The Best Gifts for Wine Lovers, According to Sommeliers and Winemakers

For the wine lover who drinks Champagne year-round (and not just on New Year’s Eve), it might be worth investing in a specialized Champagne glass. “Riedel’s Champagne glass is shaped more like a traditional wineglass, which lets you incorporate more air and smell,” says Grub Street’s diner-at-large Tammie Teclemariam. “It’s better than a stereotypical flute, and it enhances the minerality of all sorts of sparkling wines from Vouvray to Vilmart.”

If they already own enough classic wine glasses, you can always give a set of wider-rimmed coupes. Lauren Paylor O’Brien, who won the title of Netflix Ultimate Drink Master 2022, particularly likes them for Champagne cocktails, but they make just as elegant of a vessel for any red or white.

Strategist writer Dominique Pariso loves these glasses, which are both stackable and a bit bigger than the tumblers above. “These heavy-bottomed beauties feel wonderfully hefty in your hand, look more expensive than they are, and are great for drinking everything from water to old-fashioneds to wine,” she says. Plus they come in seven other colors and can be purchased in a multicolor sets, too.

Sommelier Cha McCoy says if you’re sneaking an entire bottle of wine onto a beach or just want to pour ice-cold white wine in the park, look no further than the BrüMate. “My outdoor meetups have increased due to quarantine and the BrüMate keeps the wine cool for up to 24 hours and holds up to one full bottle,” she says. “There are tons of insulators on the market, but I became a believer in the BrüMate after a friend brought it with her to the beach and I was able to witness its magic.”

While quick-cooling gadgets are good on the go, if you’re at home, says Lydia Richards, sommelier and founder of Vino Concierge, try ice water. “I love having (and gifting) a nice-looking bucket,” she says, adding that “ice water is the safest way to chill your wine.” It’s quicker than the fridge or freezer, too, she notes. This bucket is made from polished stainless steel, so it’s leakproof, and according to one reviewer, it “has capacity to hold lots of ice and many bottles of wine, Champagne, water, and vodka.”

If you want to splurge on a gift for the serious wine collector in your life, consider a wine fridge. This one from Wine Enthusiast took the top spot in our roundup because it offers dual temperature zones, so you can properly store your whites along with your reds at optimum temperature, which is especially great for people who enjoy entertaining. “The Wine Enthusiast fridges are incredibly reliable and hold temperature incredibly well,” says Chris Leon, owner of Leon & Son in Brooklyn. “My old one saw many moves before finally dying after six years. Worth every penny.”

T-Pain recently told us about his favorite opener, which he found roaming the aisles of Target. As someone who is “so bad at getting cork out of wine,” he appreciates that this one actually works. It opens the bottle super-quickly and doesn’t leave behind any material from the seal breaking apart.

Originally brought to our attention by Strategist contributor Chris Black, this “cult-classic” decorative corkscrew would make a perfect gift. It was created by Italian designer Alessandro Mendini for Alessi in 1994 and remains just as clever and stylish to this day.

Most of the wine stoppers on this list will keep your wine fresh for days, but Desiree Harrison-Brown, founder of the Wino Shop, says these will keep a bottle fresh for up to two months because they continually remove oxygen from the bottle to stop degradation. “These are perfect for the wine drinker that never finishes the bottle or likes to open more than one bottle at a time,” she says. This pack comes with four stoppers, allowing you to taste multiple bottles without worrying about wasting them.

A Vacu Vin sealer is a sommelier-approved wine stopper that’ll preserve an already-open bottle of wine. “The Vacu Vin system has been around forever for a reason,” says Eric Tschudi, sommelier and head bartender at Shuko in NYC. “While I wouldn’t recommend it for sparkling wines, the included pump gets the wine-killing oxygen out of the bottle and helps keep still wines fresh for days.”

Our experts mentioned a bunch of delicious and giftable food pairings for red, white, and bubbly wines, including good salumi, paté, terrines, and Marcona almonds. But two experts independently told us that freshly popped popcorn with salt and real butter is a perfect match for crisp white and sparkling wines. This crimson variety (which pops to white) is especially nutty and delicious. And while you might think it’s a funny gift on its own, they’ll certainly appreciate it alongside an actual bottle (or two).

