Choosing a wine for someone who loves wine can be very daunting. This is even more so when you have little to no knowledge about wine in general. Whether you think red is better or white wine, there’s no straight answer to which is actually better as it all depends on personal taste.
Fortunately, that’s where we step in with tips that will help you choose the perfect wine hamper for your wine lover friend. So, whether it’s a gift or for a party, we got you covered! And without further ado, let’s dive headfirst into it:
Find Out What Flavors They’d Want
To begin with, wine has three crucial tasting points – sweet, sour, and bitter. The wine’s sweet and sour taste comes from the group’s natural flavors, which are sometimes referred to as fresh, tart, crisp, etc.
Bitterness is also referred to as tannin – a natural and bitter flavor that can be usually found in seeds, fruit skins, and other things such as tea bags and tree barks.
Every bottle of wine contains a blend of each of these flavors. That’s why most people have trouble picking just one wine bottle. However, being familiar with the three bases will definitely give you the nudge to make the right decision.
Generally, the fewer the tannin, the chances are the lighter the body of a bottle is and that it’ll most likely be a sour-flavored wine.
Who is the Wine For?
Since you’re interested in giving your friend wine hampers as a present, the best first step you can take is to randomly ask what kind of wine they usually like to drink. For instance, full-bodied, whites, reds, sparkling, light-bodied, etc. Asking them, of course, gives you little freedom to play around with the gift.
If you both drink together a lot, then by now you’re aware of what their taste is like. The rest you can figure out by going to the wine shop and taking a look at their wine catalog. The list might look expensive, so, it’s a good idea to have an appropriate budget.
● For a Party or For an Acquaintance
If it’s for a dinner party, then choosing a wine hamper that’s popular is the best way to go as most people cater to it, so you’ll be safe. Unless the cuisine or theme of the dinner party is mentioned, you shouldn’t be too concerned about the pairing. However, if that’s the case, a light-bodied wine like a Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Chardonnay are all excellent choices.
If it’s a wine hamper you’re planning to buy for someone you’re not close with, then you’d be better off getting them something commonly liked just to be safe. For instance, if they like to drink coffee a lot, then chances are red wines will be a perfect choice. Or if they have a soft spot for all things sweet, then you can also go for a sweeter wine as well.
Pay Attention to the Labels!
Reading the label is a must if you’re keen on learning as you build your taste. By not reading the label, you’re refraining from learning about what the wine is made with.
Similarly, if the wine bottle says blended or table wine, that means it accommodates a mixture of a variety of grapes. These can taste amazing, but if you’re thinking long-term, it won’t be of much help when it comes to picking wine you know and like.
Some people are known to buy wine just for the sake of the label. It’s best not to get enamored like that but focus more on what’s inside the bottle. That being said, labels do contain useful information about the wine. And the more details there are, the better.
Here are a few things you should keep an eye out for:
● The Country or Region It Came From
If the information about the country is unavailable, then look for the region the wine was made from instead. Once you can figure that out, you can get to know the wine a bit better, and you can start to clarify both the personal preference and quality of each wine.
The same applies to how a country can play just as important a role. There are a few countries with higher temperatures that make sweeter wines than colder countries. You also have to keep in mind what speed the grape ripens as that plays quite a role in how the wine will taste.
● The Identity of the Wine or the Producer
Keeping an eye on the producer of the wine will help you know what wine you’ll like even before you’ve tasted it. This could be because of the fact that wine producers include a little bit of their own variation in their creations.
once you find that right wine, there’s a possibility you’ll end up liking everything else they make in the future or have made in the past. However, it can also be completely opposite.
So, before you reject a producer entirely for just a single bad wine bottle, it’s best to keep an open mind and give them another shot.
Another thing you must always remember is that not every wine will have the name of the producer written on the label. This means that not only was the wine made on a mass scale, but it’s likely to be poor in quality as well.
But, we believe the true aim lies more in finding what your friends will like than the quality of the wine itself.
● The Variety of Grapes
An obvious aspect when it comes to choosing a wine for a wine hamper is that the grape variety is what you’d think the identity is, like Malbec, Merlot, Chardonnay, etc.
While there are a number of aspects when it comes to how the taste can impact you and whether you’ll take to the wine or not; going for the variety is always the best option. If there are no varieties mentioned on the label, then it’s almost certain that the wine is made with a blended mix of different grape varieties.
This doesn’t mean that the wine is substandard, however, getting a single variety is the easiest way to figure out what wine you can get for your friend and what they’ll like.
● Vintage and Sulfites
Since this wine hamper is for a friend and it’s a gift, there’s really no need to worry about whether you should get a vintage wine or not. That’s because the majority of the wine being made now isn’t even vintage.
Nevertheless, when you’re reading a label on a wine bottle, the date stated on it means when the grapes were picked and that’s something you should need to pay attention to.
Since wine is mainly fermented using yeast, this produces sulfites. So, almost all wine contains sulfites. However, when used a bit too much, it can cause headaches for many. Wine producers are bound by law to reveal the quantity of the sulfite if it crosses a specific point.
That being said, a lower quantity of sulfite doesn’t mean the wine will taste better. In fact, it can cause the wine to oxidize and the drinker to have a headache as well.
Light-Bodied Vs Full-Bodied Wine
When it comes to discussing what the most important components of wine are, the body definitely tops the list. The body of the wine alludes to the way the wine feels in your mouth and how rich it is. Moreover, the flavor and texture of the wine are made from various different factors like the alcohol grape variety and the sweetness of the grapes when they’re ripe for pickings.
Speaking of grapes, if you weren’t already aware, the time of the harvesting is very crucial. The riper the grape is, the easier it is to get more natural sugar inside it.
So, warmer countries like Australia are likely to be fuller and sweeter than wine found in colder countries. Even if they use the same grapes, they won’t taste the same.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, we’d like to say that there are a lot of elements involved when you’re choosing wine for a wine hamper for your friend. But the fact remains that the art of drinking wine is an experience.
And it’s an ordeal that should be thoroughly enjoyed and the more you drink, the smoother you’ll be in choosing better wine hampers next time.
So, if you ask yourself what kind of wine hamper you should get for your wine-loving friend, we now believe you’ll be able to find what matches their taste. In addition to wine, consider giving your alcohol-loving friend some cocktail-making essentials. Happy drinking!
