An original gift for wine lovers. What to give with wine, making the tasting exciting. Wine gifts: what to give to a true wine connoisseur

If you have to solve the problem of choosing a gift for a winemaker, then first of all think about what will be useful for preparing a tasty and healthy homemade drink, for storing or tasting it.

For the manufacture of

You will learn about all the intricacies of making wine at home and the necessary equipment for this, which can be presented to the winemaker, from a special encyclopedia, which can become an independent or additional gift.

The production process begins with chopping berries and fruits. You can’t do without a crusher or shredder for berries and fruits. This gift will be very expensive in the case of both electric and manual shredders. But such a thing will never be unclaimed.

A juice press will be needed at the second stage of production. Presses are manual and hydraulic, that is, connected to running water, which will create the necessary pressure. This device will help process a large volume of raw materials in a short period of time.

Even when producing a homemade drink, you will definitely need a pourover, a sugar meter, an alcohol meter, bottle cappers, a hydrometer for measuring density, and much more. The recipient of the gift will be very touched if you present him with a useful item from this list.

All these items tend to wear out and become obsolete. Therefore, such gifts will always come in handy for a person who is passionate about creating homemade drinks.

For storage

Containers and devices for standing and storing are also an important thing. And often not cheap. Therefore, such things can always become a worthy gift.

Vintage bottle. The drink poured and stored in it will acquire a special charm.
Ordinary glass bottles for homemade wine are fragile: they are largely consumables, the stocks of which are good to replenish from time to time.
Handmade oak barrels are not a luxury, but a necessity when making some drinks.
A bottle storage rack will also come in handy, even if the winemaker has his own storage cellar.

Making good wine is an art. But it’s not easier to insist and preserve it. Therefore, gifts associated with storing the drink are very valuable.

Related Accessories

If you are afraid of making a mistake when choosing products for home production, then try to settle on something simpler. For example, you can purchase a gift set that includes a high-quality corkscrew, bottle caps, a thermometer, etc.

In gift departments and wine accessories stores you can find some pretty interesting things:

A special wine thermos that will maintain the desired temperature of a white or red drink.
An unbreakable wine glass that also holds the temperature and prevents the contents from spilling.
Wine and food compatibility table, which regulates the use of white, red, dry and sparkling drinks with certain foods and dishes.
Chilling stones containing a special liquid refrigerant that allows the frozen stone to quickly cool the contents of the glass without diluting it with water from melting ice.
Wine aerator. This is a nozzle that is inserted into the neck of the bottle. Passing through the aerator, the wine is decanted, that is, it is saturated with oxygen, and the sediment is filtered out of it. Thanks to the device, after pouring there are no drops left on the neck of the bottle. You can even decant wine in a regular decanter. But the aerator is convenient to use outside the home when you don’t have a real decanter at hand.
A set of an apron with sleeves never hurts: production from wet and dirty raw materials requires constant care.
Suitcase for carrying wine bottles. Winemakers attach great importance to transporting the result of their labor. What matters here is not only the temperature at which the product is transported, but also the degree of protection of the precious bottle from other external influences: light, shaking, shock, etc.

It is unlikely that a winemaker will remain indifferent to gifts that are so directly related to the subject of his passion. Give him this pleasure - and you will see how joyful your soul will be.

Wine themed souvenirs

It would be a good idea to present a person with a sense of humor with some household items that hint at his winemaking activities.

A bottle-shaped tableware set that can be used for appetizers and snacks.
Wine scented soap. This unusual and noble fragrance should really please the winemaker, and not only the female sex. Male winemakers, who otherwise remain indifferent to the smell of a sanitary product, will this time notice the zest.
Healing cosmetics based on wine. If a cosmetic product contains red sweet or semi-sweet as an ingredient, then this treatment will invigorate dry skin. And semi-dry white will help moisturize oily skin.
Many people like shoes with cork soles. Remind the recipient of the gift that no one will appreciate this versatile material better than him, which preserves not only the health of his feet, but also the freshness of the drink.
Wine cork jewelry looks unusual, and sometimes even elegant.
Wine grisaille is painting using different types of wine. Landscapes made in this rare technique fascinate with subtle transitions from shade to shade. And experts say that paper miraculously mixes and preserves delicate wine aromas for a long time.

