A gourmet wine basket just might be the perfect gift. It is a "one size fits all" choice for friends, family, colleagues and discerning clients alike. Wines are considered to be "gourmet" when they are created by a highly-respected winery. Anyone who has acquainted themselves with gourmet foods can expect to find the same personal satisfaction from a bottle of carefully-chosen gourmet wine.

Depending on where you live, you can choose from a variety of gourmet wine baskets. In the United States, these commonly feature those with California wines. Winter time brings about holiday wine baskets. Gourmet wine and cheese baskets are available all year. The distinctive flavors of gourmet wines are perfect for sharing good cheer.

Country Gourmet Wine Basket

A well-thought gourmet wine basket will contain items that complement the bottle. In summer, a country gourmet wine basket is a great choice for picnics and get-togethers. The country gourmet wine basket is loaded with delicacies. The featured wine will be paired by delicious breads such as sesame pepper crostini, as well as cheeses, nuts and even mustard. This type of gift is suitable to all types of wine drinkers. They will appreciate the wine itself, and will be duly impressed by the carefully chosen food pairings.

Although many shops provide a selection of ready-made gourmet wine baskets, you can easily design and assemble your own customized gift basket. The first item that you select should always be a fine bottle of wine. Choose either white or red, depending upon the taste of the recipient. A sparkling wine is a nice touch for a special occasion. Once you've chosen the wine, begin to select complimentary items. Gourmet cheese and crackers are natural choices. Dried fruits and packaged cheese spreads can also be used. Try to find varieties of cheese that are from the same country or region as the wine.

You may even present your friends with gourmet wine basket for a picnic. In addition to normal ingredients of wine baskets, try to include a small butter knife, a wine opener, and two inexpensive wine glasses. Once you have chosen all the items for a perfect gourmet wine basket, select a nice basket as a container to hold all these items. And try to have some ribbons to tie altogether the big gourmet wine basket as well.

Gourmet Wine Basket for Your Significant Other

There is no hard and fast rule that you can have only edible items in a gourmet wine gift basket; you can include the items of intimacy in it as well. You can add his favorite brand of cigars in the basket along with foods and wine. If he is golf player, try to include golf balls in a box, some nutritional bars and a bag of tees. If you are going to design the gourmet wine basket for a women, say your spouse, you could toss in a box of bath items or fragrances.

It's fun to shop for these little gems to create a perfectly personalized basket. Don't forget to wrap it all up with some fresh flowers and a big bow.

Celebrate the special friendships in your life with gourmet wine baskets. You can even do this if your friends live on the other side of the world. Many gift shops, wineries and online shipping services offer mail order gift giving. Be sure to check with the national, state or provincial laws before sending your gift. There are some countries and areas where importing or shipping alcohol is illegal, so always check before you send your gourmet wine basket.