This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.
When it comes to wine gifts, nothing beats a wine advent calendar. This countdown to the holidays is a fun tasting through a variety of wines your friends and family will adore!
Must be of legal drinking age to enjoy. Please drink responsibly.
You guys! I have THE best gift you can gift your friends or family this year. A wine advent calendar! Yup. You heard right. 24 days for new wines to try.
Improve your palette, try something new, or just have a fun online happy hour with your favorite people no matter where they are in the country! Send ’em a box and you’re ready to go! Everyone loves wine gifts and this advent calendar is no exception. It’s the perfect gift for those hard to buy for people in your life too!
What is a wine advent calendar?
First, let’s cover the basics. An advent calendar is a special calendar designed to countdown the days until Christmas. These calendars come in many forms and have a variety of ways to countdown the days of Advent.
Some calendars have you hang up a numbered tile, others have you open a small door to reveal a chocolate inside. We have the cutest Christmas tree advent calendar we’ve used ever since the boys were little.
A wine advent calendar has little doors that you open each day and inside is a small bottle of wine. The size of the bottles varies, but usually they are either 187mL (1/4 bottle) or 325mL (1/2 bottle).
That being said, I have big plans to do a DIY full-sized 750mL wine bottle advent calendar for me and Mike one year in the future!
What day do you start your advent calendar?
You should start your advent calendar on December 1st. Then you’ll open a new door every day all the way through December 24th.
I love the idea of getting to try a new wine every day! Since each bottle in this advent calendar is only 1 glass of wine, it’s a great way to try a glass and find a new favorite wine or five. And if you’re sharing, there’s enough to split between you and your bestie or your significant other.
Albertsons wine advent calendar includes 24 unique wines from premier US wine regions in California, Washington, and Oregon. Within these locations, some of the wines are sourced from prestigious subregions like California’s Paso Robles, Washington’s Columbia Valley, and Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Each wine has its own unique label and story!
In the advent calendar, you’ll find a total of twenty-four 187ml bottles of wine. That’s one for each day in December leading up to Christmas. That’s 6 bottle worth of wine if you add all the mLs together.
I usually spend $15 to $20 on a bottle of decent wine. Nothing too fancy, but the wines in this price bracket are significantly better than the $10 and under bottles. Just my opinion.
Anyway… the point is if you spend $15 per bottle on 6 bottles, that’d be $90 worth of wine in this box. If you usually spend $20 per bottle we’re talking $120 worth of wine potentially! These calendars are a crazy economical way to try out some new wines without breaking the bank.
There are 13 reds, 9 whites, and 2 roses. No duplicate wines within the mini wine bottle advent calendar box, so each day will be a new experience!
In the advent calendar, there are a total of 17 distinct varietals to suit every palate. With this many wines, you can totally experiment to discover what you like if you’re not super versed in wine. Or make yourself a little tasting chart and take notes on each wine before reading up on them. (More on that below.)
There is everything from Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir to lesser-known varietals like Gewürztraminer. There’s even a Lodi zin in this set and I cannot wait to try it! I have a thing for Lodi wines.
White Wines
- 2018 Jambo Viognier – California
- 2019 Terroir Terrier Chardonnay – California
- 2018 Bloomdust Chardonnay – Washington
- 2019 Plumeria Sauvignon Blanc – Washington
- 2018 Shades Gewürztraminer – California
- 2019 Origami Pinot Blanc – California
- 2019 Coral Pinot Gris – Oregon
- 2019 The Fall Riesling – Washington
- 2019 Fluke Sauvignon Blanc – California
Rose Wines
- 2019 Buttons Rosé – California
- 2019 Pink Dreams Rosé – California
Red Wines
- 2017 Surfer Girl Pinot Noir – California
- 2018 Boldy Go Merlot – Washington
- 2018 Aces High Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon – Washington
- 2015 Song Bird Duet Red Blend – California
- 2017 Chained Melody Red Blend – California
- 2018 Poise Zinfandel – California
- 2018 Born Wold Cabernet Sauvignon – Washington
- 2017 Daydreamer Cabernet Sauvignon – California
- 2017 The Thriller Pinot Noir – California
- 2017 The Sax Petit Sirah – California
- 2016 Setting Un Syrah – California
- 2018 Post & Paddock Zinfandel – California
- 2018 Easy Going Petit Verdot – California
Now that you’re all excited to get your Christmas wine advent calendars, here’s where to go.
I got my calendar at our local Albertsons, but you can also pick these boxes of awesomeness exclusively at the Albertsons family of stores including Safeway, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Tom Thumb, and Vons. You can make things SUPER easy by taking advantage of the Grocery Delivery and Drive Up & Goâ„¢ options for convenient ways to shop.
I know a guy who bought like 85 wine advent calendars last year for his employees and he said everyone adored them. If you need more than just a couple calendars for your friends and family, call ahead and talk to the liquor manager at your local store. They can order larger numbers for wine advent calendars for you and let you know when to pick them up. That way you don’t have to store hop hoping to find enough in stock to cross everyone off your gift list. I’m all about shopping smarter during the holidays.
Now, are you ready for the best part???
After you open your calendar door and grab your wine for the day, Visit www.24daysofwine.com to learn more about the wine and region you’ll be tasting. It’s SO simple!
Click on the day you’re on in the calendar, and you’ll be brought to a wine information page. Each page has information about the wine and region like the wine profile and story of that wine. There are also tasting suggestions, food pairing ideas, and images of that particular day’s wine! It’s an awesome way to really get into your wine advent calendar for 2020.
You don’t have to be a wine expert or experienced taster to enjoy this gift!
And and and the website is right on the box! Just let your gift recipient know to head over to 24daysofwine.com and they’re set! I already have a tab open on my phone’s browser so I can pull the wine deets each day.
So wine is great and all, but wine needs a cheeseboard to go with it right?! Especially if you’re making a night of things with your hunny or some friends. Below are some of my favorite cheeseboard basics to get your started. You can get everything you need at Albertsons during your weekly shopping trip.
Wine Night Shopping List
- Insulated Wine Tumblers – take your wine out to your backyard for sipping! This cup will keep your wine the perfect temp and it’s really durable!
- Cheese – brie, cheddar, manchego, goat cheese
- Fruit – apples, grapes, berries, pears
- Nuts – cashews, pistachios, mixed nuts
- Sauces – fig spread, honey, jam
- Carbs – crackers, sliced baguette, naan bread
- Glad Press’n Seal – to help keep your cheeseboard fresh while it’s prepped and ready in the fridge
- Pre-Packaged Snack Tray
- Fruit and Cheese Tray – from your local Albertsons deli counter
I don’t know about you, but this wine advent calendar has me so ready for Christmas and it’s only September! I’m already starting to put together my list of friends that needs one of these calendars in their life.
Who are you buying one for this year? Yourself (you deserve a treat too!), co-workers, or your neighbor? Let me know!
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