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Wine baskets are truly the gifts that keep on giving. In addition to containing delicious bottles of wine, which are perfect for popping now or later, the best and most festive wine gift baskets are riddled with wine-adjacent treats like cheese boards (for your wine and cheese nights), wine gadgets (for opening that bottle of vino) and more items that promise moments of enjoyment far beyond simply receiving the initial gift. What better way to add a personal touch than by building one of your own?
However, there are important considerations for DIY-ing your own wine basket. After choosing the bottle (and of course, the perfect basket), there are a few staple items that needn’t be missed—and a number of iffy items that can probably be skipped. Not sure where to begin?
We talked to the pros to learn how to build the best at-home wine basket possible. The answers are in!
First Thing’s First: Wine
The key word in wine basket is “wine,” so homing in on the vino is a great place to start. Sarah Tracey, sommelier and lifestyle expert at The Lush Life, says that the best wines to gift are ones with a story you can share. “I recommend picking bottles from a winery you have visited or a region you’ve traveled, or even somewhere your giftee has traveled, so as to bring back special memories,” she says. Some great options are wines from Bordeaux and Australia or Italian or Burgundy wines, or bottlings by female winemakers or Black-owned wine labels.
