With the holidays rolling in again, everyone’s thoughts turn to “Oh, my! What can I get for Fred?” or whomever. But is Fred a wine lover? I would hope so! Don’t despair, here are some ready gift ideas for everyone you know who enjoys wine. And if they don’t enjoy wine, will they really enjoy anything you get them? Something to ponder while you shop. Here we go!
$319.99 at Amazon
Has Fred (or Susan, or whomever, you understand) been particularly good this year? Are you a few hundred credit card points away from that free night at the Hilton? It may be time to consider giving a wine refrigerator. A wine fridge gets all those wine bottles in one place, and keeps every bottle the exact temperature you want. Why have that chardonnay compete with the milk for refrigeration love? Doesn’t wine deserve its own little piece of happiness? This one is particularly nice because of the mood lighting that will keep reminding Fred what a great friend you are. Just saying.
$41.99 at Amazon
Is Fred a bit of a gadget freak? Merely opening wine with a corkscrew can be so dull, so why not spice it up a bit? An electrical bottle opener can add that bit of flash and flair to dress up any pedestrian wine and make it feel truly special. This one actually counts down how many bottles can yet be opened before needing a recharge. Don’t take that as a challenge, but do tell us if you can beat the estimate! Avoid the dreaded repetitive stress injury and get an electric corkscrew. Save those wrists for better things!
$5.99 at Amazon
Do you picnic with Fred, only to discover that he brought the cheese, the wine, the glasses, but forgot the corkscrew. In these rustic conditions an electric corkscrew just won’t do, but this versatile and compact wine tool can save the picnic. Not just a corkscrew, this all-purpose wonder packs a bottle opener, a small knife blade for foil cutting and disarming nuclear weapons (I’m looking at you, MacGyver). Available in nearly every color, this also is a handy gadget for the glove compartment for those wine tasting trips. Saves a sheepish walk back into the tasting room after buying that chilled bottle of Pinot Grigio for your cheese plate.
$6.56 at Amazon
Need a last minute stocking stuffer? Maybe something on the package to give it a bit of pizzazz? Our go-to wine accessory is this amazing, yet humble, bottle spout. People spend $50-100 on wine aerators, but we’ve found that this little wonder does everything those fancy venturis do, and you don’t need to explain to anyone how a venturi works (yes, a lot of us dozed off that day in physics class, don’t judge). We have an unnatural number of these in our corkscrew drawer, because they are truly amazing. They can really open up a tight pinot, and dial back that aggressive young cab. If we finish the night before we finish the bottle (yes, that can happen), we just pop the top on the spout and put it back in the fridge. Its even easy to wash up. These things look simple, but Fred will thank you for making his wine taste so good!
So don’t worry about Fred. With these ideas and a little gift-wrapping wizardry (and I can’t help there, just ask my wife) you can deliver a thoughtful gift that keep you on the “nice” list for years.
Happy holidays!
About the Author: John grills a mean steak and is always in the market for another wine fridge. Believes that if a winery has more than 10 employees, it's probably too big. Buys wine faster than he drinks it, but who cares?
