Looking for the Perfect Dinner Party Hostess Gift? Take a Bottle of Wine

Coming up with hostess gifts can sometimes be challenging. If you're invited to a dinner party, one of the best (and easiest) hostess gift ideas is wine, assuming of course that the person holding the party enjoys wine. A good bottle of wine doesn't have to cost a fortune, and presenting a bottle of wine to someone who has extending a kind and generous invitation to you can be an excellent way to express your gratitude.

What Type of Wine Should I Take?

If you know what your host or hostess is serving for dinner, you can select a wine that will be a great match for the evening's meal. If you aren't an expert on pairing wines with different types of foods, check out the great Wine and Food Pairing Tool at Nat Decants, the official website for Natalie MacLean, accredited sommelier and author of Red, White, and Drunk All Over. Even if you don't know what is on the menu for the party, wine can make an excellent hostess gift. If the wine you select isn't a great match for that evening's meal, it will certainly keep for another occasion!

How Do I Know if I'm Choosing a "Good" Wine?

Selecting a wine to give to someone else can be somewhat intimidating. If you aren't knowledgeable about wine, it can be difficult to know which wines are "good" and which ones really aren't fit for gift giving. If you want to take advantage of free expert advice regarding wine selection, visit the Wine Picks tool on Natalie MacLean's site. Information provided includes detailed product information, quality rating (score out of 100 possible points), descriptive comments, and pricing information. It's great to be able to see an expert's take on wines in a wide variety of price ranges before making a selection. You'll be pleasantly surprised to see an array of affordable wines included in this feature.

Where to Purchase Wine

One of the reasons that wine makes such an excellent hostess gift is that it is easy to find just about anywhere. If you forget to pick up a gift ahead of time, you can always stop by your local wine and spirits store en route to the party. Many supermarkets even carry excellent selections of good wine.

Something to Remember You By

If you want to give the hostess something that will last long past the time that the bottle of wine has been consumed, you may want to consider giving one or more wine accessories to your gift. For example, a high-quality corkscrew, a nice set of wine charms, or even a wine coaster can be excellent complements to a bottle of wine.