Cost of living is nightmarish as it is, and the prospect of gift giving can give pause for thought. A $20 bottle might break the bank for some, whereas it may be pocket change for others. We decided to take this awkward question to the professional: delicious. contributor and co-owner of P&V Liquor Merchants, Mike Bennie.

“In regards to appropriate spend, your own budget is your yardstick, and don’t be too worried about what bucks you throw at a bottle (or two). The best thing you can do is actually work out if the person at the other end likes the thing you are bringing rather than guessing, and then ensuring you spend what’s in your range of happiness and bank account flexibility.”

“Keep in mind though that your host likely has dropped a bit on food, and is probably doing a decent job of cooking, so buying really sh*t, cheap stuff, particularly things that look that way on sight, is likely best avoided in more public company.”

“For me, I try to bring magnums (1.5 litre bottles) and lesser-known things to people’s places. They’re good talking points, and magnums kind of push an agenda of ‘we better open this and share it around’ and of course make a host reach for a bottle opener based on what kind of intent a magnum suggests – usually party time. And you look super cool holding massive bottles, take it from me; or maybe don’t. The more unusual wines likewise tend to pique a bit of interest, maybe the odd ‘ooh’ or ‘ahh’, and if you have done a bit of homework (bought from a good wine merchant and taken a bit of a quick story about the wine with you), then that kinda works as a zinger to get your wine opened too.”