If you want to give wine as a corporate gift, look for bottles that are high in quality and ready to drink.
How do you show your employees, colleagues, or clients how much you appreciate them? Giving wine as a corporate gift is one of the best ways to thank them for their hard work. Fine wine is a classic gift that appeals to a wide variety of people but also looks polished and professional. Some beautiful bottles, like non-vintage Krug Grande Cuvée 168th Edition, look so impressive that you don’t even need to wrap them in a bow.
However, while wines can make excellent corporate gifts, picking out the right wine is often a challenge. If you rarely talk about wine with your employees or coworkers, then you may not know which styles they prefer. This guide will help you suss out which wines they like to drink and offer a few tips on how to make a corporate gift truly memorable.
How to Find a Wine Your Colleagues Will Enjoy
Picking out wine as a corporate gift is much harder than picking out wine for friends or family. That’s because most of the conversations you have with your colleagues typically revolve around work. How do you find out which wines they like if you’ve never talked to them about wine before?
One way to get this information is by starting the conversation yourself. Ask them whether they’ve had any great wines lately or if they’ve ever been to a wine tasting. These icebreaker questions should give you a better idea of which wine styles they tend to buy for themselves. Another way to get this information is to ask them what wine they think makes a great gift. You can frame this as a hypothetical question. For example, you might ask your colleague for advice on which wine you should give to a friend over the holidays. Chances are, they’re going to suggest a wine that they enjoy themselves. It will be a pleasant surprise when, weeks or months later, they receive that same wine from you as a gift.
The key to giving wine as a corporate gift is not only to tailor the gift to the recipient’s tastes, but also to make the gift feel special.
When you ask these kinds of questions, you’ll usually get a basic idea of which wines your employees or peers like. You likely won’t know exactly which vintages, producers, or labels they prefer, especially if they’re casual wine drinkers, but you can use this basic information as a springboard for gift ideas. If you know they love bold California Cabernet Sauvignon, consider getting them a finer version of what they already drink. Buy wine from a highly-rated producer, like Joseph Phelps, or start by looking for top-quality Cabernet vintages. You could also look into getting them an especially rare bottle from a cult California estate. The key to giving wine as a corporate gift is not only to tailor the gift to the recipient’s tastes, but also to make the gift feel special; choosing rare wine from an excellent producer and vintage is a great way to do that.
Which Wines Make the Best Gifts?
The wines that make the best corporate gifts usually have a few characteristics in common, such as:
- High in quality: The vintage or producer is exceptional.
- Rare or unusual: The wine isn’t easily found in most wine shops.
- Easy-drinking or mature: The wine should be ready to drink right now (unless your employee or colleague is a wine collector who has a home cellar or uses professional storage).
- Within budget: Consider your company’s gift-giving policy or ethics guidelines. Many companies limit the amount you can spend on gifts, so if this is the case, you’ll need to choose wines that aren’t overly expensive.
Here are a few examples of wines that make excellent corporate gifts, based on different price points:
Wines Under $60
Reds and Sweet Reds:
Whites and Sweet Whites:
- 2017 Domaine Huet Haut Lieu Vouvray Le Haut Lieu Demi-Sec
- 2015 Michael Mondavi Family Animo Sauvignon Blanc Heritage
Sparkling:
Wines Under $100
Reds and Sweet Reds:
Whites and Sweet Whites:
- 2016 Royal Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos Betsek Single Vineyard
- 2014 Domaine Serene Chardonnay Côte Sud Vineyard
- 2015 Donum Chardonnay Carneros
Sparkling:
- 2009 Billecart-Salmon Extra Vintage Brut
- NV Champagne Valentin Leflaive Brut Rosé
- 2014 Pierre Gimonnet Brut Special Club
Wines Under $150
Reds and Sweet Reds:
Whites and Sweet Whites:
- 2017 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
- 2018 Louis Jadot Domaine des Héritiers Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
- 2009 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Saint Urbain Rangen SGN Grand Cru
Sparkling:
- 2014 Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Spécial Club Cramant Grand Cru Brut
- 2007 Billecart-Salmon Brut Cuvée Nicolas-François Billecart
- 2015 Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Spécial Club Oger Grand Cru Brut
Wines Under $200
Reds and Sweet Reds:
Whites and Sweet Whites:
- 2016 Château D’Yquem
- 2017 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Blanchot
- 2018 Château D’Yquem
Sparkling:
- 2004 Taittinger Brut Comtés De Champagne Blanc De Blancs
- 2007 Gosset Extra Brut Celebris Rosé
- 2012 Vilmart et Cie Rosé Emotion 1er Cru
All of the wines above received excellent scores from professional wine critics. They’re also not usually easy to find in wine shops, so it’s likely your gift recipient hasn’t come across these specific wines before. You can be sure that your gift will stand out.
How to Package Wine as a Corporate Gift
Once you’ve found the perfect bottle or bottles, you’ll need to wrap your gift. While you can simply hand your gift recipient an unwrapped bottle of wine, it’s often better to personalize the gift a bit more using beautiful packaging, a hand-written card, or by creating a customized gift basket like a wine tasting gift set. Personalization is especially important if you plan on giving everyone in the office the same bottle of wine. This is a good time to buy wine by the case, as it’s easier and sometimes more cost-effective than buying different individual bottles for every employee. However, giving everyone the same bottle of wine is inherently less personal, so if you plan on doing this, think about adding an additional gift or trinket that is unique to each recipient. Custom wine-related gifts like monogrammed wine glasses or bottle openers add a level of personalization.
Wine gift cards allow your employees or colleagues to pick out their own wines.
Another option is to offer wine shop gift cards or a membership to a wine club instead. These gifts are good options if you aren’t sure exactly which wine to buy. Wine gift cards allow your employees or colleagues to pick out their own wines, which means you can be confident that everyone is getting something they’ll enjoy. If you include another small custom gift or a handwritten card in the package, a gift card can still feel very personal and thoughtful.
Whether you hand-pick the perfect bottle or give your colleague a gift certificate, your recipient will appreciate the gesture. Colleagues and employees play an important role in your professional life, so why not show them some gratitude with an exceptional bottle of wine?
Whether you are starting your high-end wine collection or adding to an established portfolio, Vinfolio is your partner in buying, selling, and professional storage. Contact us today to get access to the world’s finest wine.
