Gift · tool
Find a wine to give
Who for, what occasion, what budget, when to drink it; and if you know, the colour, the region, the format, a year that matters. The tool answers with a type of wine, what to avoid for that particular person and what Transvins has in stock to match. No château is named here: the names are in the wine list, then on the quote. And if a wine shop near you would do just as well, the tool says so.
The questions
The result changes with every answer. Nothing is sent until you click on the quote.
How the tool chooses
The budget sets the family of wine: under €15, a ready-to-drink Bordeaux; from €15 to €30, a cru bourgeois or a Saint-Émilion satellite; from €30 to €60, a classified growth's second wine or a Pessac-Léognan; above that, a classified growth, a magnum, a case. “When to drink it” decides between a ready vintage and a great year that needs time. The person and the occasion add what the price does not say: a year that matters, a VAT threshold, a wine that should not be kept waiting. The colour and region, if you give them, replace the red Bordeaux family with a white, a sparkling, a Sauternes, a Burgundy or a Rhône. The format changes the price per bottle: a magnum is worth two, a case six. The year, if it matters, is looked for in the stock.
The same guidelines, by budget and by person, are set out in the guide which wine to give.
Can you give a wine for laying down to someone who is retiring?
Better not. A retirement is celebrated straight away: the person will want to open the bottle the following Sunday, and a great young wine that is still closed disappoints. A classified growth from a ready vintage, or a magnum, makes more of an impression for the same price.
What budget for a wine that will keep for 18 years?
Allow €30 a bottle at least. Below that, few Bordeaux last twenty years and improve. From €60, a classified growth from a great year is made for it; a wooden case of six lets you open one every three years.
Giving wine to clients: can the VAT be recovered?
Up to €73 incl. VAT per year per recipient, yes. Above that, no, for the whole gift. The calculation per gift and in total is on the page year-end client gifts, the rules on the page VAT on wine gifts.
Why does the tool point me to a wine shop?
Because for one or two ready-to-drink bottles under €60, a good wine shop near you does just as well, with no delivery charge. A Transvins quote is useful when there is a particular year to find, a case, several gifts or delivery to the person's home.