Why is buying a wine gift so tricky??
Do you know someone who loves a drop of wine but don’t know how to go about buying them a wine-y present? It seems to be one of those things that can be a bit tricky, so we’ve put together a list of things that the WineTubeMap crew would love to get for Christmas, and as we’re a bit of a motley bunch when it comes to our likes there’s something for everyone. Our gifts are all the kind of wine kit you just can’t have enough of, or that can’t fail to please. And we’ve made a list of presents to avoid that look good on paper but end up gathering dust (and not in a good way)…
Stocking fillers, secret santa and general handy things
Some wine lovers, are, well, a bit geeky, and others are just extremely good at the consumption part. There’s something in this selection for everyone…
Vacuvin wine chillers, £11, Wineware
We often recommend these chillers, because they are really good. In fact, if you were only going to have one way of chilling wine it would be these (specific) chillers. They chill wine in the cleanest and quickest way, and the champagne shaped ones cover more of the bottle so you don’t get any warm bits. Great for anyone who drinks wine!
Pocket Guide to Wine, £7.99, this site and widely available online and in good book shops
Ahem… this is our book, but as you’ve made it this far we figured you might like it! It’s a tour of the WineTubeMap with a mixture of wine, travel and food info, all in our unstuffy style. If you know someone who is likely to have ever wondered what to drink with fishfinger sandwiches, which is the perfect wine for the bath, how to visit Zinfandel, or what to do if your wine smells of cardboard this book has the answers.
Wine phone case, £8.80, Winerist
So this is just a bit of fun, but on a bad day, it might be comforting for someone to think they always had an emergency glass of wine in their pocket. You’ll be glad to know no real wine was harmed in the creation of these fun cases.
V Gauge wine preserver, £21.99, IWOOT
It may be rare, but sometimes people do have a bit of wine left over at the end of the night. These little pumps help preserve the wine for an extra night or two. It’s not a perfect system but it seems to help prolong the freshness and fruitiness… These particular ones have a little dial on the tops so that you can see that you’ve pumped enough oxygen out (which appeals to the scientific type).
Beautiful and decorative
Not all wine gifts need to be practical, these will appeal to anyone who likes nice things and enjoys a drop of wine. Great for couples who are hard to buy for…
Vintage wine poster repros, from £8.90, zazzle.co.uk
Who doesn’t love beautiful vintage wine ads, like this one from Weston Super Mare with “air like wine” (who knew?) to the classic Tatting lady, Zazzle have some gorgeous pics that are pretty safe and classy Christmas gifts, have a browse and try not to buy yourself one at the same time.
Zalto wine glasses, £30 each, Around Wine
We might have mentioned these before, because they are be-au-ti-ful glasses. Once you’ve held one, everything else feels like a beer tankard. Yes, they are super expensive per glass, but anyone you buy one for will be both impressed and grateful. And, once you’ve bought one you can keep adding to the collection, which makes it easy for all future presents. Hint, hint.
Schott Zwiesel Decanter, £29, Wineware
These days decanting isn’t really the done thing. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy someone a decanter. We’ve picked a modern shape that looks pretty sharp and you can use for water as well as wine, you can hide a cheap bottle or celebrate a fancy one and it does make wine feel more special. And this shape doesn’t take up too much cupboard space. A gift for the aspirational wine buff.
Liquid love.
It might feel like a cop out, but don’t forget that wine lovers really do like drinking wine. Here are some ideas for liquid gifts to give (and then share ideally).
Wine subscription service, £99/bi-monthly, Roberson wines
In the main wine subscriptions services, or wine clubs can be a bit disappointing. We frequently recommend Wine Society membership as a gift, for great value and quality that keeps on giving. We’d be just as happy with a Roberson Wine Club Membership thank you very much. These guys source fantastic wines and are the antidote to many ‘old school’ wine merchants. Getting a case of wine from them every other month would be a delight. You can unsubscribe at any time so you don’t need to buy them a year’s worth!
WineTubeMap Social wine tasting kit, from £200, Us!
If you want to give a wine experience as a gift why not give someone a wine tasting for them and their friends. Great for the social butterflies who want to know a bit more about wine, and of course, if you play your cards right you’ll get invited along. Our kits come with a full wine tasting experience for anything from 8 – 24 people and will be a gift that keeps on giving.
Dust collectors
Don’t get us wrong, there are loads of fab wine gifts out there. But there are some weird and wonderful things too that sound like a good idea but are likely to end up gathering dust on a shelf.
Fancy corkscrews
There are loads, and loads, and loads of corkscrews that promise an easier pop! Some of them cost a lot of money. In our (humble) experience these corkscrews are a bit of a novelty, that take up a lot of drawer space and are a hassle to use. You really don’t need more than a good waiters friend corkscrew, spend the money on wine.
Wine ageing bottle, £79.99, Lakeland
Err… What? If you know someone who loves negronis this might be a genius pressie so they can achieve the ultimate aged negroni. But it isn’t going to make their wine taste better.
Spend the £80 on glasses which will definitely improve their wine experience.
Wine journals, various available
These are a lovely idea, but we’re still yet to find someone who uses one. These days most people who want to remember a wine take a photo and use an app like Vivino. If you know someone uses a diary then they might be the exception, otherwise, buy them a bottle they can take a photo of 😉