December in a company has its own ritual. First someone throws out at a meeting: "So, are we doing client gifts this year as well?". Everyone nods. Then for two weeks nobody deals with it, until halfway through the month it turns out the list has eighty names, half the addresses are out of date, and the courier needs the parcels yesterday. Does that sound familiar?

The good news is that a gift set doesn't have to be complicated or put together in a rush. You just need to know what it consists of and start early enough.

How to put together a Christmas gift set?

A good set combines three elements: a carefully chosen bottle of wine or spirits (or its non-alcoholic counterpart), matching accompaniments – coffee, tea, chocolate, nuts or olive oil – and packaging that makes an impression at the moment of giving. It's worth ordering corporate sets in advance: orders placed with M&P by 14 December 2026 will be fulfilled before Christmas.

What should a gift set contain?

Every set, from the modest to the prestigious, consists of the same four elements. Only their number and the packaging differ.

1. The bottle. The heart of the set: red, white or sparkling wine, whisky, rum, liqueur, and increasingly also non-alcoholic wine. It sets the tone for the whole.

2. The accompaniments. Whole bean coffee, loose leaf tea, nuts, olive oil, chocolate, pralines, butter biscuits. Ideally they should match the bottle: dark chocolate with red wine, pistachios with pistachio liqueur, butter biscuits with prosecco.

3. The packaging. A single-bottle carton, a bag, a rigid box, a wooden crate or a wicker hamper. A crate stays with the recipient for longer, a hamper displays the contents beautifully, and a box copes well with the courier journey.

4. The card. Two sentences of good wishes, preferably handwritten. Often it is precisely these that make a gift memorable long past Twelfth Night.

How to match a set to the recipient?

A set for the team is chosen differently than one for a key client. Before you order anything, think about who the gift is going to.

For employees. The gift goes to a wide group, so go for versatility: a wine that most people enjoy (e.g. an Italian red or prosecco), and accompaniments that will please even those who don't drink alcohol – coffee, tea, chocolate. It's worth providing an alcohol-free version and giving employees a choice. If you're going for bubbles, take a look at our guide on the differences between prosecco, cava and champagne.

For clients and business partners. Here the impression counts. A wooden crate works well, along with a bottle with an interesting story and personalisation: an engraving with the logo, a card signed by the board. If you know that someone likes whisky, add a cigar or dark chocolate. Our guides will help you choose the bottle: which cognac to choose to start with and which peated whisky to start with.

For loved ones. Here you can allow yourself a little more imagination and build the set around a single theme: an Italian evening, a weakness for pistachio, a winter morning with coffee and a candle. I'll admit that a themed set is my favourite kind of gift – it shows that someone really thought about us.

What to add to the bottle? A gift set cheat sheet

The hardest part is usually choosing accompaniments so that the set feels coherent rather than random. The cheat sheet below suggests what goes with which bottle – these are the principles we follow when composing the sets in our Christmas catalogue. We will prepare a set with any of these compositions to order – all you need to do is give us the budget per person, the number of sets and a few words about the recipients.

Ready-made compositions – from a single bottle in a carton to wooden crates and wicker hampers – can be found in our 2026 Christmas catalogue. We will also prepare a set with any of the above compositions to order – all you need to do is give us the budget per person, the number of sets and a few words about the recipients.

A gift set without alcohol

Not every recipient drinks alcohol – and they don't have to in order to enjoy a gift. In every set from the catalogue the bottle can be replaced with a non-alcoholic product. There are alcohol-free white, red, rosé and sparkling wines to choose from, as well as non-alcoholic aperitifs and ready-made cocktails. For example: the alcohol-free sparkling Redentore Zero Sparkling White with Vanini chocolates and a candle. You'll find the full selection in the non-alcoholic wines category, and ideas for 0% drinks in our recipe for non-alcoholic cocktails.

A set can also be put together entirely without alcohol. In that case coffee, tea, olive oil, nuts, sweets and a candle become its foundation. This is a good solution when the gifts go to a wide group of recipients and you don't know who likes what.

How to personalise a set for a company?

Personalisation means that a set stops being "another hamper from a wholesaler" and becomes a gift from a specific company. The most frequently chosen options are:

• an engraving on the bottle or on the wooden crate,

• a custom label – based on the company's own design or prepared by us,

• a card with good wishes and the company logo,

• ribbons and accessories in the brand's colours.

Personalisation takes more time than a standard order, which is why it's worth requesting it as early as possible.

How to order corporate gift sets – step by step

1. Count the recipients and set a budget per person. These are the two pieces of information every quotation starts with.

2. Choose a set from the catalogue or ask us to create a composition from scratch. All we need is the budget, the number of sets and a few words about the recipients. We usually prepare a proposal for the contents, the packaging and a quotation within three working days.

3. Decide on personalisation – engraving, label, card.

4. Prepare the list of addresses. We can send the sets to the company's premises or directly to employees, clients and business partners – to many addresses within a single order.

5. Order on time. We prepare catalogue sets within seven working days of order confirmation. Orders placed by 14 December 2026 will be fulfilled before Christmas. Bespoke compositions and personalisation require a longer lead time.

At the peak of the season some products and vintages sell out. In such cases we propose an equivalent product – always after prior agreement.

Orders: zamowienia@wina-mp.pl, tel. +48 512 270 830. Sets can also be discussed at one of the 54 M&P stores.

How to give a cigar safely?

A cigar is an addition that clearly raises the status of a set with whisky, rum or cognac. However, for it to reach the recipient in good condition, you need to remember one thing: humidity.

• Don't pack a cigar loose. Without the right humidity it dries out and loses the qualities for which it is valued.

• Choose a wooden box with a humidifier. It will provide the cigar with the right conditions right up to the moment of giving, and will serve the recipient long after Christmas.

• Match the cigar to the bottle. It works best in a set with whisky, rum or cognac. When choosing, it's worth asking an adviser in store – we have close to two hundred items in our warehouse, including brands for which we are the exclusive importer in Poland. See the cigars in the M&P range and read why where you buy a cigar matters.

Finally

Let's go back to that December meeting. This time someone asks: "So, are we doing client gifts this year as well?", and you reply: "Already ordered". I assure you that this is one of the more pleasant sentences you can utter in December. All you have to do is count the recipients, choose a theme and get in touch with us before 14 December – we'll take care of the rest.

FAQ – Christmas gift sets

By when should Christmas gift sets be ordered?

Orders placed with M&P by 14 December 2026 will be fulfilled before Christmas. We prepare catalogue sets within seven working days of confirmation, while bespoke compositions and personalisation require a longer lead time. Express fulfilment is available for selected sets.

Can the contents of a catalogue set be changed?

Yes. In every set you can swap the alcohol, add or remove accompaniments, change the packaging or the number of bottles. After the changes we prepare a new quotation, which we present before the order is confirmed.

Can a set be alcohol-free?

Yes. The bottle in every set can be replaced with a non-alcoholic wine, a non-alcoholic aperitif or a cocktail. You can also order a set entirely without alcohol, based on coffee, tea, olive oil, nuts and sweets.

Do we ship sets to several addresses?

Yes. Within a single order we ship sets to many addresses – to the company's premises as well as directly to employees, clients or business partners. The delivery terms and costs are agreed individually.

Can the company logo appear on the set?

Yes. The logo can appear on the greetings card, on a custom bottle label or as an engraving on the bottle or wooden crate. It's worth requesting personalisation in advance, as it requires a longer lead time.