Gourmet Gift of the Day Blog

Bottled in the height of grape-crushing season, this Napa Valley Cabernet has a full-bodied flavor that compliments the foodstuffs included.  The dark willow basket includes a bottle of Avalon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Ghirardelli chocolates, pecan chocolate chip cookies, gourmet nuts, California crisps crackers, creamy jack cheese and beef salami.  This basket was a great gift for my aunt and uncle – who had lived in California for years but just recently returned to the midwest.  They sponsored my son in so he could attend summer camp and this was a great way to thank them.  We found the gourmet basket for $65 at All About Gifts & Baskets.

For my uncle’s 50th birthday, my family went together and sent him a half dozen bottles of wine with personalized labels.  We were able to choose a sentimental message for the bottles, and we knew it was something he would really enjoy.  There is an expansive selection of wines to choose from, and the prices are very affordable.  The only downside is that wines cannot be shipped to every state because of the individual state’s alcohol shipping rules.

We ordered 6 bottles of a 2006 Stephen Vincent Chardonnay, complete with a personalized birthday label, for $13.99 per bottle.

Plan a romantic week-end getaway and tuck this gift tote inside your luggage, to be opened at just the right time!  This neat leather-trimmed tote is actually an insulated carrier that comes with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne and two slender flutes.  The champagne is described as “a perfect example of harmony between between delicacy and power”.  I describe it as simply divine!  The light and crisp flavor makes it one of my favorites, which is why this tote is on my birthday list this year!  The unique gift set is available for $97, but can only be shipped to select states because of interstate shipping regulations.

I have to thank my girlfriend Jodie for introducing me to Paella.  She is more adventurous than I am, and a few weeks ago she convinced me to try a new Spanish dish that she made in her cooking class.  The dish is served in a large wok-type pan (called a palleras), and contained rice, shrimp, lobster, vegetables and spicy seasonings.  It looked great and tasted delicious (although a bit spicy).  Luckily, Jodie and I also shared a bottle of our favorite wine with dinner to cool the spices.  Since then I have wanted to make paella myself so I have been searching for a paella pan online.  I did find the pan, and during my search I also found that one of my favorite websites offers a Paella Gift Set – complete with wine!  Unfortunately I couldn’t order this for myself (wine cannot be shipped to Minnesota), but I thought the set was a great idea for a wedding gift.  The gift set contains the paella pan, paella rice, saffron, spicy paprika, Spanish tapas plates for serving and a bottle of Campo Viejo Tempranillo Reserva Rioja.  If you know an adventurous couple who enjoys new flavors, this gift set is a great deal at $76 plus shipping.  Just make sure that they will be home when you send it because gifts with alcohol require an adult signature for delivery.

My uncle Lyle loves microbrews.  He spends a lot of his vacation time searching out microbreweries that produce uncommonly flavored, but very tasty beer.  During his journeys, he has found coffee-flavored beer, chocolate-flavored beer, and even jalapeno-flavored beer.  He doesn’t have a favorite microbrew, I think he enjoys the challenge more than the conquest.  I’m hoping that I have found some more unique flavors to add to my uncle’s conquest list.  Beergifts.com offers a number of beer gift baskets, beer glasses and beer boxes, including this Microbrew Gift Basket.  The basket includes chips and salsa, gourmet nuts, cheese sticks, party snack mix, and an assortment of 6 domestic microbrews.  This sampler basket sells for $75 plus $14.95 for ground shipping.

Beer cannot be shipped to GA, KY, MD, MA, OK, TN and UT because of state restrictions.  if you choose to order a beer gift, make sure that you ship to an address where someone over 21 is available to sign because the shipper cannot leave alcohol without a signature.

This elegant wine gift highlights the fruits of California wineries and makes an exquisite presentation for an important client or esteemed colleague.  I ordered this item as a special thank you gift when my husband’s boss offered him a great business opportunity.  I knew he was a wine connoisseur, and thought it was the least we could do to show our appreciation.  My husband said that his boss showed this gift to the entire department, and raved about how delicious the food items were!  He also told my husband that he enjoyed the rich flavors of the wine selections.  I was glad that this gift was such a hit, and would highly recommend ordering it as a thank you or housewarming gift.  All About Gifts & Baskets offers this gift for $140, and also has an extensive collection of other wine gifts so you can find one that fits your needs.

This container in this gift is actually a leather magazine rack, and the items included are:

• Sesame Pepper Crostini Crackers
• White Zinfandel Havarti Cheese
• Spanish Olives
• Cheese Straws
• Cabernet Biscuits
• Torn Ranch Mixed Nuts
• Biscotti Cookies
• Mocha Truffles
• California Cabernet Sauvignon
• California Old Vine Zinfandel
• California Chardonnay
• California Sauvignon Blanc
• Wine Corkscrew

Perfect for a housewarming gift, wedding present or to celebrate a great achievement, this gourmet gift contains wine, cheese, and a few extra treats.

Presented in a harvest-themed gift box, All About Gifts & Baskets highlights the fruit of California with California Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Sonoma Jack Cheese Spread, water crackers, beef salami, Spanish olives, Napa Valley mustard, spicy cocktail almonds and amaretto almond cookies.

Listed as the Perfect Pairing of Wine and Cheese, I would have to agree that the food in this gift box pair perfectly with the wine selections and create a divine dining experience!

Wine lovers will be thrilled to receive this gorgeous wine gift sampler filled with 2 bottles of California wines and a bounty of gourmet goodies. We ordered this gift basket directly from All About Gifts & Baskets and shipped it directly to our office in Virginia. Unfortunately, they only ship their wine baskets to 18 states which is likely due to laws prohibiting the shipment of alcohol across the borders of certain states. Be that as it may, if your gift recipient lives in one of those 18 states where this gift can be sent, it is an excellent choice.

The gift basket arrived wrapped in cellophane and then topped with a large sheer burgundy bow inside a large corrugated cardboard shipping box. It came via FedEx and a signature was required because it contained alcohol. The presentation was beautiful. The wine selections were some of the best from California with a red Cabernet Sauvignon and a white Zinfandel.  It contained all the items specified on the website and they were all tasty. The re-usable rattan basket sits atop one of our desks and holds all the paperwork headed to the shredder so it no longer looks unsightly.  We give this gift two thumbs up!