Ever wonder what to get for the wine lover in your life? Whether it be a co-worker, friend, or someone extra special, here are 12 gift suggestions for every budget:



1. Quicksilver EZ-grip lever corkscrew – $29.95 at Wine Enthusiast

This handy-dandy wine opener is Swirl Girls tested and approved. You’ll never need to worry about breaking a cork again! Use the separate cutter to remove the foil, then just clasp the bottle, pull the lever and open. It’s quick, easy, and the perfect gift for a wine gadget lover.






2. Vinturi Wine Aerator – $39.95 – buy online or at Total Wine
http://vinturi.com

This is the perfect gift for the wine lover on the go. Whether pressed for time at home, or enjoying a bottle at a restaurant, the Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator takes the time out of the decanting process. Pouring your wine through a Vinturi is equal to hours in a decanter. It’s design allows for the proper amount of air to mix with your wine, opening the bouquet, enhancing the flavor and softening the tannins of any wine in seconds.




3. Blitzen & Vixen Bottle Stoppers – set of 4 online for $37.99
http://www.wineenthusiast.com

Usher in the holiday season with these hilarious bottle stoppers. Named after some of the more gregarious reindeer, these stoppers won’t stop the laughter at your next holiday party.





4. Wine Spectator Gift Subscription – $49.95/yr
http://www.winespectator.com/

Now you can choose to give a print or online subscription to one of the most respected wine publications in the world. The monthly magazine includes ratings for more than 500 wines per issue, plus informational features on different wine regions, wine makers, and special issues on great values, buying guides, and their coveted top 100 list.

An online membership features access to more than 200,000 wine ratings, plus tasting reports, editors’ blogs, daily wine picks, mobile access, restaurant & recipe databases, and more.




5. Iceless Wine Chiller – $99.95 from Brookstone
http://www.brookstone.com

This electronic wine chiller cools or warms wine to the desired temperature. The chiller has a database of 40 wines, including different red and white varietals, champagne and sake. Choose the type of wine you are having and the chiller will automatically bring the wine to its desired temperature. The chiller features a backlit LED screen with current and desired wine temperatures, an audio chime to signal when the wine is ready, and a quick chill function.




6. Drink This: Wine Made Simple, by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, Random House, $26. ($17.16 on Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com

Noted wine writer Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl tackles the questions a lot of wine buyers might have: 10 most common mistakes/misconceptions about wine, budget-friendly tips for holiday buys, best gifts for wine lovers in all price ranges, etc. She also gives a great checklist for having wine tastings – what food to have on hand, what “smells” to have handy to compare to the wine (toast, blackberries, etc.), what temperature to have each wine at and more.

So this book will teach you something, help you buy great gifts and it makes a good gift itself. Pretty good batting average for a book!





7. Wine Lovers Glass Charms – starting at $12.99 for a set of 6
http://www.wineglasscharms.com/

This is a great way to keep track of your glass during a party. Each themed set includes 6 different charms. This website has many different charm themes, including holiday, sports, love, hobbies, and custom designs.







8. Final Touch Flavour Enhancer Aerator & Decanter with Handle Set: $59.95
http://www.wineenthusiast.com

The glass decanter has a wide base, angled mouth and handle for easy pouring. The set also includes a stainless steel screen and a double-wall glass aerator. Wine poured in the aerator streams through 8 breathing holes in the interior glass, down a long tube, and through 4 more holes in the outer glass before running down the side of the decanter and resting in the wide base. The double aeration helps release the wine’s aromas and flavors in less time than simple decanting.







9. “Wines of the World” Wine Club membership – 3 month ($159), 6 month ($315), 1 yr ($619)
http://www.wine.com

The “Wines of the World” Wine club features premium wines from the world’s greatest regions. Each month, members receive 2 bottles of wine from a different wine region. Members can choose two red wines or one white & one red wine. Wines come with detailed tasting notes and food pairing suggestions.




10: Haley’s Corker – starting at $14.97 for a 3-pack
http://www.winecorker.org

Haley’s Corker, which is five products in one: re-corker, pourer, aerator, filter, stopper. These are amazing gifts for wine lovers. This little item does it all, and comes in several colors. These corkers are used by both restaurants and regular folk; they come in 3-packs ($14.97), 4-packs ($19.96) or 5-packs ($24.05) and are Swirl Girl Bold’s favorite wine accessory.

Buy them in Tuxedo Black, Cherry Red, Glitter Pink, Cobalt Blue or Burgundy Wine colors. You can match the corkers to the wine colors, or to your kitchen, whatever floats your boat. Tie one to the wine you’re giving a friend and earn lots of extra points as a gift giver!




11. Wine Skin – $9.95 online – check the website for retail locations
http://www.ftscontent.com

Wine Skin: If you’ve ever had to bring a bottle of wine home (or a few!), you’ve gone through the what-if-it-breaks-during-travel angst. When Bold visited Sonoma recently, her wine galpal, Peg, gave her some of these terrific Wine Skins to use on the flight home.

They are bubble packs for wine (there are 2 sizes), with tight seals that do double-duty in case one of those precious cargo items breaks. But they shouldn’t break at all in these padded holders.









12. The Vintage Caper, by Peter Mayle, Knopf, $24.95 (or the equal cost of a nice bottle of wine) – or $16.47 on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com

The novel starts in a wine cellar, involves a wine theft, jots from Los Angeles to Bordeaux vineyards and manages to teach readers about wine along the way. It’s a perfect wine novel for all vino fans!

I think reading this with a glass of good Bordeaux is a must. Mayle wrote “A Year in Province” and lives there, too. This book, released in October, has some readers calling it his best novel (he’s written five).




~ Dry (J. Gwen) & Bold (Lynn Kalber)