Wine as a Gift

A good bottle is one of the most versatile gifts there is. It can thank a client, welcome a new colleague, mark a birthday or a wedding, or carry a greeting through the festive season. Choosing well comes down to a few questions: who is receiving it, how well you know their taste, what the occasion is and what you wish to spend. Here are the questions people ask most, with some of the many wines and gifts we carry for each. Our Price List shows the full range, and if you are looking for something we don't list, contact us.

Your questions answered

Is it okay to give wine as a gift?

Yes. Wine suits almost any occasion, and it is as fitting for a client or colleague as it is for a friend. Many people don't drink alcohol, for religious or personal reasons, so make sure the recipient does before you choose.

If you know what they enjoy, give them more of it: their favourite grape or region, a producer they have mentioned, or a step up from what they usually drink. If you don't know their taste, choose a classic style that most people enjoy, rather than something unusual.

What kind of wine is best for gifting?

When you don't know their taste, Champagne is the safest choice: it suits every celebration, and few people turn down a glass. Among reds, Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley or Bordeaux is generous and familiar, while Pinot Noir is lighter. For someone who prefers white, a fine Chardonnay is hard to fault.

Among the many classics we carry:

• Taittinger, France (Champagne): Comtes de Champagne, first made in 1952, is pure Chardonnay from the Grand Cru villages of the Côte des Blancs, aged for about ten years in Gallo Roman chalk cellars beneath Reims before release.
• Robert Mondavi Winery, USA (Napa Valley): Founded in 1966 as the first major new winery in Napa since Prohibition; Robert Mondavi did as much as anyone to put the valley on the world stage, and his Reserve Cabernet comes from the famous To Kalon vineyard.
• Beaux Frères, USA (Oregon): One of Oregon's benchmark Pinot Noirs, founded in 1986 by Michael Etzel and his brother in law, the wine critic Robert Parker; beaux frères is French for brothers in law.
• Aubert, USA (California): Mark Aubert made his name as winemaker at Peter Michael and Colgin before starting his own label, and his single vineyard Chardonnays are now among the most sought after in America.

For a seasoned wine lover, look beyond the classics: a cult name they rarely see in shops, a rising estate, or a wine made in an unusual way will tell them you chose with care.

Among the cult, new and unusual wines we carry:

• Sine Qua Non, USA (California): Manfred Krankl, then a Los Angeles restaurateur, began in 1994 with a few barrels of Syrah; every release has its own name and a label he designs himself, never used twice, and the waiting list is long.
• Cayuse, USA (Washington): Christophe Baron, from a Champagne family, planted his first vines in 1997 on a field of river stones near Walla Walla, and his wines are sold only through a mailing list with a long waiting list.
• Clos Rougeard, France (Loire Valley): The most coveted name in the Loire, run for eight generations by the Foucault family, whose Cabernet Francs became collector's wines to rival fine Bordeaux.
• Gravner, Italy (Friuli): Josko Gravner gave up steel tanks and barriques for clay amphorae from the Caucasus, buried in the ground, and his Ribolla became the benchmark for skin contact white wine worldwide.

What is a good wine to give my boss or a client?

A name they will recognise, at a level that suits the relationship and your budget. A First Growth makes a statement, but a famous estate's second wine, or a highly rated bottle from a smaller family estate, can impress just as much for far less. Check too whether their company limits the gifts its staff may accept.

Among the many names we carry:

• Château Margaux, France (Bordeaux), First Growth: One of only four estates ranked First Growth in the 1855 Classification, celebrated for its perfume, silk and long life; Pavillon Rouge, its second wine since 1906, offers the estate's style at a gentler price.
• Tenuta San Guido, Italy (Tuscany): Its Sassicaia started the Super Tuscan movement, and the 1985 was the first Italian wine to receive 100 points from Robert Parker.
• Jim Barry, Australia (Clare Valley): Its flagship, The Armagh, from Shiraz planted in 1968, is one of Australia's great Shirazes, and the Wine Advocate has scored it 98 points.
• Spottswoode, USA (Napa Valley): Owned by the Novak family since 1972 and run today by the sisters Beth and Lindy Novak, and among the first in Napa to farm organically; the Wine Advocate gave its Estate Cabernet 100 points.
• Bodega Catena Zapata, Argentina (Mendoza): The family winery that did most to put Argentine wine and Malbec on the world stage; Nicolás Catena Zapata was named Decanter's Man of the Year in 2009.
• Viña Almaviva, Chile (Maipo Valley): A partnership between Château Mouton Rothschild and a leading Chilean winery, named after Count Almaviva of The Marriage of Figaro, from Cabernet Sauvignon grown at the foot of the Andes.

Is cognac or whisky a good alternative to wine?

Wine, Champagne included, is the classic choice for most occasions. Cognac and whisky are popular gifts across Asia too, especially in business.

