Wine tastes can be so personal and as such, wine lovers may have gained an unfair reputation as difficult to buy for. But don’t despair. We’ve pulled together a guide to the best gifts for wine lovers to help you find something fitting this Christmas.
We’ve considered interests of all levels in order to gather this selection – from wine subscriptions to wine-filled luxury getaways, gadgets to glassware, many of our picks will suit those with a new-found passion for the drink, as well as the aficionados. The gift ideas listed below are stylish, practical and made with wine lovers in mind.
Please note, all items in this wine gift guide include prices and stockists for those based in the UK – but should hopefully provide inspiration when buying gifts for wine lovers around the world this Christmas.
Top Christmas gifts for the wine lover in your life
Bordeaux Advent Calendar by Jane Anson, 67 Pall Mall
Open the door to the Bordeaux region with this gorgeous way to discover some amazing wines: in luxury advent calendar form. Wine-themed members’ club 67 Pall Mall is selling a trio of vinous countdowns to Christmas. Behind each numbered window you’ll find a 75ml miniature bottle of red, white or still wine selected by an expert – with this particular version curated by leading Bordeaux wine critic Jane Anson.
£550, 67pallmall.com
‘Pinot’ print, Louise Sheeran
If you consider yourself a bit of a barfly, artist Louise Sheeran’s style might look awfully familiar to you. The France-based illustrator has collaborated with her fair share of London wine bars and brands after making her name on the walls of Terroirs. While plenty of her vinous-themed designs will suit the homes of wine lovers, it’s her Pinot print we’re most taken with – and it comes at a reduced rate when paired with Chardonnay.
€45 (with a €6.50 supplement for UK orders), coq-a-lane.co
Timeless Three+ Deep Sea Blue, Coravin
Coravin is, of course, the brand that facilitates the enjoyment of a single glass of wine from a bottle without removing the cork, thus preserving the contents for the future. This limited edition version of the Coravin Timeless Three+ model comes in a fetching blue and with two argon capsules (the gas that keeps the inside of the bottle inert), as well as some other accessories. We can imagine this coming in handy for special bottles and for those wine lovers who don’t always wish to finish a bottle in the space of a day or two. It may also be useful for any special Christmas wines that (by some miracle) don’t get finished.
£194.99 (discounted at the time of writing), coravin.co.uk
Dinner, bed and breakfast at Lympstone Manor Estate
Lympstone Manor Estate is a hotel-restaurant in Devon with a Michelin-star and one of the best English vineyards to visit. Influential British chef Michael Caines is the chef-patron and was quick to recognise the potential of the southwest-facing land that stretches from the hotel down to the shore of the Exe estuary as a place to grow grapes when he first found the property. Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay were planted; tours and tastings are available now that the vineyard is established. As you’d expect, there’s a major focus on wine at the hotel’s restaurant, with a list featuring more than 600 wines to accompany the elegant dishes emerging from the kitchen. As a luxury, UK-based break for a wine lover, this gift is difficult to beat.
From £795 for dinner, bed and breakfast, lympstonemanor.co.uk/dinner-bed-breakfast
Hardbound Cellar Book in Panama, Smythson
If you feel that Excel spreadsheets detract from the romance of wine collecting, there’s no smarter way to keep tabs on what’s in stock than with Smythson’s gilt-edged, hardbound calf-skin Panama cellar book, with each page offering a printed template for scribbling down vintages, merchants, purchase dates and any other relevant notes. You can personalise the gift and even purchase black Panama leather coasters to match.
£210, smythson.com
Mosel Magnum Decanter, Riedel
Riedel makes some spectacular decanters that cost hundreds of pounds but many of them look as easy to smash as they would be difficult to clean. This Mosel decanter, however, is from the brand’s M Series, designed with practicality in mind, and is newly available in magnum size. It’s slender enough to fit in the fridge door and is dishwasher safe but has some elegant details and is made from crystal glass. It would make a great first decanter for someone building their glassware collection and the larger size could well be useful on Christmas Day.
£65, riedel.com
Port. Club by Churchill’s
On Christmas day, all roads inevitably lead to port. But why let the fun stop there? With its quarterly deliveries, Churchill’s Port Club is determined to make sure that the fortified wine is for life, not just for Christmas. Each delivery offers three bottles of the estate’s own blends – buy as a one-time gift or sign up for a year-round subscription direct from the Douro producer.
