Here we are at the holiday season again, and here we all are trying our best to come up with gift ideas! Of course we want these ideas to be unique and perfectly suited for the person we are shopping for. This can be a difficult, almost impossible task at times. Sometimes we are looking for gifts for a group of people: coworker, customers, employees or a group of friends. Here are some ideas to get you in the holiday spirit, in the mood to shop and less stressed about what to buy!
An obvious gift choice is a bottle of wine or liquor that you know the person you are shopping for will enjoy. You do not always have to know the exact drink of choice. If you know the genre of wine they like, for example: Pinot Noirs from Oregon, it is not difficult to find a bottle in your price range that will fit the bill. You might even choose a wine similar to the type they favor to help them branch out. French red Burgundy wines are generally made from the Pinot Noir grape and would be an interesting comparison for someone who regularly drinks these wines from Oregon. I often give wine as gifts and usually give whatever I have found recently that I am enjoying in my own home. If you want to give a gift that makes a big impression, a magnum of wine, which is the equivalent of a double bottle, is an unexpected surprise and is perfect for someone who likes to have small dinner parties. Champagne also makes a big impression and is almost universally enjoyed, especially at the holidays.
If you want to buy something other than a bottle of wine, there are a myriad of other possibilities for the person who enjoys wine. Wine paraphernalia is an almost limitless list from which to choose!
For the person who is a casual wine drinker, or a beginner in the world of wine, here are a few suggestions that can be bought individually or grouped together:
1. Corkscrews. These can run the gamut from an elegant double-hinged metal corkscrew with an exotic wood handle, to a mechanical “air pop” device to the popular “rabbit” style or an antique or collectible style. Some corkscrews come in a small gift box with a foil cutter.
2. Aerators are very popular now and are used to help a less expensive bottle of wine taste like a more expensive bottle. These come in small versions, some double as stoppers as well. There are larger versions and some that come in stands.
3. Sleeves that live in the freezer and are used to chill bottles quickly. There are also aerators that chill as they pour.
4. Wine charms are wonderful for the person who likes to entertain. They help your guests keep up with which glass of wine is theirs.
5. Vacuum pumps take the oxygen out of a bottle of wine to help preserve it for another time. There are also small canisters of gas, called Private Preserve, that you can put in an opened bottle of wine before you recork it to help preserve the wine.
For the slightly more sophisticated wine lover on your list, here are a few thoughts:
1. A wine decanter. These come in so many different shapes and styles. Antique wine decanters make a lovely gift.
2. Nice wine glasses. My husband received some Riedel Bordeaux glasses as a gift once that we have enjoyed for years.
3. A Champagne bucket. There are inexpensive acrylic types that are really nice looking, as well as glass versions and silver ones that are more expensive with lots of options in between.
4. A subscription to a wine periodical such as the Wine Advocate or Wine Spectator. Books on wine and wine regions are also nice gifts.
5. Bottle stoppers in silver with engraved initials are an elegant gift.
Here are some more thoughts for that VERY special person on your list who is a wine lover:
1. A wine rack or small wine cellar.
2. A leather-bound wine tasting notebook or a leather-bound book for special wine labels.
3. A wine tasting kit that teaches you about the different flavors and aromas in different wines.
I hope these ideas have helped make your holidays gentler! Here’s wishing you the happiest of holiday seasons full of wonderful wines, ones that are old favorites and some new discoveries! Cheers!
Written by Pat Daniel. Permission to publish by Columbus & the Valley Magazine.
