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Wine Country Gifts

by April Wilson

Napa Valley is one of the premiere venues in the United States for tasting and purchasing wine. If you're headed into wine country, you may want to think about upcoming gift-giving occasions on your list. Wine country gifts are classy, elegant and always appreciated, provided of course that the recipient enjoys wine. Gifts in wine country range from wine club memberships to gift baskets. If you miss your opportunity to shop while in wine country, many vineyards have websites with online gift shops.
Wine Clubs

Most wineries in Napa Valley have wine clubs. Each winery ships wine club wines to members on a different schedule. Some ship a bottle every month of the year, or two bottles every other month. Some wineries, such as the Folio Winemaker's studio, ship four seasonal shipments. A wine club membership is an excellent gift for a wine lover, allowing them to sample a wide variety of wines throughout the year.

Bottle of Wine

If you don't have the budget to give a full year wine club membership, or if the gift is meant to be a smaller token of affection rather than a grand gesture, a single bottle of wine remains an understated and elegantly tasteful gift. Unless the recipient has a favorite wine already, a Merlot is a good bet because it's a fruity wine that many people love and goes well with a wide assortment of dishes such as chicken Caesar salad, pasta marinara, sharp cheddar as well as desserts such as chocolate truffles.
Cookbooks

Most wineries have gift shops that include not only wine but wine-related gifts. For the non-drinker, a wine cookbook might be nice. Cooking with wine is a non-alcoholic way (since cooking destroys the alcohol content), to enjoy the decadence of wine. At any given winery you may find cookbooks about hors d'oeurve, Italian or French cuisine, and cheese, since wine is a natural companion to all of these.
Wine Gift Baskets

A wine gift basket gives you a little bit of everything, taking the guess work out of shopping when you go to wine country. Wine country gift baskets tend to be thematic. Some baskets may be wine and cheese, while others have various food items or cookbooks. Many contain wine glasses and other wine accessories. Some gift baskets include decadent rich chocolates, such as "The Chocolate Box" package offered by Black Stallion Winery which includes a Black Stallion wine of your choice, a hardcover chocolate recipe book, a bottle of cabernet sauvignon chocolate sauce, six-piece box of cabernet sauvignon dark chocolate truffles, a tin of dark chocolate medallions and one milk chocolate cabernet sauvignon truffle bar.