The Best Wines to Give in 2024

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One of the most universally-appreciated gifts, wine brings joy and festivity to any and every occasion. But which bottles, precisely, should you give? In this quick and easy guide, you’ll find Wine Enthusiast’s top recommendations. Need more intel? We’re pointing you toward deeper dives on various wine styles and types.

The Best Wine to Give: Champagne

A bottle of bubbly isn’t just for celebratory moments. Champagne is also an everyday luxury, both relatable and aspirational—which makes it an excellent gift to give. Even if the recipient doesn’t drink a bottle right away, it’s always good to have one on hand for when the mood strikes.

Wine Enthusiast Tasting Director and resident Champagne expert Anna-Christina Cabrales recommends a classic bottle of Blanc de Blanc—especially for holiday gifting.

“Just as the weather is crisp, I’m going to match that with what’s in the glass—something brisk and clean that feels almost like what you wish snow would taste like,” she says.

If you’re looking for an affordable alternative to Champagne, consider one of these beautiful Crémants de Bourgogne—a sparkling wine made the same way as Champagne, but from France’s famed Burgundy region. 

The Best Wine to Bring as a Guest

We all know better than to show up to a dinner party empty handed. Bringing a bottle of wine is one of the easiest ways to express gratitude to your host. This Sangiovese is a crowd pleaser: It’s food-friendly and goes with almost anything—especially great company.

If this red isn’t your style, we’ve got more great ideas about which wines you should bring to dinner as a hostess gift this year for occasions including traditional holiday meals, barbecues and grilling, seafood dinners, Italian night and more.

The Best Red Wine to Give

Wine Enthusiast Writer-at-Large Matt Kettmann went deep on the best red wines to give this year, but his philosophy and top recommendation are worthy of a callout here.

“Is the goal to impress with a fancy bottle, to educate with a new grape or region, to inspire future explorations in bottle or in person or to enhance their lives with a themed bottle?” Kettmann wrote. “Or is the gift merely to share sheer enjoyment of a wine that you already love? All are valid reasons for gifting wine.”

He shares Napa Valley Cabernets that are always popular gifts and suggests choosing a “blue chip” bottle, like this one.

Of course, a $200 bottle isn’t in everyone’s budget and not every red wine lover wants to drink Cabernet. Don’t worry: Kettmann’s other recommendations for gifts of Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Sangiovese, Bordeaux blends, Zinfandel and Rhône blends definitely have you covered.

The Best White Wine to Give

This year’s hottest wine trend is everything white—and especially “crisp whites.” Whether your giftee is a white wine devotee or likes to imbibe wines of every color, you’ll be a gifting champion by choosing from Wine Enthusiast’s list of best white wines to give. 

If you’re short on time, give this one a try—an organic cool-climate Chardonnay from Bonterra that will delight anyone who isn’t a fan of oak or butter bombs (think Chablis, not Napa). And at $35, it’s easy on your wallet, too.

The Best Sweet Wine to Give

Maybe your favorite wine lover can’t quit Moscato. The struggle is real. Or maybe your loved one sips on dessert wine as a special treat after a fancy dinner out or in front of the fireplace at home. Either way, the comfort that comes from sweet wines like Sauternes, late-harvest gems and Port is a wonderful thing to give someone.

A good bottle of dessert wine is both sweet and bright—these two parts are needed to prevent a wine from tasting cloying (and makes sweet wines great to pair with spicy food). With an array of options—from light and fruity Moscato to opulent Trockenbeerenauslese—there’s a sweet wine to suit every palate and occasion.

Our experts recommend this one as a perfect gift for anyone who enjoys sweet wine.

If you have trouble finding this bottle to give, check out our full list of the best sweet wines to give this year.

The Best No-Alcohol Wine to Give

Maybe you’ve heard your giftee mention that they’re avoiding alcohol, either temporarily or as a permanent lifestyle choice. That doesn’t mean you can’t give them a bottle of wine to enjoy, as there are now dozens of producers of actually good low- and no-alcohol wines, making them in every style you can imagine.

A good rule of thumb is that you should pick NA wines for gifts based on what your giftee likes to eat. Are they vegetarian? Try a dealcoholized white wine. Are they big meat eaters? Try a wine-alternative designed to pair with red meat. Not sure? You can’t go wrong with a bubbly option, like this one.

Need more options? We’ve rounded up the best NA wine, beer and spirits to give.

The Best Wine Tasting Gifts to Give

While we’ll never fault gifting a single bottle of wine, giving a tasting journey will likely be a more memorable present. After all, research has shown that experiences, not things, are the key to lasting joy. With that in mind, we rounded up the best wine-tasting gifts to give, from sampler kits to glassware and journals to record favorite vintages.

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Published: November 5, 2024