ALT-2 Wine Gift Advice
Wine is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways for consumers in the United States to enjoy alcohol. With it's incredible health benefits when consumed in moderation, and the it's ability to truly complement any meal, wine is quickly becoming a major part of our culture, especially in regards to dining and parties. While many people say that wine is an acquired taste, others love it from the start, but just like beer, there are a great number of varieties available, with numerous manufacturers of ages of each variety, which can make it rather difficult to get into wine consuming at first. But over time, one can learn all about win and truly learn to love it.
For those that have been drinking wine for years, wine becomes a passion. Many don't just drink wine, they savor it, smell the bottle after opening it, and let it sit in their mouth for some time before swallowing it. This is the sign of a true wine fanatic and someone that really enjoys the best that the wine country has to offer.
But shopping for these wine lovers isn't always the easiest. Because they truly love their wines, you can't just buy them the basic wine, you have to make sure it's something that they have never tried or something that they truly enjoy. This of course isn't always the easiest of tasks, especially if you don't know a thing about wine itself. And if you don't know this person's favorite wine style, you could find yourself browsing through shelf after shelf of wine completely lost as to what to purchase for this individual.
However, luckily for the wine idiot, there are many options available to the wine lover for a gift, that aren't anywhere near as complicated. Probably one of the best gifts that I have ever given to someone, and the best received one, was something that you wouldn't normally expect to get as a gift. This of course, was a wine making kit for the home. With the wine making kit, the true wine making with a little effort of their own, can create their own fantastic wines from home with just a little bit of effort and a tiny bit of know how. But, for me, I knew absolutely nothing about making wine, so for this, I visited a store that sold the wine kits, which can be found in the brewery supply section of your phone book. In most every city, you can find at least one shop that sells the tools needed to make your own kit or you can easily look online.
When I arrived at the store to purchase a wine making kit, I realized that there were loads of options and that the actual process was much more simple than it really sounded. In fact, it is incredibly simple, because you don't even have to pick your own grapes, as you can purchase it directly from the vendor in a variety of wine styles for around $50-$100. This size of kit will produce roughly 50 gallons of homemade wine, which is considerably cheaper than physically buying bottles individually. Plus, just knowing that you were able to make your own wine is definitely rewarding. With the help of a wine specialist, you will get all of the equipment, along with a recipe book in order to get yourself or any fanatic started at making their own wine. This will cost you about $200 for the all of the basic starting supplies and the first batch of wine grapes.
However, you don't just have to consider wine itself as a gift. You can think of those things that surround wine, such as the glasses, the cork remover, or even wine memorabilia. Sometimes the glass is just as important as the wine that is poured into it. You can find glasses that are extremely basic or incredibly designed with high fashion in mind. Whatever style of glass you decide on, it will make a great gift for the wine lover, who undoubtedly must use wine glasses, especially if they are a normal consumer of it in the home.
Another great gift idea for the wine lover are the older more vintage wines. Rather than just purchasing a modern wine, try purchasing one that is 50 years old or older. These are the wines with the deepest, most incredible flavor. However, keep in mind that the older the wine is, the more you are likely to pay for it. But any true wine lover will be able to notice the distinction in the flavor and the year and will truly appreciate the gift.
Whatever you ultimately decide on as a gift for the wine lover, just keep in mind, that drinking wine is more about the experience than anything else. Just because you buy someone several bottles of wine, doesn't mean that you are providing them with the experience. That is why it is important to take your time and consider the types of wine, talk to a specialist, and make sure that you are actually picking out something that will be memorable for that person.