People who love their work love to surround themselves with objects that remind them of their hobbies. The winemaker will also be pleased to receive wine-themed gifts. Please the professional, and you yourself will receive satisfaction from your congratulations.

If your friend is fond of wine and does not hide it, sooner or later there will be a temptation to give him an original little thing to support this hobby. Our gift guide will help you: the best and worst gifts for a wine lover.

Oh yeah! This is exactly what I dreamed about!

Decanter

The simplest and most reliable way to please a wine gourmet. There are excellent decanters in any price segment. Anyone who is seriously interested in wine knows about the benefits of this accessory during tasting, and the decanter also gives aesthetic pleasure and turns dinner with wine into a beautiful ritual. Wine lovers usually have several decanters in their collection. Who knows, maybe your fancy-shaped gift will encourage them to conquer new heights in their knowledge of wine!

Cheese inventory

Cheese boards and stands, knives and strings for slicing cheese. An unobvious, but very practical gift. A cheese plate is known to be the best companion to wine, so your gift will definitely not gather dust at the bottom of the cabinet. A rotating stand, a board with a cap to prevent the cheese from drying out, a girolle knife that cuts hard cheeses into beautiful petals - if you try, you can find a truly unusual option.

Wine magazines, books

Subscribing to a wine magazine - maybe your friend didn’t even dare to dream about this. Books by Hugh Johnson, for example, can also be considered a golden gift fund. "Wine. Atlas of the World", "Great Wine Directory" - these books have only one drawback - their weight. Complete, detailed, and, by the way, very expensive publications will delight those who love wine and reading (by the way, these two hobbies almost always go together). Now there is also a “Women’s Wine Guide” in a gift edition from the daughter of the same Jackson. And Moleskin, so beloved by hipsters, has wonderful wine notebooks from the Passion series for recording your own impressions of wine, plans, and tasting notes.

Wine-based cosmetics

A typically feminine gift, but a win-win one. In SPA salons and online stores today you can buy entire series and individual products of therapeutic and caring cosmetics based on wine products. Cleopatra also used wine for youth and beauty, so there is no doubt about their effectiveness.

Wine!

Yes, yes, yes, don’t be afraid to buy wine to someone who knows about it. Just come to a good wine boutique, talk to a consultant, voice your wishes and budget. It is done! Every wine lover will be glad to have new experiences and new impressions.

Oh no not this…

Wine-clothing

If there's a gift worse and more banal than a tie, it's a tie with wine bottles and labels on it. This also includes T-shirts with stickers in the shape of a vine, aprons, etc.

Intricate wine cabinets, stands, shelves

At first glance, it’s an interesting gift, but only for the first time. In most cases, all these futuristic things gather dust in attics and closets, since they do not fit into the interior at all and are of little functionality.

Cool wine-themed gifts

This includes all kinds of glasses with a measuring scale, alcoholic roulettes and chess, corkscrew mustaches and other “gags” that are sold in “creative gift” stores. The champion in this category can be considered a Western invention called a wine bra - this is a bra with a container for wine and a drinking tube! Most likely, such an unusual gift, immediately after delivery, will rest in the dark depths of the kitchen cabinets due to its uselessness. Our motto is original and functional!

Give a unique gift to someone who loves wine. Coming up with something interesting on your own is not so easy. The following article presents a list of ten unusual items. Some of them are just a joke, others are useful things that will definitely come in handy around the house. You will definitely find an interesting idea that can be implemented for the coming holidays.