Richards swears by these chips. “I came across these amazing chips while I worked with a wide range of Spanish wine producers and attended multiple events focused on Spanish gastronomy,” she says. “It was truly life changing. The range of flavors (from foie gras to black truffle to jamón ibérico) are so delicious and one of a kind. In my mind, they are built to pair with wine, as flavors are elevated and amplified during the pairing experience. It is the perfect gift for the wine lovers and foodies in your life.”

Strategist senior editor Chelsea Peng is a fan of this jamón ibérico, which she describes as “the hammiest jamón I’ve ever had.” She says it has pronounced floral and nutty notes and that the fat has a real melty quality. This, too, would be a thoughtful accompaniment to an actual bottle.

Try this trio from Fishwife, beloved by Strategist writers and actor Kiernan Shipka alike, which includes smoked rainbow trout from Idaho, smoked albacore tuna from off the Pacific coast, and smoked Atlantic salmon from Norway.

Turns out, winemakers often produce really good olive oil, too. It makes sense, if you think about it. “Typically, the top producers are overall incredible farmers,” Leon says. “They live off the land and work with it organically and biodynamically. If you ever visit a vineyard, you can see the polyculture, the multiple things they have growing at all times.” Bernheimer agrees. “The same way you get a sense of terroir from a glass of wine, you do from olive oil.” Both experts shared several producers they love that make olive oil — Occhipinti, Giuseppe Quintarelli, La Coste — but there are many, many more. Bottles tend to go in and out of stock, but keep your eye out and you’ll be sure to land on something.

Steve Buechner, co-owner of Light Years Wine in Houston, recommends this title, by Jonathan Nossiter, a filmmaker who was formerly the sommelier at Balthazar in New York City. “He combines an on-the-ground feeling — like what it’s like to talk to regular people — with describing what makes natural wine so special,” Buechner says. “It’s also equally intended for someone who is deeply into wine as much as someone who is just interested in what’s happening in our modern culture. It takes you into the fields, and into the minds of winemakers. It’s really meaningful.”

In fact, Ayscough just came out with his first book, a “deep dive into the origins of the natural wine movement, with a lot of intimate mini portraits of the producers who have championed it,” Friel says. She praises the author for similar reasons as Buechner, noting that he knows a lot of these makers personally which allows a deeper and more intimate look into this world you’re otherwise hard to come by.

Or pick up this status-y tote from Brooklyn’s Four Horsemen that Peng spotted no less than three of at last month’s RAW Wine festival. Though it looks like a straightforward carryall, it’s actually a wine bag that has separators inside for up to four bottles, plus an interior pocket for small essentials and a zip top.

This is a particularly cool tote (and we all know you can never have too many) that was designed by Brooklyn artist Garrett Morin, who lives near the Clinton Hill–based wine shop that sells it. But beyond the specific bag, gifting merch from a wine store where you live (or where the person receiving the gift lives) is both thoughtful and a great way to support independent stores that carry delicious wine and employ super-knowledgeable people.

“This might seem odd, but drinking can definitely take its toll on the body,” Grays says. “And we need to take care of ourselves! These multivitamins are great for liver and kidney support either taken before or after a night of harder drinking. They provide some relief if you’re hung-over (take one before bed and it will help in the morning), but they’re also preventative. The more you take them, the better they work.”

Camille Lindsley, co-owner and beverage director of HAGS, recently told us about her favorite wine funnel. She uses it to decant particularly old or young bottles that need to aerate, but also to fish out any bits if a cork breaks while opening. (It happens to everyone, even the pros.)

Okay, okay — we know we said you probably don’t want to buy them a bottle, but this sommelier-approved wine-subscription service is probably a good bet. Each delivery is themed, explains Luke Sullivan, formerly the head sommelier at New York City’s Gran Tivoli, which means one month might bring them wines that highlight a specific growing region while another might include wines that explore a grape variety. Ian Bishop, the portfolio manager at Flavors of Italy, also likes SommSelect, telling us that it consistently delivers.