Handpainted Wooden Wine Box

Protection or Decoration

It is not uncommon to find special bottles of wine presented in a wooden box. The bottle may be from a special vintage worthy of the special packaging such as an anniversay gift with a bottle of wine with a vintage year to match the year of the marriage. A personalized label or etched bottle becomes an even more dramatic gift when presented in a wooden box. In either case, there is a certain "Wow Factor" added by carefully plucking apart the box's clasp and slowly opening the box to reveal the bottle nestled inside.

This dramatic box presentation protects the bottle for gift giving, often more successfully than a wine bag or corrugated container. The box provides the stability to the box sides and top, to avoid damage to the bottle inside. The wine should not be stored in the box. Once the gift is presented, it should be removed from the box and placed into climate-controlled wine storage such as a wine refrigerator to maintain its character.

Perfect for Gift Giving

There really are three parts to the gift-giving process:

• Presentation - Excitement generated by the look of the gift.
• Opening – Discovering the gift selection.
• Memory – Recurring thoughts of the gift, the giver and the gift-giving occasion.

A handpainted wooden wine box seems to enhance all three parts of the gift-giving process. The look of the box makes for an exciting presentation. The box itself cradles the wine gift. The value of the handpainted box lives on for the gift recipient, particularly if the box is prominently displayed.

Selecting a Handpainted Wooden Wine Box

Wine in a gift box makes a bottle of wine a special gift. If the gift box is handpainted, the box almost becomes a second gift. Once the wine bottle is removed, gift recipients may decide to use the box to hold small wine accessories such as a corkscrew and wine charms, their wine notes or as a decorative item in their home. By giving wine in a beautiful box, the gift lives on through the gift box even after the bottle of wine is enjoyed.

The amount of painting on a wine box can range anywhere from simple screen prints such as those offered by The Spirited Shipper to custom-designed art such as the wine boxes offered by Misguided Designs. The actual painting design is often wine-related, depicting grapes, a bottle of wine or wine glasses; however, there is no reason why the box design can't be totally unrelated to wine and just selected like gift wrapping paper, based on the occasion or the personality of the gift recipient.

Local or Imported

Handpainted wine boxes are often found at local craft fairs. Artists combine the fine woodworking crafts of box making with the colorful artistic expression of painting. If you can't find exactly what you are looking for, the artist is usually very willing to make up a custom box including your preferences.

Beautifully-painted wine boxes are now becoming more widely available because of the increase in imports from the Oriental countries, particularly China. Originally the boxes had a decidedly Oriental-theme or style with grape vines and grapes often looking more like cherry branches and cherries. The newer imported designs now include a more European feel, often with the look of a vintage oil painting.

Where to Buy

• Local craft fairs
• Gift and specialty shops
• Wine stores
• Winery gift shops
• Amazon – Hand-painted oil on wooden box
• The Spirited Shipper – One, two and three-color silk screened wine shipping boxes
• Da Vinci Imports – Unique wooden wine boxes
• Misguided Designs – Custom-designed art
• Art and Gift Gallery – Acrylic painted boxes from Thailand