No matter what industry you're in, you can use wine and cheese gifts to impress your clients. By sending a prospective client a nice wine and cheese basket, you just might seal the deal. If you send current clients or recent clients one of these gifts, you'll show them that you care and you'll make a lasting impression.

Buying a premade wine and cheese basket can be quite pricey, though, and making them yourself can cut down on the cost a bit. Also, different clients like different things, and by creating baskets on your own, you can customize the contents and tailor each basket to each client. There are several supplies for wine & cheese gift baskets to consider before you get started:

1. Choose a wine that is sure to impress the client in question. The wine is typically the center of attention in wine and cheese baskets, so choose wisely.

2. Pick out cheese to complement the wine. Wine and cheese gift baskets can include multiple types of cheese so your client has a variety to select from.

3. Add some other things to the basket to impress your clients even more. In many cases, gourmet gift baskets include other items, both food and nonfood.

Action Steps
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Choose the centerpiece for your wine and cheese gift basket

The most important part of the gift basket is the wine itself. This is what will impress your clients the most, so choosing a good wine is imperative. Obviously, your budget will come into play here, but good wines don't have to break the bank. For smaller baskets, you can select just one bottle while bigger gifts can include two or three bottles.

I recommend: Learn how to choose a good wine at ewineplanet.com. Browse through wine critic Robert Parker's "100 Point Wines" at Wine-Searcher.

Pick some cheeses for your wine and cheese gift baskets

Cheese is obviously the other main feature of the basket. It needs to complement the wine and appeal to the individual client. If you're unsure of what your client prefers, pick a couple cheeses to include in the basket. It's wise to include both soft and hard cheeses to make sure your bases are covered.

I recommend: Artisanal Premium Cheese can help you choose a cheese based on the wine you've picked out. WineFetch also has a comprehensive guide to cheese and wine pairings to assist you in your decision.

Buy some other items for the cheese and wine basket you're making

In many cases, gift baskets do not just consist of wine and cheese. If you'd like to add something else to the mix, your options are virtually endless. You can include a special cheese knife or slicer, a corkscrew, crackers, coffee, candy or even nuts in the basket. It's best to choose something that complements the wine and cheese while keeping the recipient's taste in mind.

I recommend: Get some ideas from GourmetGiftBaskets.com and Mrs. Beasley's to help you decide on what to include in the basket you're making.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  The 'basket' part of the package does not have to be an actual basket. It can be a large aluminum tin, an attractive box or even something unique you find at home or at a yard sale. Use your imagination to make the cheese and wine gift baskets even more special.

Wine and cheese are a classic pair for gift giving year-round, and a wine and cheese basket is almost always an excellent choice for a family member, neighbor or business associate.

Wine and cheese gift baskets come in many varieties. You can shop by wine, by vineyard, by occasion or by price to find what you're looking for.

Make your choice of wine and cheese baskets easier by:

1. Looking at wide selections of wines and cheeses and narrowing down to your final selection.
   
2. Checking out connoisseur collections for more discriminating loved ones.
3. Taking advantage of the perks of ordering wine and cheese baskets.
4. Creating your own assortment if you can't find one that suits your needs or taste.

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Browse a wide selection of wine and cheese baskets

Wine and cheese are both common gourmet gifts to give, so browse the many arrangements that gift basket retailers have imagined.

I recommend: Wine and cheese basket retailers such as Wine Country Gift Baskets offer vast selections ranging from everyday favorite wines to rare boutique wines. As you browse the long list of gift baskets offerings, though, you can usually narrow by occasion, price or other limiting factors to help you choose.

Acquire a taste for gourmet gift baskets

If you're shopping for a discriminating palate, you may want to specifically look for so-called connoisseur baskets or luxury baskets, which are generally arranged by vineyard.

I recommend: Connoisseur baskets from Wine Country Gift Baskets and luxury baskets from GiftTree.com are types of wine and cheese basket that you know will be a hit with gourmet food lovers for any occasion. When browsing luxury wine and cheese gift baskets, you'll want to have some basic knowledge of vineyards in order to choose the best basket for your purpose.

Pick the perks that go along with gourmet gifts

You often can find free shipping offers, same day delivery or other perks to entice you to buy wine and cheese gift baskets.

I recommend: Some wine and cheese basket retailers offer free shipping across the board for all of their sales. Others such as FTD may offer free shipping on a regular basis and same day delivery (for a fee) for a cheese or wine gift basket. Free shipping may not be offered, so check the shipping information before ordering to ensure that you won't need to pay extra for adequate care and handling.

When you can't find the wine and cheese basket you want, create your own

Some wine and cheese basket retailers also offer the option of creating your own basket by picking out all of the pieces. They still put it together and ship it for you.

