There's no shortage of wine gifts out there.
But what do wine people actually want? I have a drawer full of useless stoppers, openers, aerators, glassware, thermometers, pens, cloths and other gimmicky paraphenalia. Yes, it's the thought that counts (thank you all!) But if you want to show that you really put a lot of thought into it, and them, here are a couple of useful suggestions.
As with wines, less is more. Small things make a big difference: a wine filter, to help when corks disintegrate; an Ah-So two-pronged wine opener to work older corks gently; a classic Pulltap corkscrew; a can of inert gas wine preserver (Anthony uses Private Preserve); a well-crafted wine glass (I use Zalto); detailed wine maps like the ones I collect from DeLong; useful reference books for their library, like the recently published Champange: The Essential Guide to the Wines, Producers, and Terroirs of the Iconic Region by Peter Liem, The Dirty Guide to Wine by Alice Feiring, Volcanic Wines: Salt, Grit and Power by John Szabo, or I Taste Red: The Science of Tasting Wine, by Jamie Goode.
And of course, the most coveted gift for any wine lover: wine. Some of these may be a bit harder to find, some may be a bit pricier, but all are delicious wines with a story behind, and longevity ahead. Here are our Top 10 bottles that we, or any wine geek, would welcome this holiday.