Enduring gifts
It is the time of year when we all head out to find the best gift for our favorite clients, friends, family and all those who help us throughout the year — from personal trainers to hair stylists. Many times our thoughts and ideas turn to alcohol or other consumables as a gift. It would be odd for us to advise against buying wine, but one of the keys for any of us is to find a gift that endures. Wine and other consumables, for lack of a better description, get consumed! There are many gifts for the wine enthusiasts on our gift list that last beyond the bottle and will keep you in the forefront of your recipients thoughts throughout the year.
One of our most popular gift items that is great for friends, family or professional contacts is our line of monogrammed glassware. Everything from stemless wine glasses to double old fashioned or whiskey glasses, beer glasses, ice buckets and wine decanters all are embossed with a beautiful pewter monogram. Ranging from $18.50 per glass for all styles, to $65 for the ice bucket, this is a gift that not only endures, but also shows a personal touch and a genuine forethought that will impress your recipients.
For the first time this year we are carrying a line of glassware paired with wines designed to appeal to your recipient’s passions. This unique glassware with a bullet, fishing lure or golf ball embedded in the glass are paired with a bottle of Ammunition Red, Saviah Big Sky Cuvee or Ernie Els Big Easy Red to appeal to the hunter, fisherman or golfer on your list. Glasses retail for $21.50 per glass and the wines range from $25 up to $50 per bottle for a great package gift.
One of the biggest hits this year for stocking stuffers for every wine consumer is the Capabunga. Retailing for $5, these silicon wine closures are leak proof, allowing for storage of an open bottle on its side. The “caps” come with designs of dog paws, moose, mountain ranges and even the outline of Idaho!
Speaking of Idaho, we have consistently expanded our collection of Idaho items. Tea towels with the outline of the state, and the center filled in with everything from fishing flies to wine bottles and a heart placed over Coeur d’Alene are very popular gifts. We also have stemless wine glasses and shot glasses with the same design of the state map and a heart over our home area in many different colors that remain extremely popular. The tea towels are $20 and the glasses $15.
We never want to forget our furry friends at the holidays either, so our full line of “Idaho Dog” scarves and collars will sure be a hit for your “best friend.” The collars are $18.95 and the scarves are $12.
There are still folks on all of our gift lists that are so challenging to buy for. We can meet that need. If you can learn what varietal of wine is their favorite, we will help you find the perfect bottle for them. We carry wine from $10 all the way up to some of the hardest to find collector bottles, and can pair that wine with your recipient. A fun and interesting choice for that person on your list is a one-year subscription to our wine club. Our wine club is quarterly. So, four times per year, your recipient will receive three bottles of wine from us complete with tasting notes and food pairing recipes for about $65 per quarter. Our delivery service all around North Idaho and Eastern Washington is complimentary so once you give the gift of our wine club your favorite wine enthusiast is set up for a year’s worth of fun and discovery.
Our goal is always to make your Christmas shopping stress free and relaxing. Come on into the shop and enjoy a glass of wine while you shop the many unique ideas that will satisfy even the most difficult to buy for. To help, we are open the last two Sundays before Christmas, the 15th and the 22nd, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and we will be here to gift wrap you present at no charge. We hope to see you here soon!
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George Balling is co-owner with his wife, Mary Lancaster, of the dinner party, a wine and gift shop in Coeur d’Alene by Costco. The dinner party has won the award for best wine shop in North Idaho twice, including for 2018.
George is also published in several other publications around the country. After working in wineries in California and judging many wine competitions, he moved to Coeur d’Alene with Mary more than 10 years ago to open the shop. You can also follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.