Being wine-lovers for too many years to count, Jen and I have both given and received every wine-related gift possible. While we do think our products WineSmarts, WineParty, and WinePassports, make great gifts for wine lovers, it would be a bit tacky if we showed up with them to all the holiday parties I go to, so here are a few of our favorites wine gifts to give and to receive.

Built NY Bags – everyone loves these colorful neoprene wine carriers. You’ll look very stylish carrying these to your next party. If you add them to a bottle of wine it’s a great gift.

Stem tags. If  I never see another cutsy wine charm again, I'll be a happy camper. Stem tags are disposible so you can write your name and not forget which item you were supposed to remember. Not to toot our horn, but we have them in our WineParty and sell them separately). Other companies have holiday designs that are fun. 

 Corkscrews Most folks in the wine biz pride themselves on being able to open a bottle of wine with old-school corkscrews. There are two types that I prefer

• Double hinged waiter style. I’m a big fan – gives you a great deal of  leverage and fit well in your hand - it’s not called waiter-style for nothing.
• Retractable Foil Cutter Corkscrew – I got one of these as a party gift at a friend’s wedding. So handy to have the foil cutter and corkscrew in one place. Plus I get to toast my friends every time I open a bottle. 

Decanter Funnel – most of my friends have lovely decanters, but few have a decent wine funnel (myself included – hint hint). My friends in Europe decant almost every bottle of red wine they open, and lots of the nice French ones aren’t filtered so you have a lot of residue. 

Private Preserve Gas. Cheap and easy way to keep your wine from oxidizing too quickly. This gas is still the most effective method I’ve seen. There are fancy systems out there, but I haven’t seen any that are worth the effort and expense of storing a bottle for a few days. If you don't have a fancy wine fridge, you can store wine in your kitchen fridge to help preserve it. If you want to warm up your red wine a tad, you can in fact put it in the and microwave it when you get home (fascinating) for a few seconds (not long, red wine is best served around 55 degrees F).

Wine Fridge. These are getting less and less expensive every year, so for that special person, you can get a decent wine refrigerator that holds 16 bottles for about $150 (or even less at big box stores).

Wine!! Yes, your wine lover  may have dozens, or hundreds, of bottles waiting to be sipped. But an unusual bottle will get their attention. Check out Alder’s Vinography site for some ideas, or talk to you local wine store and get their suggestions.

Wine glasses. Wine glasses break. It’s sad but true. So give your wine lover friend a set of 2, 4, 6 or more great wine or champagne glasses. They’ll think of you every time they sip. If you know they love Burgundy, then get them glasses specifically designed for Burgundy wine. Riedel and Spiegelau are both great options that come in various price ranges.