If someone on your holiday gift list this year is a self-proclaimed oenophile, fewer things will make her happier than a gift she can drink (diamonds notwithstanding). Whether you’re heading to a holiday party or spending a weekend with friends, if your hostess is a wine and spirits snob, help her build her collection — and her holiday spirit.
STEMWARE SAVVY
While a lot of wine drinkers have some stemware and goblets, most home collections are incomplete. Before you shop, peek into your giftee’s barware collection to see if she is fully stocked on flute, balloon, white and Bordeaux shaped wine glasses. You can round out her collection with a stemware set from Cost Plus World Market – something that she probably wouldn’t splurge on herslef.
GIVE WINE THAT GIVES BACK
Beringer Founders’ Estate Wine is not only a product of the oldest continuously operating winery in the Napa Valley, but its producers are helping to alleviate hunger in the United States. This year, the winery has pledged to support hunger charities nationwide by donating one dollar for every purchase of Beringer Founders’ Estate Wine during the months of November and December. When you present your hostess with a bottle of this vino, you can know that you helped raise money for a good cause.
TIE ONE ON
A wine tag, that is. TagIt! makes hanging wine tags that turn the perfect bottle of wine into the perfect gift for any occasion. Whether you need a stocking stuffer or a small token for the wine lover in your life, these tags, with sayings like “Oh the weather outside is frightful…but wine makes it so delightful!” will charm just about anyone. Tie one onto your hostess’ favorite bottle of wine or buy her a supply for her own gift-giving needs.
TO KEEP YOUR (WINE) COOL
While red wines are typically served at room temperature, white wines often taste better chilled. For the hostess with the mostess – except when it comes to remembering to chill the white wine – Ravi Instant Wine Chiller is a quick fix that any entertaining enthusiast should stash in her freezer. Ravi is a contraption that you insert into your bottle to help bring wine to the correct temperature. It’s a great for the forgetful (not that I would know).
TO SAVE YOUR LEFTOVERS
How many times has it happened to you? You open a bottle of wine with a friend on a Saturday night and a few days later, when you go to finish that last remaining glass, it just doesn’t taste the same. Anyone who loves wine but can’t drink a bottle in one sitting should keep am electric wine preserver at the ready. From the Epicureanist, it will fit most 750ml wine bottles and will vacuum seal bottles to suction the excess air and keep your wine tasting fresh between uses.
SAVE YOUR TABLECLOTH
You use coasters underneath your drinks, so why not underneath your bottles? If your hostess is planning on pouring a lot of wine this year, make sure her tabletops are well protected by a Vacu Vin Wine-Bottle Coaster from Sur La Table. Don’t let drips and drops get in the way of a good time. And if you really want to endear yourself to your hostess – slip a bottle of vino into the coaster before you gift her.
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