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Wrapping a wine bottle can be surprisingly tricky if you want it to look stylish and elegant. But with our handy guide, you'll master five different ways to wrap a bottle like a pro.
You’ve chosen the perfect wine gift. Now, how do you make sure the wrapping looks as thoughtful as the wine inside? You can always pop it in a wine gift bag – there are plenty of stylish options available. But if you’re looking to take your wine bottle wrapping to the next level, we have five ideas that can help. Each one is easy, requiring minimal materials and – most importantly – is designed to impress.
Wine bottle wrapping – some pro tips to get started:
Use high-quality tissue paper or wrapping paper for a premium look.
Practice beforehand for smooth results on the final piece.
Pay attention to the details – you can always use ribbon to hide any tell-tale bits of tape.
Colour or style match your paper, decorations and ribbon for a professional feel.
Method one: elevated wooden wine box
Sometimes less is more. And here leaving the edges of the wooden box on show adds a touch of intrigue. The whole look is elevated with good quality wrapping paper, string and a matching gift tag.
What you'll need:
An 11x22-inch piece of wrapping paper
Measuring tape or ruler
Scissors
Tape
Ribbon
Instructions:
Pack your wine carefully in the wine box. If it feels a bit loose then add packing straw to stabilise.
Cut your chosen wrapping paper to size. You want enough to cover the middle two thirds of the wine box. Wrap and tape in place.
Finish the look with ribbon and a gift tag.
Method two: wrapping paper fan and ribbon
The great thing about this method is that it uses conventional wrapping supplies. But while wrapping paper can be awkward for wine bottles, this side steps the issue nicely. The trick is in the shaping.
What you'll need:
An 11x22-inch piece of wrapping paper
Measuring tape or ruler
Scissors
Tape
Ribbon
Instructions:
Lay the wine bottle horizontally and parallel to the long side of the paper, leaving about 2 inches on the base side and 8 inches on the top side. Wrap the paper around the wine bottle and tape it into place in the middle of the bottle.
Fold triangle-shaped sections around the bottom of the bottle until the base is covered. Tape these folds into place.
Press the opening above the top of the bottle together to form a rectangle. Then create a fan shape. Do this by folding a segment of the paper forward and an equal segment of the paper backward. Continue until you reach the top of the bottle and can’t fold anymore. Tape it in the middle to secure these folds.
Wrap a ribbon around the length of the bottle and tie it into a bow just underneath the taped accordion fold. For the final flourish, bring the separate ends of the folded section together and tape them so that it makes one cohesive fan shape above the bow.
Method three: tissue paper and statement bow
The secret for making tissue paper looking impressive is to go big. Include more than one colour or pattern, be generous with the sheets, embrace the “mess” at the top and balance it all with an equally impressive bow.
What you'll need:
At least five sheets of tissue paper
Tape
Ribbon
Extra decorations
Instructions:
Lay your tissue paper out on a flat surface. Slightly angle the pieces so that the rectangles overlap and there is a generous amount of paper on every side of the bottle.
Stand your bottle of wine up in the centre of the paper.
Gather the paper around the bottle and secure at the neck with a big bow and any other details you want to add (you might need a second pair of hands for this bit).
Method four: wrap a wine bottle with a tea towel
Super sustainable, using a tea towel for your wrapping also doubles up as an extra gift. Giving at Christmas? A seasonal tea towel adds an extra generous flourish to a host gift. It also makes a very welcome “Happy New Home” present.
What you'll need:
Tea towel
Pins or string
Gift tag
Instructions:
Lay out your tea towel so the pattern is facing down and the short edge is closest to you. Place your wine bottle in the top half of the tea towel so the top of the bottle is a couple of centimetres below the top edge of the tea towel.
Fold the bottom of the tea towel up to the top so it covers the wine bottle. You should now have a smaller square/rectangle.
Hold the bottle in place with one hand. Then, starting with the bottom right corner of your new square, bring the corner up to meet the edge of the wine bottle. The bottom horizontal edge of the tea towel is now running vertically up the side of the bottle. Still with me? Great.
This fold has created a bit of a triangle. Bring the furthest right-hand corner of that triangle across the bottle. Hold it in place with your hand or a pin. One side of your bottle is now wrapped!
Then repeat on the left-hand side. Take the bottom left corner of your tea towel square, bring the corner up to meet the edge of the wine bottle closest to it. The bottom horizontal edge of the tea towel is now running vertically up the side of the bottle.
Bring the further left new corner of the tea towel all the way over to the other side of the bottle tightly. You can secure with a pin here too if you like.
Gather the rest of the material around the neck of the bottle with a bow. And voila.
Method five: go naked with a statement bottle neck
This is a great low-fuss, high-impact option for wrapping a wine bottle. Great for taking a bottle to a party, it works of practically any size of shape of bottle so you can gift magnums, miniatures, half bottles and Champagne bottles with ease.
What you'll need:
Ribbon
String
Floristry wire
Glue gun
Foliage
Any other decorations you like!
Instructions:
Start your bottle-neck corsage by building a base using layers of foliage and dried flowers. Secure together with floristry wire or string.
Add details such as bows, decorations and chocolates with a glue gun.
Attach the whole thing to a piece of ribbon with your glue gun and leave to dry.
Tie the ribbon to the bottle.
About the author
Jen Deacon
A WSET Wine Level 3 Wine & WSET Spirits Level 2 qualified copywriter, Jen has been part of the team since 2019 and a copywriter for over a decade. At Laithwaites HQ, you’ll find her managing our team of expert wine writers as well as running the wine trade press office. Jen is passionate about all things wine and spirits, but has a particular fondness for Crémant, Tokaji dessert wine and a very cold Martini with a twist.
