Wines to be gifted
How men and women choose the gift bottle. Some useful advice depending on the recipient: environmentalist, glamorous, expert, experimentalist
Wines-to-be-gifted-Dom Pérignon Brut-the-ten-most-desired-Champagnes
by Donatella Cinelli Colombini
Let’s start with gender: there is a difference between women and men in their way of choosing a bottle to give away.
WINE TO BE GIFTED CHOSEN BY A WOMAN
The woman thinks << will he like it?>> and lets herself be advised by the store clerk , paying attention to the taste of the recipient and the type of situation that a given wine suggests in relation to the lifestyle of those who will receive the bottle. A woman tends to be more “sparing” than the man and therefore the value of the gift will almost certainly be lower.
Wines-to-be-gifted-the-importance-of-the-packaging
WINE TO BE GIFTED CHOSEN BY A MAN
A man, on the other hand, looks at the price <<does it cost enough for my boss?>> is his first thought. Then he focuses on naming, branding and scores in the guides. A man listens less to the sales people and looks more at the online ratings. He cares less about the packaging than the female customer but still needs the gift to present itself well.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PACKAGING OF A WINE TO BE GIFTED
For this wine single cases, bags, wooden boxes, gift boxes …. They are indispensable in every spot where wines are sold: from the cellar, to the wine shop, to the supermarket with a department with luxury products.
Go to Harrods in London and you will see how luxury bottles are packaged!
It must be said, however, that the great wines travel in the traditional 6-bottle wooden crates with a nailed lid. They are not beautiful but, after all, even the Rolls Royce does not have an incredible design but it is one of the greatest symbols of ancient wealth!
THE PERFECT BOTTLE TO BE GIFTED
For the NEW SOMMELIER – We support his new passion with a red to be cellared from some well-known winery by checking the scores it has obtained on the Vitae guides if he is an AIS Sommelier, Bibenda if he is from the FIS, or SlowFood if he has a Fisar diploma ….
For the EXPERT AND WINE COLLECTOR – In this case we are looking for a bottle produced in small series. We need a high quality wine but less known, a rare pearl that must amaze him.
For the EXPERIMENTALIST – If the wine is for someone who always eats new ingredients , such as grasshoppers or chooses ethnic cuisine restaurants very far from ours, well it is appropriate to look for new and different things from the usual known wines, such as a British sparkling wine.
For THE LOVED ONE – A romantic wine is needed; one that creates joy, so then bubbles possibly rosé to make the choice trendier.
For the LOVERS OF GOOD FOOD – We focus on gastronomic wines and maybe on more than one bottle choosing them among the classic denominations.
For the SNOB THAT BUYS ONLY DESIGNER THINGS – In this case the brand and the packaging count almost more than the wine so you have to choose between the “usual suspects”.
For THE VEGAN ENVIRONMENTALIST – Obviously biodynamic or “handless” wines maybe an orange wine would be appreciated.