Wine mug

Walking around the house with a fragile glass is not entirely convenient. The glass may crack and the wine may spill out. Those who drink this drink regularly will love this unusual mug.

Externally, this dish resembles a beer glass with a wine glass inserted into it. It has double walls, but the dishes themselves are light. This glass is convenient to carry by the handle, it stands steadily and is more difficult to knock over. This accessory will surprise anyone. It will definitely become a favorite for those who cannot imagine an evening without a sip of a grape drink.

Wine rack

Wine connoisseurs often collect entire collections of this noble drink. Not only is it important for them to have a few unique bottles, but they also want to show off their possessions. Therefore, such a person will like a wine rack.

For example, you can buy a compact accessory that will suit any interior, since it is made in a neutral style. The stand is mounted on the wall. This ensures maximum savings in free space. You can also buy a special cross-shaped rack that will fit perfectly into the wall where wine accessories are stored.

Electric corkscrew Bosch IXO Vino

Wine lovers often open bottles. Ordinary corkscrews help them with this. Yes, a cordless lithium-ion tool will be more for entertainment, but it also copes with the task quickly enough. It will come in handy when an ordinary small corkscrew gets lost somewhere.

This household appliance can also be used as a screwdriver. You can't expect great capabilities from it, but it's perfect for small jobs. But at the same time, you can always surprise your guests with an unusual gadget that, with a simple press of a button, will uncork a bottle in a couple of seconds. This gift is not so much a practical thing as a little battery-powered show.

Wine bottle condom

This is a great gift for those who don't drink a whole bottle at once. With a condom like this, you won't have to worry about the wine leaking or spoiling.

The accessory is sold in a small box, stylized as a regular package of contraceptives. There are six of them in a pack. They create an airtight film on the neck of the bottle, which allows you to store it not only vertically, but also horizontally. The wine will be reliably protected from any impact.

Condoms fit tightly around the top of the neck, which protects the drink from any leakage. The accessory will not fly off the bottle on its own. It will take some effort to remove it. And one more advantage: these condoms can be used more than once, unlike similar contraceptives.

Original decanter

Wine connoisseurs know how important it is to have a decanter for this drink. If you bottle it, you may not feel the full richness of the aroma. And all because the oxidation process takes place faster in the decanter. It is he who reveals the entire spectrum of the bouquet.

Spend some money and buy a designer decanter for your loved one. This is not just a vessel for wine, but a real work of art that will decorate any holiday table. It can be made in a classic style, but with some interesting elements: a subtle black stripe on the side and a heart-shaped hole in the center.

Or you can choose a more unusual vessel, which has interesting handles and seems to lie on its side. Such a thing combines everything: modernity and classics, grace and audacity.

Bottle socks

Such a gift is a reason to have fun with friends, since there is not much practical use from it. This is an interesting accessory made in the form of an ordinary sock. It has a funny face on it that will certainly make anyone smile.

This sock is used to place a bottle of wine for storage or on the table of a youth party. Older people may perceive this as inappropriate tomfoolery. Therefore, think about the character of the person for whom you are choosing a gift. The main thing is that he has a healthy sense of humor.

Bottle-glass

Refilling your own wine can sometimes be tedious. Give a lover of this drink a comic glass the size of a whole bottle. It will fit all the necessary volume, which will eliminate the need to constantly pour yourself wine.

The upper part of the product is made in the form of a bell of an ordinary wine glass, but the stem is hollow. It looks like a regular bottle, which makes it comfortable to hold in your hand. In addition, this cookware is perfectly balanced, which prevents it from accidentally tipping over. The walls of the glass bottle are thicker, so it will not crack from an accidental light blow.

Mug-glass "Before and after 5"

Everyone knows the truth that wine is an evening drink. Drinking in the first half of the day is bad form. For those who equally love coffee and wine, you can give a 2-in-1 combination glassware, one side of which is a mug, the other is a wine glass.

