Mom's Mother's Day Dream: A Wine Experience

That macaroni sculpture was a delightful Mother's Day gift when you were in grade school. And she smiled and wore it when you gave her that tie-dyed tee in your teen years. But you're a grown-up now, and Mom's expecting a Mother's Day gift with a bit more sophistication.

It's time to give her wine - and not just a nice bottle, but a full-blown wine experience. Wine classes, wine clubs and accessories are all part of the growing trend to give a "wine experience" as a gift.

"Wine is the essence of grown-up enjoyment," says Bruce Boring, connoisseur and co-founder of the California Wine Club. "A wine experience allows you to savor the afterglow of a good bottle long after the last sip is gone. Like wine itself, the experience can be relaxing, stimulating or soothing, simple or intricate. It allows you to savor that variety of pleasures and learn something new about wine at the same time."

So before you buy yet another bouquet or box of candy for Mother's Day, check out these wine experience ideas:

Give Mom Class

Wine classes can be found virtually everywhere these days - from your local community college or upscale wine shop to the neighborhood chain restaurant near you. It's easy to find a class that caters to Mom's individual level of wine knowledge and fits into her schedule. The class could be a simple one-time tasting or a multi-week course. Check out the events pages of your newspaper, or visit a college or wine shop's Web site to learn what's available in your area.

Accessorize

A corkscrew and wine glass may be the basic accessories required for wine enjoyment, but gift-givers will find a wealth of variety in wine accessories. Is Mom a true connoisseur? Consider high-end crystal wine glasses or a professional taster's set. A portable wine cellar could be ideal if she's a budding collector. Or, for the more practical mother, who simply wants to enjoy a chilled glass with her meal, opt for a wine bucket that rapid-chills a bottle of wine.

Trip Out

If you really want to win her heart, give Mom a gift that combines travel and wine. Vineyards, resorts, hotels and travel agencies offer a multitude of travel packages to California's wine country. Hotels and resorts across the country also offer wine tasting weekends and overnight packages. Web sites such as NapaWineTours.net and WineExperience.com offer information on wine destinations and travel opportunities.

Send Her Clubbing . . . Wine Clubbing

You want to give Mom more than a bottle, but don't have the budget for a tour of the Napa Valley. A wine club, like the California Wine Club, is an alternative that will give her a taste tour of the region in the comfort of her own home. The club carries a range of wines you probably wouldn't be able to find for Mom on your own, not even if you shopped in exclusive wine stores. The club showcases wines produced by small, family wineries in California and co-founders Bruce and Pam Boring have personally sampled and selected every wine featured since starting the club in 1990.

Mom will receive two new wines every month, delivered to her door with the club's magazine "Uncorked," which features information on the wines, background on the vintners, wine education articles and recipes for foods that pair well with the featured wines. There's no fee to join. Memberships start at $34.95 per month with no minimum commitment of months.

Or, pamper Mom with a special Mother's Day Gift Set that includes a three-month membership, a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon from Rotta Vineyards & Winery, a 2006 Monterey Chardonnay, three issues of "Uncorked," and Olavie Chardonnay antioxidant chardonnay bubble bath and hand cream.

"The joy of a wine experience lingers long after the bottles have been emptied," Boring says.

To give Mom a sophisticated gift this year, visit www.cawineclub.com.

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