What to Bring Instead of Wine This Summer
by Hannah Howard
There’s something a little tired about arriving at a summer gathering with the same sweating bottle of rosé everyone else almost certainly considered bringing too.
Not that we don’t love rosé-we do! But this time of year-when calendars fill with backyard dinners, beach weekends, impromptu hangs that somehow turn into midnight conversations-it’s worth bringing something that feels a little more thoughtful and a little more personal. Something people actually get excited to open and use the next morning.
This summer, consider showing up with olive oil instead.
Not just any olive oil, either. The kind with a story. The kind people immediately gather around the counter to taste with torn bread while someone says, “Wait, what is this? Why is it so good?” The kind that turns grilled vegetables, burrata, tomatoes, or even vanilla ice cream into a conversation. It feels more memorable than another bottle of wine.
The Host Gift That Doesn’t Get Re-Gifted
A beautiful bottle of olive oil or vinegar feels generous in a way that’s subtly luxurious. It says: I thought about this. It also feels endlessly usable-something your host will reach for all week long, long after the party’s over.
This is especially true with something like Family Reserve Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which has that peppery, vibrant finish that instantly elevates even the simplest summer dinner. It’s crafted from 100% Picual olives grown on our family estate in Jaén, Spain, harvested early in October and milled within hours at our own family mill. Set it out beside grilled bread, flaky salt, and a wedge of good cheese, and suddenly you’ve contributed something that feels effortlessly chic without trying too hard.
Or bring a bottle of Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which is softer, fruitier, and incredibly versatile from our family estate. It’s the kind of olive oil that makes tomatoes taste more like tomatoes. Drizzle it over grilled peaches, fresh mozzarella, seafood, or a simple summer salad and it practically does the hosting for you.
Easy Pairings That Feel Thoughtful, Not Fussy
One of the things I love most about bringing olive oil or vinegar as a host gift is how easy it is to make it feel personal. A peppery olive oil tucked into a bag with a warm loaf of sourdough and a little jar of flaky salt feels abundant in the most unfussy way. A softer oil like Arbequina alongside ripe peaches and burrata practically becomes the appetizer.
You can also lean into the whole grazing-board energy of summer entertaining: a beautiful bottle set beside olives, Marcona almonds, good cheese, and charcuterie instantly feels giftable and useful at the same time. Or build a simple grilling-inspired bundle with olive oil, vinegar, and spices that your host can use immediately for whatever’s headed to the grill that night.
Some of the best host gifts are the ones that solve dinner the next day.
Summer hosting has also become a little more relaxed lately, in the best way. Less pressure for perfectly styled tables or elaborate menus, more emphasis on food that feels abundant, easy, and genuinely enjoyable to share. A great olive oil fits naturally into that kind of gathering. It can become part of the cocktail-hour snack spread, the grilled dinner, or the tomatoes someone picked up from the farmers market that morning. And there’s something refreshing about bringing a gift that feels both beautiful and practical: elevated enough to feel special, but useful enough that it won’t sit untouched on a shelf.
The Summer Pairing We Can’t Stop Talking About
If you really want to bring something unexpected, Seasons’ summer pairing might be the move: Chipotle Infused Olive Oil and Apricot Infused White Balsamic Vinegar. Together they’re sweet, smoky, bright, and slightly unexpected in the best way.
The chipotle olive oil brings gentle heat and depth, while the apricot vinegar adds this juicy, sunny acidity that tastes like summer in bottle form. Together, they’re incredible on grilled chicken, shrimp skewers, grain salads, charred corn, or even drizzled over stone fruit with goat cheese.
They also happen to make an extremely good hostess gift because they immediately inspire ideas. People start mentally planning dinner the second they taste them.
One More Reason to Stock Up
With backyard gatherings, beach weekends, dinner parties, and vacation hosting season officially here, now is the perfect time to build a little stash of go-to gifts to have on hand.
Because the best host gifts are the ones people actually use…and maybe become just a tiny bit obsessed with afterward.