A few years ago, a friend gave me a wine funnel with a little mesh screen to catch any sediment I’ve missed, and a series of perforations at the bottom, which pushes the wine into a tulip-shaped spray. It’s a nice way to quickly aerate younger, more rustic wines, and although it’s a little gimmicky, I find myself using it more than I’d expected. Join today and get immediate access to this article, and to our entire database of more than 400,000 wine ratings. It only takes moments—but it will help you drink better all year long.
If they enjoy whiskey and cigars, we've got you covered there, too. There's a present for everyone, and many items can be personalized for that extra special touch. In a recent blog on WineSpectator.com, senior editor James Laube's "Blind Is Best if You Must Assess," Laube says that tasting wines blind is one of the most educational ways to taste wine. "Anyone can conclude that a $100 wine is more expensive than the $25 wine by looking at the price tag," Laube writes. Some people have even mistaken red wines for whites and vice versa when served at the same temperatures using these tricky but nevertheless elegant stems. Pick up a set of these fun wineglasses for the adventurous wine lover on your list.
Gift Guide: Chocolate
She also brought me a 1995 Latour as a wedding gift, so I've found a winner. Bright and forward, the 2016 Talbott Vineyards Kali Hart Chardonnay is 100 percent estate-grown from the Sleepy Hollow Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County. A vanilla and brioche bouquet accentuates the palate, flourishing with flavors of bose pear, pineapple, and melon, leading to a soft, clean finish with mineral and hard spice notes. This new legend of Sleepy Hollow shines brightly day or night with prosperous, concentrated flavors and intense character from this illustrious vineyard.
A throwback to styles once worn by vineyard workers, this bag is ideal for carrying a range of goodies, from cold beverages to foraged mushrooms. Cute and compact, this set made by Sur La Table is carved from olive wood. As a plus, the pieces come in an olive wood box with cutouts for storage, so they don’t get lost and separated in the silverware drawer. My mom is obsessed with ordering from New York restaurants through Goldbelly and others. This summer, she came across these seasoned salts from Momofuku. They are a game-changer; I now use them exclusively to season my eggs in the morning.
Services
While growing up in his family’s wine business, California vintner Pete Seghesio’s favorite annual occasion was sausage-making day. When the winery was sold in 2011, Seghesio and his wife, Cathy, turned their attention to becoming excellent salumi producers. They also sell a wooden guillotine slicer to achieve paper-thin slices of their Journeyman salumi.
The Irish ex-pats behind Manhattan’s Dead Rabbit, regarded as one of the world’s best bars, have a knack for creativity with their national spirit, offering drinks that showcase Irish whiskey’s lighter and more floral leanings. Don’t miss the section on homemade syrups, tinctures and infusions or the indispensable front-of-book primer on the whiskey itself. The green foil cover makes the book a fetching holiday gift for your favorite amateur cocktail slinger—even if that person happens to be you. This unique decanter with an ice pocket for chilling white wines tells a story for a cause. Made by Swaziland's Ngwenya Glass, each piece is hand-blown from recycled glass, and the company's furnaces are fueled by discarded cooking and engine oil. Local schools help collect the used glass in exchange for building materials and soccer kits.
PRESENTING AND SERVING WINE
Fashioned in a variety of vivid colorways, these blades are also easy to spot if dropped. If you only choose one to gift, pick the JH Hunter/Forager ($269), whose 4-inch blade can tackle camp chores like carving a tent stake and still fillet a fish. Wine Spectator's team of editors taste over 35,000 wines a year.... Not even certified Masters of Wine are likely able to pinpoint every wine appellation on the globe. I exchange wine with my brother for christmas every year and always look forward to it. The 2016 William Hill Estate Winery Napa Valley Chardonnay shares notes of apple, pear, tropical fruits, and lemon balanced with coconut and baking spices, leading to a finish worthy of a celebratory toast.
If your hosts are kind enough to let you stay over, you can double down on the gift by making everyone some scrambled eggs for breakfast. There is video proof of me deftly completing a puzzle at a mere 18 months old. Of course, not everyone is a puzzle enthusiast, but those who are can vouch for the fact that if you gift them one, it will not end up in the closet unsolved.
The coffee in this subscription is so smooth and complex, even latte lovers will like it black. Fans of the retro style will like the Vivianna cheese board and knife from Scandinavia-inspired cookware designer Dansk. A replica of Swedish jeweler Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe's elegant 1988 design, this version is beautiful and well-priced, with a steel blade. As I have been recently finding out, there are some spectacular wines under 100 bucks. No matter how much wine this guy has or what his wine budget is, he will be the first to tell you that price is not always indicative of quality.
Modeling maps from winemaking regions around the world, these puzzles are both a challenge and a chance to expand your wine knowledge. These, made from wood sourced in Martha’s Vineyard, are of impeccable quality. Each bowl starts from whole trees that undergo a long process of milling, roughing, drying and finishing.
I have been opening wine bottles in commercial quantities ever since I was a bartender. Over the years, I acquired some beautiful and effective machines for removing the corks. Mostly I rely on the classic waiter’s corkscrew, especially the double-hinged version introduced by the Spanish company Pulltaps. This family-run Southern company has been a favorite of mine since a friend introduced me to its aromatic bitters. They’re a touch lighter than classic Angostura, with zippier licorice and citrus peel notes, and they prove that even standbys can benefit from a makeover. The cherry bitters are dusky and seductive, perfect for knock-your-socks-off Manhattans; the orange bitters are sultry and perfumed, more Seville than Key West.
The company offers other bitters and also makes stylish barware, tonic syrups and more. It falls in that category of gifts that the host can either choose to present or save for themselves to enjoy later. I’ve given these as thank-you gifts throughout the year as well, and they are always a hit.
These nonalcoholic sets are especially fun for comparing flavors, and you’ll definitely get bonus points if your host has kids. Le Creuset’s stoneware carafe adds a flash of rustic chic to any kitchen. We like the red cerise version best, but it’s available in tones like Marseille blue, hibiscus pink and Creuset's signature eye-catching flame orange. Man, I sure wish that WS would come out with a list of good wine gifts... Wine Spectator's team of editors taste over 35,000 wines a year. Working within their regional specializations, each taster assesses the wines in controlled blind tastings.
However, I have a wealthy wine aficionado for my annual gift exchange, and have no clue about what to get him. My limit is $100, but it can be cheaper, as I can figure out other things to pair with the gift. I love getting wine as a gift and, like others, I really don't care what it is we will eventually drink it or cook with it or both. However, a lot of people have told me they won't buy wine for me because they know how "particular" I am.
Wine Gifts
For each wrapping style above, you can add a decorative accent such as greenery or a bow to the bottleneck along with one of these four holiday tags. This sophisticated version combines the see-what-you’re-shaking theatricality of a glass Boston shaker with a classic strainer-shaker’s ease of use. The crystal has a pleasing weight, and it doesn’t get icy like a metal shaker, so it’s easy on the hands. Though Waterford says it’s designed for rum cocktails, I’ve never known a shaker to discriminate.
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