Of course, this thing is more of a joke than a truly practical thing. But it will serve as a humorous reminder that you shouldn’t drink wine before 5 pm. This time is reserved for coffee or tea. The corresponding inscriptions on both vessels also remind us of this.

Card with wine corks

Travelers love to mark on the map the places and cities they have visited. Wine connoisseurs collect bottles of this drink made in different countries and regions. So why not give them a special map on which they can mark wine regions in an unusual way?

This product is made of a thin plywood sheet on which the outlines of different countries are applied. There are also slots here just for wine corks. You can insert crusts from the most iconic bottles here. This card is also useful when you need to quickly remove a traffic jam, but don’t want to run to the trash can. In this case, the waste will become a decorative element with a simple movement of the hand.

Wicks in wine bottles

In addition to the corks, after the wine is drunk, empty bottles remain. They can be turned into beautiful lamps for the gazebo. They give off a little light, but it is so warm and cozy that it creates a completely unique romantic atmosphere.

The wick design itself is extremely simple. They consist of a ceramic stopper and the wick itself, which is lowered into the container. To make a functional lamp, you need to pour lamp oil into the bottle. It will gradually rise up the wick and burn slowly at the top, emitting a warm glow. In such an atmosphere it will be nice to drink a little wine and have a leisurely conversation.

The gifts described in the article are just a small part of what can be given to a true wine connoisseur. But the things on this list can also give you a lot of positive emotions. Add the ideas you like to your notebook so that on the eve of the holiday you don’t have to worry about what to give to your loved one. Better yet, find and buy them in advance. This way you will save yourself from unnecessary worries when, on the eve of the holiday, everyone around you will be running around shopping and feverishly thinking about what to give as a gift so that it is useful and evokes positive emotions in your loved one.

Well, the New Year's fever has begun. A period that personally brings me both joy and slight horror. I love winter as a season, and I love the special fairy-tale atmosphere that surrounds the holidays, but what always makes me nervous is the frenzy of shopping and the psychological pressure that always accompanies choosing gifts. Do not misunderstand me. I love giving gifts. But the process of choosing and shopping drives me crazy. In a way, I can't wait until I'm old enough to just hand out cash to everyone younger than me. Oh, it's going to be a great time.

In fact, all the fears and doubts that we experience when choosing gifts have the same reason: we sincerely want to give a person something that he will really like, but we don’t know What exactly he likes. Some are lucky: their children or wives create lists of gifts that are guaranteed to be appropriate. It’s more difficult with everyone else: they include people who a) buy themselves everything they want, b) never say what they want, c) are not close enough to us to be comfortable asking directly what they would like to get in a gift, but nevertheless, something needs to be given, and d) all the other countless categories of people with their own characteristics and quirks, who still need to choose some gifts.

Wine lovers represent a slightly more complex category of recipients. And I don't mean people who just like to drink wine. For these comrades, any bottle will be an excellent present. Now I'm talking about people who understand wine. About lovers, connoisseurs, collectors, and, yes, wine snobs.

These guys are tough nuts to crack, of course, if you really want to pick something that will genuinely please them. As a rule, they already have all the necessary accessories for wine (I mean glasses, decanters, sommelier knives and the like), and they already understand what kind of wine they prefer (which naturally increases your chances of choosing something not That).

No, of course they will be grateful. And most likely, you will never even know that they took the bottle that you chose with such difficulty while going to a casual dinner with friends, and did not savor it with admiration (which is what you were counting on).

With all these risks in mind, here's my advice on how to choose a gift for someone who truly loves and understands wine.

First, let's divide all these people into two camps: those you know closely and those you don't know very well.

Wine lovers you know well

When I say “know well,” I mean that you know what brand of glasses they have at home, what type of corkscrew they have, and what wines they like, even down to the specific names of wines and wineries.

It's simple with these. Give a bottle of California Shiraz to someone who is crazy about the wines of the Rhone Valley, or a bottle of good Brunello to someone who dreams of a small house in Tuscany.

