There are however several things to consider when selecting wine as a gift. Selection criteria like whom you are buying for, the nature of the occasion or celebration, purpose of the gift, budget, affordability and of course the recipient's collection, palette and such other aspects to duely note.

Step 1-

You need to select the type of wine that you will keep on hand or that you will bring as a gift. If you are looking for a wine that does not need to be chilled to serve upon arrival to an event, consider a red wine. Determine the sugar content in the wine to determine whether the wine will be sweet or not. If you are looking to be safe, choose a Chardonnay as a white or a Merlot as a red; as most wine drinkers like these 2 types and they are not too particular to a certain taste or style. Most people do not prefer sweet wines, so you may want to steer clear of Rieslings and similar wines for a gift unless the recipient prefers this wine style. If you are unsure, consider buying one of each.

Step 2-

Now that you have determined the type of wine that you would like to purchase, you will need to find that variety in your price range. There are great wines in any price range. A good price range to consider if you are giving a gift is between $20-50. If you are considering keeping a stock on hand for a variety of gift reasons, choose a $15-20 wine and buy multiple bottles. These are often the best drinking wines and are affordable enough for you to get a case discount at most retailers.

Step 3-

Now that you have chosen your wine and price range, you need to present it to the recipient. There are several options to gift wrap a wine. You can choose to give the wine unwrapped if you are going to someone's home and it is intended to be more as a token of appreciation. If it is a gift for a wine connoisseur, you can place the bottle in some beautiful wooden, metal or even cardboard containers that were designed for wine bottles. For a truly unique gift, you can choose to give your wine in a traditional wooden wine create. If you would rather keep it simple, you can use a simple wine bottle bag and tissue paper.

Wine is the perfect gift for almost any occasion and can be given in a variety of forms. Be sure to consider keeping a regular stock, as you never know when you need a quick gift for a dinner party or social function.

For a more elaborate gift, consider some accessories, decanters, foil-cutters, higher-end bar tools or vintage gifting ? a special bottle of expensive French Champagne for example for a romantic encounter, also books, videos and other high-tech gadgets. With most wine and specialty niche wineries, many offer a custom, tailored shopping and gift wrapping service, or be creative and assembly your own gift-basket or hostess gift, inspired by your own creative ideas and stretching the budget and giving dollar just that extra little bit!