The holiday season is upon us, and what better way to celebrate than by raising a glass to the wine lover in your life? Finding a wine-related gift can be among the most festive holiday offerings, whether they are a seasoned oenophile or a casual imbiber.
Wine Subscription Service: Bring the world of wine to their doorstep with a subscription service. There are many options, but Master The World Wine Kits ($120 for a single box with six 187ml wines) are a perfect way to try small bottle samples from around the world. Evan Goldstein, Master Sommelier, is one of the masterminds behind these kits. He saw a demand for small sample bottles and wine kits when wineries moved to virtual tastings during the pandemic.
Another option is Ownroot Collective ($89.95 for the year/or $8.95 a month), an online wine subscription service on a mission to elevate some of the best-undiscovered micro-wineries in California. Ownroot members can join talented winemakers for virtual tastings and access and purchase high-quality wines that are only available in small quantities and have primarily been undiscovered.
For bubbly enthusiasts, Sparkle-ist, a sparkling wine and Champagne subscription service ($109 a month), will deliver three monthly bottles from different origins and production styles and grapes from small-production, family-owned wineries.
“Raj Glass” Wine Glasses ($78 for 2 glasses): Raj Parr, a James Beard award-winning author, wine professional, farmer, and sommelier, designed a universal wine glass in collaboration with New York’s Glasvin that is designed to have a broad, snifter-like bowl that tapers to a narrow rim to offer the purest expression of the wine. This is a great way to elevate the sipping experience for a wine lover.
Walden Decanter ($195): The Walden is the newest decanter from Simon Pearce, just released this spring. It is designed to roll gently but safely on the tabletop in a soft circular motion, aerating the wine inside it. This puts on a show for guests while improving the taste of wines that benefit from decanting.
Vinarmour Travel Wine Carrier ($299): Though not inexpensive, this luxury wine carrier is collapsible, maintains wine temperature 30 percent longer than neoprene, and protects your precious bottle of fine wine from sudden impact, thanks to a Kevlar lining that prevents puncture. This bag is made in the USA (Seattle, WA) and has a lifetime guarantee.
Le Creuset Wine Cooler Sleeve ($30): If your wine enthusiast is the outdoor type, this Le Creuset wine-cooler sleeve uses two removable gel packs to chill a bottle of wine in 30 minutes — and keep it cold for another 90.
Wine-Themed Books: Feed their curiosity with a captivating book on the world of wine. There are several recent wine books released for every level of interest. Some of my favorites include:
Vintage Crime: A Short History of Wine Fraud, by Rebecca Giff ($25): A look at wine fraud from Roman times right up to the trial of Rudy Kurniawan and his subsequent imprisonment.
How to Drink Australian: An Essential Modern Wine Book, by Jane Lopes and Jonathan Ross ($45): Both Jane Lopes and Jonathan Ross are seasoned sommeliers who have relocated to Australia. They bring an outsider’s perspective and abundant experience to the very detailed How to Drink Australian.
The Wine List: Stories and Tasting Notes behind the World’s Most Remarkable Bottles, by Grant Reynolds ($28): Beginning in the late eighteenth century with a tale about Thomas Jefferson’s secret White House stash to spanning to social media’s effect on Chenin Blanc’s popularity, The Wine List explores the relationship between culture, politics, history, and wine.
Blood From a Stone: A Memoir of How Wine Brought Me Back from the Dead, by Adam McHugh ($15): A deeply personal and beautiful story of Adam’s journey from a hospice chaplain to a sommelier in the Santa Ynez Valley of California.
Climbing the Vines in Burgundy: How an American Came to Own a Legendary Vineyard in France, by Alex Gambal ($25): Alex Gambal is an American who moved to France in 1993 and founded his wine business in 1997. In part, the book is a unique tale about the first non-Frenchman to ever own one of the Montrachet Grand Cru vineyards in Burgundy, France. It was aptly described as “Think Moneyball, Kitchen Confidential with a splash of Julia Child.”
Wine Education Classes or a Gift Membership to a Wine Society: Give the gift of knowledge by enrolling them in a wine education class. Where I live, in D.C., Capital Wine School has many offerings and several online platforms like the Napa Valley Wine Academy offer courses that provide a deeper understanding of the world of wine. You can also gift an annual subscription for a professional membership ($135) to the Society of Wine Educators (SWE). Members receive access to wine maps, wine updates, and webinar recordings.
Cheers to a season filled with good company, good food, and, of course…good wine!
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