a month.

The most difficult part of creating a wine cellar in a closet can be finding other places to store the original contents of the closet! You should be ruthless ... remove all the present contents (give away / auction / move them) and start with an empty closet!

Buy inexpensive wine racks from a hardware store, online retailer or storage shop and you'll have an easy and very effective mini wine cellar.

Wine rack designs will vary in bottle density; price variations are more to do with aesthetics than efficiency.

Individual racking is usually considered the most convenient way of storing bottles. If you place racks against only one wall of the closet you may still have floor or shelf space available for wines that you purchase by the case.

The Magnificent World of Wine – A Preface

Wine never falls short to make any occasion extraordinary. Whether it is a big wedding banquet or a straightforward dinner for two, the festive ambience is never absolute without using the corkscrew to reveal the delicious liquid.

Sorry to say, the high regard for wine detaches it to the greater majority who are yet to be transformed to its amazing pleasures. Nonetheless, like most of life’s joys, it is never too late to introduce yourself to the wonderful ecstasy that wine has to offer. It is best to start entering the world of wine by knowing the different types. Trying each one would help you to find out the joys they bring.

Red Wine

Perhaps the most popular types of wine are the reds, thanks to the praises afforded by the medical world due to their heart-protecting, antioxidant properties. Red wines give the boldest and deepest flavors because of the grape skins which are used in the winemaking process. The longer a wine is in contact with its skin, the redder its color and the bolder its flavor. Common reds are Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz, and Zinfandel.

White Wine

Many find it best to introduce themselves to wine with whites as they give off a more delicate flavor and aroma. White wines are made without the grape skins, producing a milder, sweeter taste. White wines can be made from both white and red grapes, so long as the skin isn't intact. The most popular wines are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling.

Pink Wines

Rose and pink wines have flavors that are somewhere in between whites and reds. Pink wines usually taste tart and fruity. Pink and Rose wines aren't made from roses, but are made with red wine grapes with very minimal contact to the skins, so their colors aren't as deep as red wines.

Sparkling Wines

Bubbly or sparkling wines are opened for the most important celebrations, making them princes or kings of the wine kingdom. Methods of making bubbly are very tedious which is why it is highly valued. The most popular sparkling wine is Champagne, made under the intricate methods done in Champagne, France.

Dessert Wines

Wines to be taken with dessert usually should be sweeter than the dessert itself. Dessert wines are combined with spirits to raise their alcohol contents and to increase the sugar concentration. The most common types are Port, Madeira, Sherry, and Vermouth. Wine can make any occasion special. Why not make every occasion special by drinking wine regularly? By knowing the kinds of wine, you are sure to enjoy its wonders.