£70 per delivery of three bottles every three months, port.club
Equilibreur Temperature-Balancing Wine Cooler, Peugeot
A cool bottle of wine getting warm on a hot day is an upsetting occurrence but this cooler from revered manufacturer Peugeot is the present that provides an ingenious answer. It may look like a standard cooler, albeit a stylish one thanks to the chrome-plated finish, but it contains four cooling elements that go in the freezer before use. Once a bottle of rosé, white or Champagne has been opened, the elements go inside the cooler, followed by the bottle, which stays cold for significantly longer – longer, in all likelihood, than it takes to finish it. Good-looking and sturdy, the cooler is suitable for use outdoors.
£59, boroughkitchen.com
Gift membership, The Wine Society
Membership to The Wine Society grants access to a wide range of wines that have been selected by buyers dedicated to particular regions. The Society has bottles to suit all budgets and, at a time of high inflation and increased duty, it’s admirable that it has held its prices this year. Free delivery, even on a single bottle, is impressive too. Lifetime membership is a one-off payment of £40 and the recipient receives £20 towards their first order.
£40, thewinesociety.com
On Burgundy
On Burgundy is a collection of pieces written about one of the wine world’s most prestigious regions and is an obvious choice for any fan of Burgundian wines. The book features the words of Oz Clarke, Natasha Hughes MW, Tim Atkin MW, Steven Spurrier, Margaret Rand, Hugh Johnson and many more respected wine writers in a broad group of contributors, ensuring that there is something for both the wine novice and expert.
£30, academieduvinlibrary.com
Wines of Spain and Portugal puzzle, Puzzle Cru
No more puzzling over what to get the wine lover in your life. They’ll be entertained over the Christmas period and might even pick up some expertise along the way with this 1,000-piece jigsaw that maps out the wine regions of the Iberian Peninsula, from the imagination of Master of Wine Rebecca Gibb.
£17.99, gingerfox.co.uk
Fieldbar Drinks Box, Hadeda
If you’re looking to buy someone a wine cooler that’s a little more portable than the Peugeot example above, then Hadeda’s Fieldbar makes a stylish alternative. Proving that not all coolboxes are made equal, it has a retro aesthetic and comes with interchangeable leather handles. The box is available in several Pantone shades and the finish is scratchproof, so it should stay looking pristine even if it has the odd unsecured journey in the boot of the car. The 10-litre capacity accommodates three standard wine bottles or two of Champagne.
£159, hadeda.co.uk
Banks Brothers Chardonnay No. 3
When it comes to stocking fillers, bottles take up far too much space. Luckily, the standard of wine in a can is on the up – witnessed in the range from acclaimed York restaurateurs, kitchen gardeners and brothers James and Tommy Banks. They’ve sourced from small South African producers as with this Chardonnay from Newton Johnson, whose toasty notes are still singing despite time in the tin.
From £21 for three, banksbrothers.co.uk
Cheese Canteen, Provisions
Of course, not all wine lovers are cheese lovers but hopefully the correlation is strong enough for us to suggest a monthly subscription to one whole kilo of cheese. North London wine and cheese importer Provisions is delivering the goods with a service that sends out boxes filled with five farmhouse offerings – available as a one-off purchase all the way up to a monthly doorstep blessing.
From £32 for one month, provisionslondon.co.uk
M’Tradition 6 Bottle Champagne Bowl, Mauviel
Keen cooks may recognise the Mauviel name from the brand’s professional-grade copper saucepans but here the French company has employed the material to create a gloriously lavish bowl for cooling and presenting up to six bottles of Champagne. While the aesthetic is undoubtedly the main selling point, the copper’s thermal conductivity means the bowl keeps fizz colder for longer. If there’s a special someone in your life who loves hosting, this is a present to wow them and their future guests.
£500, boroughkitchen.com
Josephine No. 2 Universal glass, Josephinenhütte
Zalto glasses may have developed a cult following but the man behind them, Kurt Zalto, has moved on from the company to create glassware at Josephinenhütte. The Josephine No. 2 is the brand’s ‘do-it-all’ universal glass and features the brand’s trademark kink that’s designed to deliver optimal aroma to the drinker. There are, of course, grape-specific glasses on the market but this universal option will upgrade the experience of any wine compared with the average vessel. It’s as light and thin as you’d expect of a premium, handmade product and the shape all but guarantees gasps when the glass is unboxed.
£70, josephinen.com
Club Oenologique magazine
Might we suggest a subscription to our flagship print publication? Each issue covers the very best in fine wine and spirits, food and travel, which includes plenty of insights into world-class regions, collectable bottlings and winemaking personalities. Pick up a single copy for a glossy stocking filler – Issue 15 just hit the shelves and takes a deep dive into Italy – or gift them a subscription that includes both issues of the magazine each year and at a preferential rate.
From £14 for a single issue, click here.
