Giving wine as a gift for a friend is a great idea. Whether it’s for an anniversary, birthday, as a host/hostess gift, or just because, everyone enjoys a good bottle of wine every now and then. However, sometimes it can be difficult to decide which type of wine to buy your friends. You don’t want to get something that they won’t like, after all, so you need to do a bit of research, and maybe even a bit of spying, to find out.
If you have dinner with your friend on a regular basis, you may often drink wine with them. This makes buying your gift very easy - just watch what types of wine they serve you. A savvy wine connoisseur will serve different wines with different meats and meals, of course, but you can at least get an idea of which brands they enjoy and which types they like. Some people prefer very dry white wines, while others like wine with more of a fruity flavour or that are sweeter. Be careful when buying really sweet wines, though—some dessert wines, such as plum wines, are so sweet that some people don’t like them at all.
If your friend doesn’t serve wine that often or you’re not over for dinner that regularly, you may have to do a little snooping. Look around in your friend’s kitchen (as subtly as possible, of course) for different wine bottles. Then take note of which labels and which types of wine they have on hand. If they generally stock red wines, chances are a white wine would be a mistake. If most of their wines are from a local winery, you may want to purchase your gift from there instead of going for something more exotic.
If you go to a restaurant or bar and your friend orders a glass of wine, remember what they had. Another way of learning about your friend’s wine tastes is to bring it up in conversation. “I had the most wonderful Merlot the other night...” can be a good conversation starter. Then you can ask about what types of wine your friend likes.
If you’re planning on giving wine gifts as a host/hostess, it becomes a bit more complicated. Many times, your host is going to feel obligated to open and serve your wine. While this isn’t mandated by etiquette, many still feel that it is appropriate. In this case, you’re going to need to know what is for dinner before you purchase the wine. This way, you won’t buy a wine that does not go with the main course. A dessert wine can be appropriate here, but again, remember that many are very sweet.
Giving wine as a gift does require a bit of knowledge about your friend, as you can see, but it doesn’t have to be an impossible quest. Of course, if you know your friend is interested in wine but aren’t sure what wine to buy, you can always purchase him or her some wine accessories such as a nice cork screw or a wine rack.