As someone who is often accused of being impossible to buy for, I give you my definitive list of gift ideas for people who like to drink wine. So pour yourself a glass, and pop open a browser for some socially distanced last minute gifts for those on your nice list. At the time of writing everything was in stock! Happy shopping!
Kleenite glass cleaner because sometimes there’s more wine than clean-up at the end of the night. It works wonderfully on glasses and decanters This stuff lasts a long time!
A drying rack for stemmed glasses and say goodbye to condensation inside the glass.
Drying cloth—mine is from Riedel. It really is the only way to get wine glasses sparkling. Well, I guess you could always turn the lights way down low.
Alternatively, cross off number two and three and buy stemless glasses that can go in the dishwasher. Much to the horror of the friendly salesperson at Williams-Sonoma, I put my Riedel stemless glasses in the top rack of my dishwasher and knock on wood, they don’t seem worse for wear.
A decanter is a must-have to really appreciate the complexity Cabs and Bordeaux without aging them for decades. We have some high-end Riedel decanters and tend to use the Riedel decanters from Target. As much as I love our spiral Riedel decanter that I bought for my husband on our 25th wedding anniversary, cleaning it and making sure the twists in the glass are not harboring and leftover water makes using it a pain.
A drying spindle for decanters is a must-have. Before I started using ours religiously, I decanted a Caldwell cab before I realized there was a tiny puddle of water in the bottom of the vessel. My tears mixed with the cab and the leftover rinse water. We still drank it, though.
A Coravin wine bottle opener and preserver is a handy-dandy device that allows you sample your wine without opening the entire bottle. We use this when we want to compare a few vintages or wines and it’s just the two of us. The combination of needle-like extraction and argon gas prevents the wine from oxidizing and weeks later, the wine left in the bottle tastes as good as the first glass!
Speaking of saving things, on a trip to the Paul Dethune Champagne house (post here Radicalized by champagne, and I liked it!.) We were given champagne preservers and I cannot believe how well they work! On Thanksgiving we had a small glass on Champagne with the appetizers and then enjoy bubbly leftovers for mimosas a couple of days later! This looks like the branded one we got in France.
Chalk markers because no one remembers what their charm looks like after the second glass of wine. Write their name on the base and you’ll always know who took the extra pour and didn’t finish it. Put that name on the naughty list.
Or just get everyone a wine glass that sums up this year!
And, not to jingle my own sleigh bells, but I published a collection of recipes and ideas! For wine drinkers, home makers, college students and the millennial who is staring at their seventh order of Seamless- Vineyard Vibes is part fun wine aunt, part your mom’s kitchen. An entertaining guide for the rest of us; it’s dedicated to upping the ante on the every day and drinking really good wine while doing it.

Order it on Amazon, here
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P58H6V8
Or UBL: https://books2read.com/u/3LYw77
May your days be merry and bright, and may your glass be filled with red or white! Cheers, y’all!