Gifts for Wine Lovers – From Sleek Corkscrews to Wine Bibles
Here’s a quip to put in the card that goes along with your gift:
“What contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch?” ~ W. C. Fields.
While I’m not a fan of drinking only wine for lunch, I’ve been known to enjoy a crisp white Chardonnay with an apple, cheese, and walnut salad. Yum.
One of the best gifts I could get would be a basket of the aforementioned foods: cheese, apples, nuts — and a nice bottle of merlot or malbec. If you think your wine lover would feel the same way, check out the Picnic Time Kabrio Wine Basket on Amazon.
Another good gift idea is a corkscrew. The Metrokane Houdini Lever-Style Corkscrew (pictured) opens wine bottles fast and easy, without the straining and pulling of a waiter’s corkscrew.
And, here are a few more gift ideas for wine enthusiasts…
Wine stopper, saver, or preserver
I drink white wine; my husband drinks red. We almost never drink a full bottle of wine, and use our wine stoppers almost every single time we open a bottle of wine.
A Vacu Vin Stainless Steel Wine Saver (wine stopper) extracts air from open wine bottles, so you can save a bottle of wine for days — or even months! The people who make these wine preservers — Vacu Vin — say it keeps the wine fresh for 7-10 days, but I know better. I’ve sealed wine for weeks, and it tastes better than when I first opened the bottle.
Gift certificate from a wine making store
We buy our wine at Your Wine Cellar in Vancouver. It’s not quite “do it yourself” — we just go to the wine store, choose a type of wine, and then wait for six weeks while the wine ferments. Then, we go back and bottle and cork it ourselves. It’s a blast, and those bottles of wine cost half as much as the cheapest store-bought wine!
If the wine lover in your life hasn’t tried making wine, I think a gift certificate to a local wine making shop would be one of the best gifts! It took us a few years to take the plunge and start making our own wine; if we had encouragement in the form of a wine gift certificate, we would’ve done it ages ago.
Tickets to an International Wine Festival
Many cities have International Wine Festivals — from New York City to Cincinnati! Check your local newspaper, or do an internet search for “International Wine Festivals.” Most search engines, such as Google, will display local results.
A wine class
Here’s a wine gift giving tip from the Calgary Herald, in Canada:
“Find out how serious your friend(s) are about wine, and how much they already know. Do they need a beginner class? Are they too busy to commit to something more than the occasional evening? Or are they a die-hard wine junkie, who wants to know more than your average sommelier? If that’s the case, sign them up from a course through the International Sommelier Guild or the Wine and Spirits Education Trust; otherwise, they’ll be perfectly happy with a great tasting through a local wine shop or sommelier.” ~ Shelley Boettcher, 12 Great Gifts for Wine Lovers.
Tour of a local winery
Many wineries offer lunches or dinners as part of their tour. Treat your wine enthusiast to a road trip, winery tour, and meal at a nearby winery — or even one that requires a flight to get to! It’s a splurge, but it may be one of the best gifts for wine lovers.
A wine aerator, decanter, or medium-sized ceramic pitcher
A wine decanter works in a similar way, but it’s a slower process. But my all-time favorite way to nudge our red wine into a heavenly taste is to pour it from wine bottle to ceramic pitcher to wine glass. Then, I pour the wine from the glass back to the pitcher two or three times. Our ceramic pitcher is from a wine and pasta restaurant in Rome, Italy — which is another fabulous gift for people who love wine!
The Wine Bible – books about wine
As much as I love wine, I have zero books about pairing food and wine, where different grapes come from, how wines get their name, or how to “master” wine.
Check your wine enthusiast’s bookshelf for Windows on the World Complete Wine Course or The Wine Bible. Those are two fabulous books for people who want to learn more about wine.
If your wine lover is also a smoker, read Gifts for Pipe Smokers and Tobacco Hobbyists.
What do you think of these gifts for wine enthusiasts? I welcome your comments below…
Category: Birthdays, Christmas, Engagements & Weddings, Holidays
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