So, you have a last minute gift to throw together for a birthday, engagement, shower, retirement or other impromptu celebration. You have very little time, and small budget and just don’t know what to do. One of the most versatile and always elegant gifts that can be put together in under five minutes is a wine basket.

The First Step:

The first step in creating the perfect wine basket is to decide how large it needs to be. A small basket can consist of little more than a bottle of wine, basket, shred, wrap and two glasses. Contrastingly, a larger wine basket may contain all of these things and cheeses, crackers, fruits and possibly even some meat like smoked salmon. As you can see, then, it is important to know the size before ever arriving at the store, or this event could take much longer than you anticipated.

The Second Step:

The second step in creating that wine basket is to find the perfect store where all of your needs can be met in one place. Ideally, a wine store is your best bet, because they will often carry baskets, shred and wrap along with other odds and ends that can help dress up your wine basket without ever having to step into another business. However, sometimes you can blow your budget completely in a few minutes in a store like this, so remember that you have options.

Should your city have larger department store that carries both wine and gift wrap essentials, then you may be able to meet all of your wine basket needs and stay in budget. Here is what you do for a smaller basket: pick up a couple of inexpensive wine glasses, a basket large enough to accommodate the wine and glasses (a flat one works well if you stand the bottle up and lay the glasses at its base decoratively), the wine, some shred, complementary ribbon and wrap.

The Third Step:

Take all of your wonderful purchases and find a place to put them together. Now, while your kitchen table is probably ideal, these baskets are so wonderfully simple that you can put it together in the back seat of your car on the way to the party. Simply fill the basket with shred, place your bottle, glasses and any other goodies neatly into the basket. Surround everything with the decorative wrap and tie with the ribbon. Voila! Your wine basket is complete and ready to give to your surprised and always grateful friend.