A toast to the hostess: Pick a gift that shows your appreciation
The time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is often filled with parties and celebrations. To show your appreciation for an invitation, you may want to bring a hostess gift to the next party or dinner you attend.
And while wine is often the go-to gift, you can make it extra special by creating it yourself, suggests Cheryl Lisi, wine enthusiast and co-owner of Let’s Make Wine, a store on Spring Street near Public Square that she opened a few months back with her husband, Jack. The couple sell wine-making supplies and kits, giving away advice as a bonus.
“Riesling is the most popular of the whites,” Lisi says.
“Reds are where you get the health benefits from the antioxidants and tannins. I can’t keep reds on the shelf,” she adds, swirling a red Sangiovese, a deep, dry, oaky Italian wine, in her glass.
“Through centuries, wine has been a part of our culture,” says Lisi. “It used to be a tradition that the way you welcomed someone to a new home was with a bottle of wine and a loaf of bread.”
Other wine-related accessories make fun hostess gifts as well, Lisi notes, pointing out the glasses, chalkboard trays, wine stoppers, glass charms and bottle lights she has in supply.
For someone who is looking to give the gift of wine, without having to make it, Will Merrell with Stones River Total Beverages offers a few suggestions for selecting a great bottle.
“Some of the most popular gift wines this year are from smaller vintages,” he notes.
The Biltmore Estate’s Christmas White is popular, as well as Duplin Christmas Red or Naughty and Nice, Merrell says.
“Pinot noirs are also a good choice because they go with foods and during the holidays you are typically enjoying larger meals,” Merrell says. “Try the Meiomi (pinot noir).”
Another popular choice Merrell says, is the Sophia Rosé, from the Francis Coppola label, “because it looks like a big bottle of perfume, which is nice for the ladies.”
“Wine is always a staple, of course,” for gift giving, agrees Polly Blair of Blackberry House, one of downtown Murfreesboro’s newest home accessories and furnishing stores, specializing in vintage pieces. “But I would also suggest something they can use again such as a soup tureen, a decorative pitcher they can serve drinks in or a set of mugs, something they will use on a regular basis when entertaining in the future.”
The hostess puts a lot of thought into her event, so you should put some thought into your gift, Blair says.
“You want to show your appreciation, but you may want to get something that will remind the hostess of you every time she uses it,” Blair says.
Other popular hostess gifts
• Flowers or plants
• Food, such as cookies, bread or spreads
• Candles, soaps or lotion
• Linens, such as napkins or dish towels
• Salts, spices or oils for cooking
• Chocolate or candy
• Coffee
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