If these people drink really a lot of wine and you know that they don't have corkscrewrabbit, give it to them.

If they constantly have a battery of open but not completely drunk bottles in their refrigerator, give them vacuum corkscrew so that opened bottles remain in shape for as long as possible. Or, if you want to buy a really expensive gift, order a whole wine storage system with inert gas.

Do you know someone whose collection has grown to a serious level over time, but still lacks decent storage space? You can buy them wine cabinet, or pay to rent a space in the cellar at some nearby enoteca.

I usually discourage people from choosing commonplace gifts, such as books about wine (yawn), corkscrews from Laguiole (too many fakes), as well as various small things like stoppers, aerators and all this junk that just takes up space.

Of course, if you know exactly which books about wine your friend already has, you can always choose something from my list "Ten books that should be on every wine lover's shelf", but only if you are sure that the person a) has not read this book b) will read it with pleasure (that is, he is one of those people who not only like to drink wine, but also read about it).

But if at some point you realize that you don’t actually know your potential recipient’s tastes as well as you’d like, and that you’re not at all sure that he’ll like the $50 bottle you’re about to hand him, then In this case, it is better to move this person to the second category.

Wine lovers you don't know very well

Now comes the most controversial part of my advice. Some people get angry when they hear me say this, but nevertheless: please do not give wine to people whose taste you do not know.

If these guys really love wine and understand it, and you really If you want to give them a successful gift, and not just for show, then the risk of failure is extremely high. Will this be the end of the world? No. Will they stop inviting you over? Of course they won’t stop, of course, unless they are complete boors.

But in the end, the point of giving gifts is to really give a person pleasure, to see his sparkling eyes at the moment when he unwraps the packaging, and to hear a sincere “thank you!” coming from the heart. This is why it is worth giving gifts.

And yes, choosing a wine for a connoisseur you don’t know very well is difficult. Well, just don’t buy them wine.

Here are some ideas for what you can do instead:

1) 1) Buy them something really interesting and expensive from gastronomy. Those who love wine, as a rule, also love delicious food.
to eat, and we usually know the gastronomic habits of our acquaintances a little better than our wine preferences. Choose a piece of some unusual farmer's cheese, or quality olive oil, or a gift certificate for dinner at an interesting restaurant.

2) 2) If your friends live somewhere near a wine region, treat them to a wine trip. Don't forget to arrange a rental car with a driver so that your friends can enjoy the tastings without worrying about encountering the police.

3 3) Gift certificate to a wine boutique or online store. Many people are wary of gift certificates, and I can partly understand this, but on the other hand, I like the prospect of giving something that is completely not to their taste even less. In my opinion, in this case, a gift certificate is an excellent solution, especially if it comes from some truly chic wine boutique, the name of which is respected or at least simply well known.

As for me, I know for sure that I have already accumulated a lot of bottles, including expensive ones, about which I want to say: honestly, there was no need to worry so much. Not that I was in the least bit ungrateful. But it’s just a shame that people spend a lot of money on something that ultimately won’t bring them joy. They say that “it’s not the gift that’s important, it’s the attention.” In general this is, of course, true. But ask any woman how she would feel if her beloved husband or boyfriend gave her an expensive but absolutely tasteless piece of jewelry that she would not wear on pain of death. “A holiday with tears in our eyes,” that’s what it is.

So why not treat your wine lover to a little shopping spree? All wine lovers have some wines that they usually don’t have money for. And if the recipient is one of your household members, then you win doubly, since you also have a chance to share hunting trophies with him.

One last thing I would like to say in case my beloved wife reads this article and takes it as a subtle hint. Honey, we definitely have ENOUGH wine in the house already. No more needed.

Good luck to everyone, and when you choose New Year's gifts, do not forget about yourself, taste them at every opportunity. He absolutely will.