Want to raise a glass to the wine connoisseur in your life but aren’t prepared to spend $32,000 on 9 liters of wine? Worry not. There are plenty of gifts for wine lovers you can give that will earn you a toast without breaking the bank.

Winery Tour

Although there are wineries in every state, they are most densely distributed in the country’s winegrowing regions, of which there are only a handful. As a result, wine lovers are faced with the dilemma of visiting many wineries in a small amount of time. Thankfully, there are plenty of tour companies across the United States that will happily organize winery trips.

• Over the course of four hours, Embrace Oregon Tours sends tour-goers to three Willamette Valley vineyards to sample award-winning local wines, feast on gourmet snacks, and learn about the region’s viticultural history.
• Farther south, DeVine Tours leads chauffeured trips to Callaway Vineyard & Winery, Leoness Cellars, Briar Rose Winery, and other wineries in California’s Temecula Valley.
• The West Coast isn’t the only option for wine lovers. For example, Grand Traverse Tours organizes group and private winery visits throughout Michigan’s Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsulas.
• Read more about our top five wine regions beyond Napa Valley.

Wine Tasting

Wine connoisseurs clearly have refined palates, but if they want to expand those palates or just try new varietals without investing in full bottles, a tasting makes one of the best wine gifts. If your gift recipients are still educating themselves about wine, send them these six tips for wine tasting before they go.

Some wineries, including Denver’s Mile High Winery, allow guests to choose three reds and three whites they’d like to taste. The Hudson Valley’s Millbrook Vineyards & Winery and others even open up their entire portfolio of wines for sampling. Still other wineries provide guests with a more curated experience, focusing on wines from a specific region or pairing wine with food, such as cheese, as is the case at Ten Bears Winery in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Make Your Own Wine

Looking for a wine gift that will quench the recipient’s thirst for vino and knowledge? Present them with a wine-education class, such as introductory session at Long Island’s The Wine Special-List. Instructors typically discuss grape varietals, terroirs, winemaking techniques, and how to taste and describe a wine like a sommelier.

Alternatively, many winemaking-supply shops offer hands-on experiences. Stop by The Wine Butler or Sheppard Wine Works in Toronto or Tigard Wine Crafters near Portland, Oregon, where staff members walk budding vintners through the winemaking process. After the provided ingredients are combined, the wine ferments for 5–10 weeks, at which point customers return to taste their batches and bottle them.