Wine and Cheese Hampers - A Bestselling Favorite
Of all the gourmet hampers and gift baskets sold for local delivery to homes and businesses, the wine and cheese hamper is by far one of the most popular bestsellers.
For evergreen appeal, across all ages and backgrounds, the wine and cheese gift basket is almost synonymous with the whole concept of gift baskets.
Put simply, wine and cheese gifts are a category killer - everyone appreciates unwinding after a busy day sharing a wine and cheese platter with friends and family.
Here's a few things to consider before you send your next wine and cheese gift basket.
First things first - the most important single thing to consider when sending a wine and cheese hamper is the packaging - basket or box.
Personally, in my experience the basket cannot be bettered for authenticity, usefulness, ease of transport and that other x-factor that we might as well call the first impression.
On all these counts the basket makes the whole ensemble a winner by lending the gift that down home country feel, like the wine and cheese has just been put in the basket ad you are walking down to the riverbank.
Cardboard boxes may be cheaper, and more convenient for shipping, but far and beyond the most impressive is the basket.
If you have the opportunity to include your hamper in a basket, by all means take advantage of the basket and appreciate the overall impression it makes.
Boxes, may be cheaper, and you may even be told that a box allows more actual wine and cheese in the hamper, but that is missing the point of the whole gift giving experience.
Baskets are completely on theme and appropriate, without them the gift becomes products in a box.
Next, I would advise you to select you wine carefully - most people have a rudimentary understanding of the finer points of wine, and will be able to tell if you have chosen a bottle of cheaper wine.
For all purposes, invest in a step up from what you would normally expect to buy if you were going to drink it yourself.
In other words, if you are comfortable drinking wine on the $10 to $15 range, for the wine and cheese hamper I would expect you to include a $20 to $25 bottle of wine.
Because it is a gift, and because you care what the recipient thinks.
Again, in my experience people are confident to choose a red or white wine for their recipient, although they may not be so sure as to which varietal of grape they would prefer.
In most cases try not to stray too far outside what works for the mainstream orders - or just go with the best selling lines.
You want the recipient to actually drink the wine, not have it sitting on her shelf for years because none of her guests are exactly sure what a moscato is.
In the same vein, it is probably best to offer a soft cheese, like a brie or camembert, and a hard cheese, like a cheddar or edam.
Then you have covered the spectrum from a basic viewpoint and should be able to feel confident that your recipient will be making use of the cheese too.
Be careful your cheese is packed for long life and isn't exposed to too much variation in terms of temperature.
As for building on the gourmet hamper with extras, feel free to request platters, cheese knives, bottle openers, cork screws and the like for some further contextual authenticity.
It all goes a long way towards lending the wine and cheese hamper a lasting impression for the recipient.
Making the right decision with a wine a cheese hamper is about meeting your recipients' specific tastes and preferences, whilst keeping within your budget guidelines.
Just remember, the whole idea of the wine and cheese hamper is to stimulate good conversation, and some favorable memories of you, the person who ordered the hamper.
For evergreen appeal, across all ages and backgrounds, the wine and cheese gift basket is almost synonymous with the whole concept of gift baskets.
Put simply, wine and cheese gifts are a category killer - everyone appreciates unwinding after a busy day sharing a wine and cheese platter with friends and family.
Here's a few things to consider before you send your next wine and cheese gift basket.
First things first - the most important single thing to consider when sending a wine and cheese hamper is the packaging - basket or box.
Personally, in my experience the basket cannot be bettered for authenticity, usefulness, ease of transport and that other x-factor that we might as well call the first impression.
On all these counts the basket makes the whole ensemble a winner by lending the gift that down home country feel, like the wine and cheese has just been put in the basket ad you are walking down to the riverbank.
Cardboard boxes may be cheaper, and more convenient for shipping, but far and beyond the most impressive is the basket.
If you have the opportunity to include your hamper in a basket, by all means take advantage of the basket and appreciate the overall impression it makes.
Boxes, may be cheaper, and you may even be told that a box allows more actual wine and cheese in the hamper, but that is missing the point of the whole gift giving experience.
Baskets are completely on theme and appropriate, without them the gift becomes products in a box.
Next, I would advise you to select you wine carefully - most people have a rudimentary understanding of the finer points of wine, and will be able to tell if you have chosen a bottle of cheaper wine.
For all purposes, invest in a step up from what you would normally expect to buy if you were going to drink it yourself.
In other words, if you are comfortable drinking wine on the $10 to $15 range, for the wine and cheese hamper I would expect you to include a $20 to $25 bottle of wine.
Because it is a gift, and because you care what the recipient thinks.
Again, in my experience people are confident to choose a red or white wine for their recipient, although they may not be so sure as to which varietal of grape they would prefer.
In most cases try not to stray too far outside what works for the mainstream orders - or just go with the best selling lines.
You want the recipient to actually drink the wine, not have it sitting on her shelf for years because none of her guests are exactly sure what a moscato is.
In the same vein, it is probably best to offer a soft cheese, like a brie or camembert, and a hard cheese, like a cheddar or edam.
Then you have covered the spectrum from a basic viewpoint and should be able to feel confident that your recipient will be making use of the cheese too.
Be careful your cheese is packed for long life and isn't exposed to too much variation in terms of temperature.
As for building on the gourmet hamper with extras, feel free to request platters, cheese knives, bottle openers, cork screws and the like for some further contextual authenticity.
It all goes a long way towards lending the wine and cheese hamper a lasting impression for the recipient.
Making the right decision with a wine a cheese hamper is about meeting your recipients' specific tastes and preferences, whilst keeping within your budget guidelines.
Just remember, the whole idea of the wine and cheese hamper is to stimulate good conversation, and some favorable memories of you, the person who ordered the hamper.
