Food: How a sommelier recommends gifting wine

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A great trick for buying the best bottles of California wine? Memorizing the names of top vineyards so you can spot them on labels.If you can't memorize the thousands of winemakers around the world and keep a mental note of which wines are guaranteed to delight and which wines should get drained down the sink, there's one trick to identifying the best potential bottle of wine: knowing the name of top vineyards that might appear on the label.

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When it comes to shopping for the wine enthusiast in your life, things can tend to feel a bit overwhelming, especially when they have it all (read: most wine nerds, generally speaking). Here, we take the guesswork out of the mix with an exhaustive list of essential gift ideas bound to impress any oenophile — from the best stemware and decanters to wine delivery services, books, games and more. At Select, our mission is to upgrade every facet of your life, and our gift recommendations keep that promise with utility, novelty and style.

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Best wine gifts

VoChill Wine Glass Chiller

VoChill is a simple-yet-brilliant accessory for wine lovers who enjoy bottles served at cellar temperature and below — instead of having to worry about managing the temperature of a glass of bubbles, still whites, rosés and the like by constant top-offs, hurried sipping or other measures, this patented and statuesque freezable stemware cradle is built to keep chilled wine cold for extended periods of time (an hour and a half indoors and 45 minutes outside in warm weather). Best of all, it looks rather cool — pun intended — on any tablescape or countertop. You can purchase a single VoChill or a slightly discounted pair in one of four different color selections.

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VoChill The Perfect Pair

• VoChill The Perfect Pair $84.99 at Amazon
• VoChill The Perfect Pair $84.99 at VoChill

Coravin Wine Preservation System

Ask any wine pro about Coravin and they’ll tell you all about its virtues in both a service setting and at home. This revolutionary wine preservation system offers a handful of different models, but they all operate around the same concept: using a needle and inert gas to bypass a bottle’s cork and pour a glass of wine without ever actually opening the bottle itself. Oxygen exposure is the enemy of freshness in wine — which is why a bottle doesn’t tend to keep for too long after being opened — and Coravin preservers and accessories are the pioneering answer to this problem. Though they’re certainly worth every penny, Coravin devices often live on wine enthusiasts’ and professionals’ wish lists versus being a “treat yourself” sort of product, so if you’re looking to invest in something special and hyper-functional for wine drinkers at any level, a Coravin preserver is your best bet.

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Coravin Model Three Wine Preservation System

© 'Multiple' Murder Victims Found in Calif. Home Coravin Model Three Wine Preservation System ('Multiple' Murder Victims Found in Calif. Home / 'Multiple' Murder Victims Found in Calif. Home)

• Coravin Model Three Wine Preservation System $149.95 at Best Buy
• Coravin Model Three Wine Preservation System $149.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond
• Coravin Model Three Wine Preservation System $149.95 at Bloomingdale's

HiSense 54-Bottle Stainless Steel Built-In/Freestanding Wine Chiller

Wine fridges are another great gift idea for wine lovers (if they have the room for it and you’re looking to splurge). These come in many shapes, sizes and prices and can be either free-standing or built into cabinetry, and there are many brands and various features to consider as you narrow down your choices. Home appliance and electronics brand HiSense offers a smartly designed and approachable 54-bottle wine chiller. This stainless steel dual-zone fridge has many user-friendly features, from a reversible door and six soft-closing shelves to an LED display, alarm system, flexible installation and more.

I Tried Firstleaf's Wine Club, and I'm Only Ordering Wine From Now On

Whoever invented wine delivery needs a raise. Here’s my review. Once your wine is delivered, it's up to you to rate each one and decide if you'd like to see it in your box again. The more wine you drink and rate, the better Firstleaf's recommendations will get. The company's matching method is so effective, it can predict your next favorite wine with 98 percent accuracy after only three wine ratings. Honestly, I'm considering handing my love life over to them for better results.

Hisense 54-Bottle Wine Chiller

Hisense 54-Bottle Wine Chiller $599.00 at Lowe's

Le Creuset Lever and Foil Cutter

Though electric corkscrews can make the wine-opening process effortless, experts say they’re not necessary. Lever corkscrews — which are slightly more efficient than the most basic waiter’s corkscrew — are an equally powerful option, and they don’t take up as much drawer space. This one from Le Creuset uses “patented lever-driven technology” to remove corks — the set also comes with a foil cutter for bottles with a foil covering around the cap and cork.

