Believe it or not, the holidays are right around the corner and it’s time to start thinking about preparing for the festivities with everyone’s favorite beverage: wine, of course!
Diane Nozik is a top consultant with WineShop at Home, a company that hosts Napa Valley-style wine tastings right in your living room and curates some of the highest-quality wine that comes out of the United States. She’s been working in the wine industry for over 12 years – and if anyone knows how to prepare for the holidays with plenty of the right kind of wine, it’s her.
Check out Diane’s top tips for holiday prepping so you’re never caught unprepared for a celebration!
Tip #1: Order Your Bubbly Early
Truly, keeping a half or whole case of sparkling wine on hand during the holiday season is never a bad idea. Not only is it an extremely popular tradition to drink sparkling wine on Thanksgiving and New Years’ (people tend to drink lighter and sweeter wines at parties), but during the holidays you never really know what or who you’ll be celebrating next!
I personally think that everything is better with bubbly – and really, it’s like the little black dress of wine gifts. Make sure to order your sparkling wine early (I recommend September/October) so it doesn’t become a last-minute source of stress.
The best way to chill your bubbly and keep it cold? An ice bucket that is 2/3 ice, 1/3 water and a heaping tablespoon of salt, it will chill the wine fast and keep it cold all night long!
Tip #2: Make Holiday Gifting a Cinch
Wine is the easiest gift to give, and people love to receive it! Have extra bottles on hand to give your service providers at the end of the year as a thank you for their hard work. I’m talking about your hair stylist, your FedEx guy, your nail professional, your house-cleaner… all the people who make your life better throughout the year. Trust me, they will appreciate the wine during what is probably THEIR busy season!
Tip #3: Stock Up on Your Least Favorite Color
If you love white wine, keep a few bottles of red in the cellar for last-minute gifts. When you’re headed out to a party after a busy day, you can easily nab one of the bottles of red without feeling sad to give away your favorite wine!
Honestly, having extra wine on hand for those hurried rushes out the door makes you seem prepared and attentive to your hosts’ needs. And what a gift that is! Plus, then YOU have a few extra bottles for those late night wrapping sessions!
Tip #4: Consider a Custom Logo for Your Wine
Did you know that you can personalize WineShop at Home’s wine with a custom label? Yes! You can have a personalized wine label made for any of our wines with your family photo or simply a monogram. I love these because I can easily write, “Love the Nozik family!” on a bottle of our customized wine and it makes a beautiful and personalized gift for someone special.
Tip #5: Keep Wine Goodies on Hand
Throughout the year – but especially around the holidays – I keep wine glass writers in my kitchen drawer. These are similar to Sharpies, but they’re much prettier and you can write with them on glass and they won’t smear! I use them to mark bottles given to me (so I remember to send a thank-you note) and to write a personalized note on a bottle when I give it as a gift. (PSST! Find those wine glass writers HERE!)
Bonus Tip: Stay Safe & Drink Lots of Water!
At WineShop at Home, we obviously love wine but we also know how important it is to drink responsibility. So, indulge in your favorite wine this holiday season but don’t forget to drink a glass of water with each glass of wine you have, and of course, find a designated driver whenever you know you’re going to be drinking.
If you would like more information on WineShop at Home, click HERE to learn more.