Among the cognacs and whiskies we carry:

• Hennessy, France (Cognac): The world's largest cognac house, founded in 1765; its Paradis is blended from rare eaux-de-vie aged for decades, and is named after the cellar where cognac houses keep their oldest spirits.
• Rémy Martin, France (Cognac): Founded in 1724; its Extra is blended from eaux-de-vie aged between 20 and 50 years.
• Hine, France (Cognac): The only cognac house to hold a Royal Warrant, granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1962, and one of very few to keep stocks of single harvest vintage cognac.
• Suntory, Japan: In 1923 it opened Yamazaki, Japan's first malt whisky distillery, and its limited releases of Yamazaki and Hibiki are keenly collected across Asia.

Which wines suit the festive season?

For Christmas and the year end, Champagne and a generous red are the classic pair. For Chinese New Year, red and gold stand for prosperity and eight is the luckiest number, so a fine red dressed in red or gold, or a set of eight bottles, makes a fitting gift; avoid sets of four, as four sounds like the word for death. Present the gift with both hands, as a sign of respect. Cognac is also a favoured Chinese New Year gift.

Among the festive bottles we carry:

• Château Angélus, France (Bordeaux): Red and gold in one bottle, with a red capsule over its famous golden bell label; in Casino Royale James Bond and Vesper Lynd share a bottle.
• Pétrus, France (Pomerol): Its name is printed in red beneath a red capsule, and though Pomerol has never been classified, Pétrus stands alongside the First Growths in price and prestige.
• TOR, USA (Napa Valley): Its single vineyard Cabernets from To Kalon and Vine Hill Ranch wear a deep red label lettered in gold; Tor Kenward founded the winery in 2001 after more than two decades at Beringer.
• Kobayashi Winery, USA (Washington): Dressed in red, from a cult winery founded in 2014 with just 25 cases of Cabernet Franc; it set out to be the first American winery to age wine in Japanese Mizunara oak, and its releases now sell out within hours.
• Penfolds, Australia (South Australia): Australia's most famous winery, and the Penfolds reds we carry wear its red capsule; in 2024 Asia brought in more than 60% of its sales.
• Château Lafite Rothschild, France (Bordeaux), First Growth: It heads the list of First Growths of 1855, and has long been the most collected Bordeaux in China.
• Rare Champagne, France (Champagne): For the Christmas toast, a Champagne made only in exceptional years, in a bottle wearing a golden tiara designed by Pierre-Karl Fabergé.

What wine should you give for a birthday, wedding or anniversary?

Champagne for the toast, then something to remember the day by. For a landmark birthday or anniversary, a wine from the year it marks is a gift few others can match. For a new chapter, such as a wedding, a new home, a promotion or a new partnership, give a young wine from a great estate that will grow with them.

Among the wines for milestones we carry:

• Henri Giraud, France (Champagne): A family estate in Aÿ since 1625, which marked its own milestone of 400 years in 2025; its Champagnes age in casks of oak from the Argonne forest.
• Château Mouton Rothschild, France (Bordeaux), First Growth: Since 1945 each vintage has carried a label painted by a different artist, among them Chagall, Miró, Picasso, Warhol and Hockney, so a bottle from a special year comes with its own work of art.
• Heitz Cellar, USA (Napa Valley): Its Martha's Vineyard, Napa's first vineyard designated Cabernet Sauvignon, became one of America's legendary wines, and mature bottles are prized for their famous minty character.
• Château Cos d'Estournel, France (Bordeaux), Second Growth: Known the world over for the pagodas of its cellars, it has made some of its finest wines in recent years: the Wine Advocate rated three vintages in a row as potentially perfect.

What is a good gift for someone who loves wine?

Something to enjoy their wine with. Fine glasses and a decanter come out every time a good bottle is opened, and a wine cabinet keeps a growing collection at the right temperature and humidity.

Among the glassware and wine cabinets we offer:

• Zalto, Austria: Its Denk'Art glasses are mouth blown from lead free crystal, with bowls angled to follow the tilt of the Earth's axis.
• Riedel, Austria: Founded in 1756, it was the first glassmaker to shape glasses around the wine itself, and its Amadeo and Cornetto decanters are each made by hand.
• Spiegelau, Germany: A glassmaker whose history goes back to at least 1521, part of the Riedel family since 2004, with its Definition glasses and Authentis and Novo decanters.
• Josephinenhütte: Made by hand in Europe and designed by Kurt Josef Zalto, a sixth generation glassmaker from the family behind Zalto.
• Sydonios, France: Founded by a former Bordeaux wine broker, its glasses are shaped around a wine's aromas, and within two years of launch about 40 of the 61 classed growths of 1855 were using them.
• EuroCave, France: Credited with inventing the wine cabinet in 1976, it still designs and builds every unit in Fourmies, in northern France.
• Kadeka, Singapore: A Singapore cooling brand since 1998, whose Medley wine chillers have two temperature zones, so reds and whites can be kept side by side.

How much should you spend on a wine gift?

There is no set figure. Match the gift to the occasion and the relationship, and keep it consistent when you give to several people at once. A short note saying why you chose the bottle makes it personal, and a single fine bottle, chosen for the person, stands out from the usual hamper.

The Grape Vinery is a Singapore fine wine merchant and importer, established in 2014. For older vintages and birth year wines, read our Rare and Collectible page.

Orders above S$500 enjoy complimentary delivery, with a nominal fee of S$25 for smaller orders.