Le Creuset Lever and Foil Cutter

© 'Multiple' Murder Victims Found in Calif. Home Le Creuset Lever and Foil Cutter ('Multiple' Murder Victims Found in Calif. Home / 'Multiple' Murder Victims Found in Calif. Home)

• Le Creuset Lever and Foil Cutter $100.00 at Crate & Barrel
• Le Creuset Lever and Foil Cutter $99.95 at Amazon

BRÜMATE Winesulator Gift Set

BRÜMATE’s Winesulator is a great gift for wine lovers who prefer to travel with their drinks or serve them outside. After you pour your chilled wine into the insulated bottle, the brand says it will stay cool for up to 24 hours — even in the sun. The gift set also comes with two 14-ounce insulated wine tumblers for slow, temperature-controlled sipping.

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BRÜMATE Winesulator Gift Set

BRÜMATE Winesulator Gift Set $74.99 at Brümate

Anthropologie Marble Wine Rack

Though a wine fridge is the best place to store reds and whites, not everyone has the space for such a bulky appliance. A more compact alternative is a wine rack — so long as it’s kept in a consistently cool area and out of the sun, it can keep your bottles organized and prolong their shelf life. This marble and stainless steel wine rack can hold six bottles at a time. It’s designed so the bottles can be stored on their side, which keeps the cork wet and prevents oxidation.

Anthropologie Marble Wine Rack

Anthropologie Marble Wine Rack $78.00 at Anthropologie

Where to find more of the best wine gifts

On top of some of our favorite options for gifting wine lovers, you can find plenty of wine gift ideas across major retailers and with nods to specific wine peripherals.

Best wine glasses

Signs of a high-quality wine glass include bowl shape, thinness and brilliance, to name a few characteristics. In addition to crystal, experts recommend looking for glasses made of lead-free crystal, a light, brilliant glass that has the characteristics as crystal without the lead content. These are some of our go-to brands and products for gifting (though you’ll be tempted to keep them for yourself).

• Gabriel-Glas Gold Edition “One for All” Universal Wine Glass
• Made In Glassware Set
• NUDE Terroir Wine Glasses
• Caskata Quinn Clear Wine Glasses

Best wine decanters and carafes to gift

A great decanter or carafe is a staple in any oenophile’s collection. Here are some brands with great options to choose from.

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• Luigi Bormioli
• eto
• NUDE Glass
• Zalto
• Üllo Wine Purifier
• Riedel

Best wine books

A book is a good gift option for those who enjoy curling up with a glass (or two) and a great read.

• “The New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia” by Tom Stevenson
• “Wine Girl” by Victoria James
• “The New Wine Rules” by Jon Bonne
• “Cork Dork” by Bianca Bosker

Best wine subscriptions

This kind of wine gift keeps on giving and is quarantine-friendly.

• Fatcork Grower Champagne Club
• Vinebox
• Parcelle Monthly Wine Drop
• Plonk Organic and Biodynamic Wine Club
• SommSelect
• The Sip
• Cellar 503 Oregonian Wine Club
• Usual Wines

Best interactive wine gifts and experiences

These hands-on wine gift ideas are the kind they likely won’t forget soon.

• Cultured Vine's Judgment of Napa Event
• Wine Wars: A Trivia Game for Wine Geeks and Wannabes
• Udemy: Wine Primer: Learn Wine from a Certified Sommelier
• Sommify: A Blind Wine Tasting Game

Best gastronomic gifts for wine lovers

Studies (of the utmost scientific kind) show that wine is just better with snacks.

• Clif Family Virtual Aperitivo Food & Wine Tasting
• Milène Jardine Chocolatier and Brooklyn Winery Chocolate and Wine Pairing Flight
• Murray’s Cheese Perfect Pair of the Month Club
• Cowgirl Creamery Just Add Wine Cheese Collection
• Wine Down Box Gift Subscription
• Monthly Sommelier La Rochelle Wine & Cheese Gift Basket

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