I recommend: If you're having trouble finding the exact combination of wine and cheese to suit your fancy, igourmet offers the opportunity to pick out every piece of your gift basket to ensure that you're completely satisfied. Or, if you just want to personalize the wine and cheese basket without picking everything out yourself, you can create personalized labels at Wine Etc. for the wine that you order.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Order well in advance when sending wine and cheese gift baskets for the holidays when many people go on vacation. By ordering in advance you can ensure that the basket will arrive on time and the recipient also will be available to receive the basket, which may contain perishable foods.

Marketing is an integral part of the overall strategy for any company and saving money on wine & cheese gift baskets can play a small in it. If your company sends out a large amount of gift baskets each year, saving just a few dollars on each one can make a significant difference. Conversely, if the company is small, every single dollar becomes even more important to the viability of the company.

Saving money on wine & cheese gift baskets is available through several different avenues. If money is tight but labor is plentiful, you can choose to construct the baskets in-house. However, most companies choose to outsource the purchase. In this case, most wine and cheese gift basket companies have a corporate or bulk discount program. Most of these accounts have minimum order requirements and some even charge a membership fee to enroll in their corporate program. Nevertheless, before you purchase any wine gift baskets, there a few items to consider:

1. Review the available corporate wine and cheese baskets programs.

2. Assemble your own wine and cheese gifts.

3. Take advantage of the bulk discount programs from wine and cheese basket companies.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Enroll in the wine and cheese gift basket corporate purchase programs

Most gift basket companies offer some form of corporate purchase program. Not only do these programs save you money, but they also offer the opportunity to customize the gift basket with marketing material from your company.

I recommend: Fill out the corporate program enrollment form at Wine Country Gift Baskets. Register for the business sales program available at Gift Baskets.com. Both of these companies offer the option of customizing the wine and cheese gift baskets.

Construct your own wine gift basket for the personal touch

Provided you have the expertise and manpower, assembling your own wine and cheese gift baskets is an excellent way to save money. In addition, you can customize each basket to fit an individual client's taste. Conversely, most wine and cheese gift basket companies only have a limited number of wine and cheese combinations from which to choose.

I recommend: Review the gift basket and accessories selections at the English Tea Store and Basket Ware. Examine the wine selection available at Woods Wholesale Wine. For the wholesale pricing on cheese, you can evaluate the offerings at Golden Age Cheese.

Purchase gourmet gift baskets in bulk to save money

If your company purchases a significant amount of gifts baskets each year, it's a good idea to enroll in a bulk discount program. Most bulk programs offer bigger discounts according to the more money that's spent on each purchase.

I recommend: Speak to a representative at Gift Baskets Resources about the bulk discount pricing program. Compare the bulk discount savings at Pro Flowers to the aforementioned gift basket company.

Whether you want to create a wine and cheese basket or buy one for an employee or client, knowing what to ask for and what to buy will make your business's wine and cheese basket stand out.

If you can learn the proper terminology surrounding wine and cheese, you'll be able to build or buy a superior wine and cheese basket.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Pairing

When talking about wine and cheese, pairing refers to the matching up of the right cheese to the right wine. You can find websites that can help you determine traditional pairs to include in your gift baskets.

I recommend: Artisanal Premium Cheese explains pairings as it relates to wine, champagne and beer. It also has an online selector that shows you how to pair wine and cheese.

100-point wine

A 100-point wine meets all the criteria of noted wine onephile Robert Parker. By his definition, it's a perfect wine. Including this type of wine in your gift baskets can allow you to price them higher.

I recommend: To learn more, visit eRobertParker.com, which defines the criteria for a 100-point wine.

Chardonnay, merlot, port

While some people see wine as either white or red, wines come in hundreds of varieties from the light-flavored white zinfandel to the heavy sweetness of a port wine. Before selecting a bottle or two for a wine and cheese gift basket, learn the basic differences in the varieties. You may want to use more than one type of wine, especially if they compliment each other.

I recommend: WineIntro.com defines each of the most popular varieties of wine. Visit its website to learn more about each variety.

Artisanal cheese

Artisanal cheese is cheese made by hand in small batches. You can find artisanal cheese made using traditional methods.

I recommend: The Nibble has a complete definition of artisanal cheese.

Aged and affineur

Aged cheeses are older cheeses; typically an affineur cures the cheese for longer than six months.

I recommend: The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board explains the process of aging, or curing, cheese and offers information on affineurs.

Brie, Roquefort

Just as with wine, hundreds of cheese varieties exist. The labels on a piece of cheese often don't give you any clue how the cheese will taste, so learn the difference between Roquefort and Brie, which are salty and sharp as opposed to soft and creamy, respectively. This can help you pair the best cheese with the right wine.

I recommend: Lynne's Country Kitchen defines many different varieties of cheese and goes into some detail about how each one should taste.