Thanksgiving Wine Gifts for After the Guests Leave
For a Thanksgiving host who enjoys wine, start with a gift they can use without organizing another gathering. A wine-only set is a strong choice when the house will already be full of leftovers. Add chocolates when the household would welcome more sweets, or choose wine with personal-care items when you want the thank-you to reach beyond the kitchen.
Picture the people who will use the gift once the extra chairs are folded away. A couple with a refrigerator full of leftovers and a household with several chocolate lovers may have hosted equally large dinners, yet appreciate very different thank-you gifts.
First decide whether you are bringing dinner wine or a host gift
If you promised to bring wine for dinner, ask the host what the meal needs and follow through. A thank-you gift is a separate decision. Emily Post's wine-gifting guidance says guests should not expect a host to serve their bottle that evening; the host may already have chosen wines for the meal.
That distinction changes how you shop. Dinner wine needs to work with the menu and number of guests. A host gift can be sized for the people who live there and chosen for another occasion entirely. A table for twelve does not automatically call for a twelve-person gift basket.
Wine sets for the house with plenty of food already
Think of the refrigerator the morning after Thanksgiving: containers stacked on containers, half a pie waiting for a plate, someone asking where the mustard went. In that household, another elaborate food assortment may be less useful than bottles the host can keep for later.
FromYouFlowers.com's Red & White Wine Duo contains a 750 mL Pinot Noir and a 750 mL Chardonnay, with a complimentary gift message. It gives a host two wine styles without adding snacks to sort or a food spread to assemble. Choose this when you want the wine itself to carry the thank-you.
For a host who would also enjoy sparkling wine, look at FTD's California Wine Collection, selecting the Red, White & Sparkling Wine option. That configuration contains three 750 mL bottles: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling wine, presented in a gift box with a message.
The third bottle earns its place if sparkling wine adds something the host will actually use. Both sets keep the gift focused on wine. Pick the duo for a simpler thank-you; pick the trio for the additional style, rather than as a way to match a larger Thanksgiving guest list.
Wine and chocolates for the household that welcomes more sweets
A whole dessert asks the household to find room for another dish. Individual chocolates offer a different format: the host can take a few pieces rather than serve an entire dessert. That can suit someone who likes a sweet finish but has already spent the holiday slicing and plating.
ProFlowers' Gourmet Chocolates & Wine Gift, in the Sparkling Wine option, includes one 750 mL bottle and a 28-piece, one-pound chocolate assortment in a gift box. A complimentary message is included.
A pound of chocolates is still a generous food gift. Consider how many chocolate eaters live in the household and whether they would welcome more sweets after the pie is gone. For a host who enjoys a few chocolates at a time, the format is appealing; for someone already giving desserts away, choose the wine-only set instead.
If you know the host has food allergies, get the assortment's ingredient and allergen details before choosing it. The wine-only duo or trio above keeps the gift focused on wine when the chocolate selection is uncertain.
Wine with personal care items when the kitchen has had enough attention
Some hosts would welcome a thank-you that has nothing to do with feeding the household. GiftBasketStore.com's Uncork & Unwind Sparkling Wine & Spa Gift Box combines a 750 mL sparkling wine with lavender soap, shea body cream with a spoon, a shower steamer and a scented candle.
This makes sense for someone you know enjoys scented personal-care products. Its companion items can become part of the recipient's ordinary routine, rather than adding to the holiday food supply. Choose it because you can picture the host using the soap, cream or candle, alongside enjoying the wine.
For hosts who avoid fragrance, the wine-only options are a more considered choice. Adding personal-care products is worthwhile when those products fit the person, not simply because the box contains more things.
Let the host choose when to enjoy it
“For you to enjoy whenever you like” is enough to explain the gift. It leaves the host free to open it with guests or keep it for another day. If you are sending it, check the selected product's destination eligibility and adult-signature requirements before ordering. Coordinate a receiving day with the host rather than assuming a holiday doorstep drop will work.
Choose for the household that remains after dinner: bottles when food is already plentiful, chocolates for a household happy to have more sweets, or wine with personal-care items for a host who welcomes them. Then let the thank-you belong to the recipient's calendar.