Of course deciding on this course of action – that is, choosing a cheese gift basket as your offering should be decided upon once it is determined that your intended recipient likes cheese in the first place. You should also probably find out if your intended recipient is lactose intolerant. Receiving a cheese gift basket when one is lactose intolerant may very well leave a lasting impression, but not exactly the impression you were looking for!

Next up, what is the occasion? Normally a cheese gift basket would be appropriate certainly for the holidays, but it can also be sent for virtually any occasion as long as the occasion is worth commemorating with a sense of warm formality. Due to the delectable nature of the cheese normally found in a cheese gift basket (some of the best ones will eschew an overabundance of processed cheeses), the recipient will likely revel in the novelty presented by devouring the contents of the cheese gift basket once received.

And now we get to the wines. It has been advised by some that when pairing cheese with wine, it’s best to make sure both are originating from the same source. So for example, a French wine should be paired with a French cheese, or an Italian wine should be paired with an Italian cheese. Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it? In terms of whether a white wine or red wine should be chosen to go with your cheese gift basket, there really is no simple answer to this question since it depends on the cheese. There are several ways that we can put your mind at ease here however.

First of all, chances are that the folks who put together your cheese gift basket will pair the right wines with the right cheeses for you, and there may even be instructions inside the package for the lucky gift recipient who will be enjoying the wine and cheese you have sent them. Otherwise, there are plenty of resources for those curious about the pairing online. They are out there, and they are definitely specific.
At any rate, wine and cheese is truly a match made in heaven.

So now that we’ve covered that cheese gift baskets are great for any warm occasion that can be laced with a twinge of formality (as long as the recipient isn’t lactose intolerant), and that including wine is certainly a great option, now we come to other considerations such as, what kind of cheese? What kind of wine?

Believe it or not – if you don’t know what kind of cheese or wine your recipient will like, some suggest you shop for yourself, and then hope for the best. That way, if your recipient brings up the gift later on, you can talk about how you picked it, and get feedback on what was and wasn’t liked, and you will have a deeper appreciation for that feedback because you are familiar with what was selected. And with wine, red wine is usually the acquired one, so it’s arguably safer to go with a white wine. And there you go!