The Gift Exchange

Here we are with the last days of summer upon us. This is always a somewhat sad time of year for me, knowing that (at least here in the North West) we will only sporadically see the sun in the next 8-9 months. Like a lot of others, I’m determined to absorb as much Vitamin D in the next few weeks as possible. With the help of GiftTree I’msure we can accomplish that. For all you dog lovers out there summer is truly complete with the Cesar’s Way Gift Basket. A barbeque or picnic is instantly an event with the two selections of Dog Tail Vineyards wines; one red and one white, tennis balls, and gourmet treats for you and pooch. If that sounds good, and you have a picnic in mind then another great idea would be to invest in our Picnic Stix wine holders, which are a genius way to eliminate the problem of spilled drinks while picnicking at the park, beach or in your own back yard. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and if you are looking for any other last chance summer gifts, check out our Summer Gift Section!

Cyrenaic hedonism - Founded by Aristippus of Cyrene, Cyrenaics supported immediate gratification. “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” Even fleeting desires should be indulged, for fear the opportunity should be forever lost. There was little to no concern with the future, the present dominating in the pursuit for immediate pleasure. Cyrenaic hedonism encouraged the pursuit of enjoyment and indulgence without hesitation, believing pleasure to be the only good.

If this is your motto then the The Caymus Showcase is definitely the gift you want to give either to your fellow hedonist or yourself. Filled with three wines rated 94 points by both Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate, it also has goodies such as the Auberge Camembert cheese spread, Aaron Bell Seasoned Crackers, Saraivanov Smoked Salmon, and Signature Caviar. Then on top of all that it also has sweets!

And if that’s not enough for you, you can have the ribbon personalized to say your name or the very lucky person’s name who will be receiving it, and then have it delivered next day. So even if your just someone who enjoys the finer things in life or you’re succumbing to your inner Cyrenaic hedonist, this is indulgence at it’s very best.

Any true wine enthusiast can attest to the importance of the correct glassware for tasting wine, and even those who do not consider themselves to be experts on the matter will recognize larger, rounder glasses for red wines and narrower glasses for whites.

The shape of the glass is very important as a specific shape will best concentrate the flavor and aroma to emphasize the varietal’s characteristic. Some also believe that the shape of the glass directs the wine itself into the best area of the mouth for tasting a certain varietal.

There many different types of wine glasses, some specific to a single varietal such as Pinot Noir. For this reason, wine glasses make an excellent wine gift for the wine enthusiast. By being able to expand their wine collection (including stemware, accessories, etc) and for the purpose of enhancing the wine drinking process, wine hobbyists always appreciate receiving wine glasses. Or most of the time…one of our wine reps said that he has two full cabinets full of wine glasses and that his wife was about to start breaking them!

If you aren’t sure of which glass goes with which wine, start with the classic champagne flute. We offer a pair of lovely Mikasa flutes with our Dom Perignon Experience.

Amber Brooks - Customer Service Representative

Recently I’ve purchased 2 of the Grand Estates Wine Duets and I gotta tell you I love this gift! I gave one to my mother-in-law for her birthday and one to my uncle for a retirement gift.

This set has a bottle of Columbia Crest Grand Estate Merlot and Columbia Crest Chardonnay. (This amazing duet features one of “Wine Spectator” magazine’s Top 100 Choices for 2007.) It comes in one of the best keepsake boxes I’ve ever seen, and my mother-in-law reused the box and filled it herself for a gift for someone else! My Uncle said that he just cannot get over the way it was delivered all neatly placed inside the gift box. He said that it is one of a kind. This gift can be used for any occasion and the price is very reasonable. So if you have to get a gift for that special person in your life, this one is great no matter who’s on your list!

The older that I get, the more I realize how important family is, and that my family is really fun to hang out with! Growing up, especially as a teenager, I didn’t want to hang out with them. I wanted to spend time with my friends, not my embarrassing parents and siblings! Now I have a great time with them joking around and reminiscing about the good ol’days. Well, it just so happens that August is Family Fun Month. Just think of all the things to do with your family during August. Having big barbecues, going to the beach maybe a road trip or two.

My family is big on picnics. We go on probably 10 picnics each summer, oddly enough none of us own a picnic basket. So for my parents’ upcoming anniversary, I’m thinking about getting them the California Wine Gift Basket and maybe at least one of the picnics that we go on will include a picnic basket. So, how do you and your family have fun together? Do you have any special trips that you take or activities that everyone likes to do? I’d love to hear about them!

Especially when it comes to wine! Gift Tree has just introduced some fantastic little wine duos at really great prices. Take for example the Taste of Spain duo. What could be more perfect for the wine drinker on your list? Whether it’s corporate gifts or thank you gifts, you are sure to find an occasion for these delightful duos.

I guess I am just at that age and place in my life where everyone that is in my circle of friends and even my self are getting married. I am of course starting to think about my wedding, I have four friends planning their weddings, and my sister is getting married this September. WOW! That got me thinking, September is next month, and I need to get a gift for my sister. ……where did this year go anyway?

My sister is not your typical girl. She is a welder by profession, and has played professional women’s football for the New England Intensity. Needless to say she is not at all girly, nor Frilly, lacy, pink, or pretty anything!  I think that the best way to go as far as gifts is to get them something classy and neutral.

I really like our Engraved Toasting Flutes. It’s a gift they can actually use during the wedding, and then use for special occasions and their anniversaries. I also like the Engraved Frame. I can have their names and the date of their wedding engraved on the frame so they could of course put their wedding picture in it, and who knows a couple years down the road that little date reminder might come in handy!

When you think of properly storing wine, do you envision dark, dank cellar halls in the basement of a French chateau? Maybe you see a custom-built, humidity-controlled wood and glass enclosure in the basement of a Hollywood Hills home? It doesn’t have to be quite so complicated or elaborate. In fact, nearly every home has a place optimal for storing and bottle-aging wines.

First, why store? Many red wines and nearly all white wines and champagnes are ready to be consumed immediately. However, most red wines will significantly benefit from aging in the bottle as flavors and aromas improve and develop over time. Also, it is often worthwhile to buy a case of a young red wine and store it until it is aged completely. You’ll get a great deal on the price of the wine in the end. Plus, a wine in its prime makes a fabulous wine gift. Read the rest of this entry »

The next time you have a cocktail party, why not consider impressing your guests – or perhaps scaring the daylights out of them – by opening a bottle of champagne using the sabrage technique. Sabrage, or the art of opening a bottle of champagne with a saber, is actually not scary at all, but actually quite beautiful and ceremonious. Now swinging a saber around and trying to open the next bottle after drinking the last two bottles of champagne may be a little scary, but we trust that you have better judgment than that…

How does it work, you ask? The saber is slid along the body of the champagne bottle towards the neck. The blade’s force hits the lip of the bottle to break the glass, effectively separating the collar from the neck. It’s that easy, and the top of the bottle just pops right off with cork and collar remaining together. Here are some tips if you would like to try it out: Read the rest of this entry »

Recently I was out celebrating a birthday with a girlfriend, and we went to one of her favorite French restaurants in downtown Portland. I don’t think I will ever forget the aroma that greeted us when we walked through the door. It was sheer heaven! As we were seated I couldn’t help but notice the diffusers on each little table, and it immediately reminded me of the Reed Diffuser for the Wine Lover set that we have here at GiftTree. You never know where something like this will come in handy. For corporate gifts, housewarming gifts, wine gifts or just about anything gifts. If you know someone who appreciates the aroma of fine wine, then this gift makes scents