subject: California White Wine Gift Baskets [print this page] Chardonnay remains the most popular white wine in the country, and California chardonnay remains one of the best bottles to include in wine gift baskets for friends. If you don't know what they like or hope they'll be able to share with a spouse or friend, it's the perfect start to a gift. But of course, it's never right to give just one bottle of wine in a gift basket, so you have to figure out what other white California varietals make sense for your situation.
There are at three different routes you can take when putting together wine gift baskets. The easiest is to throw two bottles and some snacks together in simple combinations that will be fine. This isn't a bad way to go about it, but you won't have as much fun putting things together and it doesn't encourage an interesting conversation about the drinking experience later on.
The second thing to do is try and create an entire package that synergizes so the two bottles compliment the food in a natural progression. It's all about the experience and enjoying the sensations. If you're starting with a California chardonnay, your other elements can't be too strong or they'll overpower the light body of the wine and it's soft subtle flavors, which can include pineapples and other similar fruits, oaky and minerally notes, or even a warm, buttery, nutty taste if it has aged. Mild cheese, oily snacks like olives, and comparable fruits all work. The other white wine varietal you pick should complement the same foods but from a different direction.
The final strategy to take is to include wines that will excite the gift basket recipient by expanding their palette. You should start with a chardonnay in this case as well, but try to find one that is distinctly Californian or in some other way expands and reinterprets this traditional European grape. A simple and easily defensible choice for the other bottle is Sauvignon Blanc. Not only is it one of the other white California varietals that enjoys decent popularity, but it also enjoys slightly more body and bolder flavors, though less crispness than Chardonnay. It's a perfect example of a California wine because the sauv blanc grapes express themselves so differently based on where they're grown and what other practices the grower and winemaker use. And of course, as a stronger white wine, it immediately introduces some variety into the drinking experience.
The other option is Pinot Grigio, which has gained some popularity recently due to frequent mention on a few television shows. It's popular because it tends to have a stronger sweetness, and slightly less body, making this wine enjoyable for new wine drinkers. If you're going to put together interesting wine gift baskets and decide to include a Pinot Grigio, you should take pains to make sure it's a good bottle that won't overwhelm the drinker with sugar and fruit following the chardonnay.
Wine gift baskets are most enjoyable when the giver spends some time figuring out which white wine varietals to include and coming up with a theme or focus for the gift. This allows the recipient to have a full experience when consuming the wine and related snacks, which is always preferable in the world of wine.
