The wine lover in your life probably already has plenty of wine and an array of associated paraphernalia too. That doesn’t mean they won’t be grateful for more. I constantly break or lose glasses, books and corkscrews, so I tend to be happy to receive more.
Books are always a good idea, and every year sees a stream of new releases. Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2025 (€18-€20) is an indispensable guide for all wine lovers. This year I have been impressed by the range of books published by Academieduvinlibrary. They are available in Ireland from carringtonwine.com. I enjoyed Andrew Jefford’s Drinking with the Valkyries (€19.95/€32.95) a book crammed full of intelligent ideas and opinions, and On Tuscany, a series of tales written by various leading wine writers. Both of these were published this year, so your wine lover is less likely to have them.
There are various wine preservation systems useful for every wine lover. I use the Coravin system a lot. It allows you to pour a glass of any wine without pulling the cork, ideal if you want a glass of something nice. At €200-€300, they are expensive, however. Bespoke French Laguiole corkscrews are beautiful and sought-after, though also expensive – starting from €50 and rising rapidly after that.
I am an inveterate glass collector and love to receive them. Riedel has a fantastic range (I use the multipurpose Vinum Riesling/Zinfandel, €49 for two glasses) or the Zalto Denk Art Universal (€45) is high on my current wishlist. One glass seems mean, and wine is there to be shared so buy two – or six if you can afford it. You can never have to many wine decanters; they look great and add a sense of occasion. Most wine shops offer both glasses and decanters. M&S, Dunnes Stores and IKEA have their own very good less expensive glasses and decanters.
And lastly, the best possible gift for a wine lover is wine. No wine drinker ever believes they have too much wine. So take yourself off to your local wine shop, preferably when it is not too busy, and ask a member of staff to select something a little bit different within your budget. It is always better to buy one bottle of good wine than three or four average bottles.
