It’s not long now until Christmas arrives. Are you ready??? I sure am with all sorts of wrapped toys, beauty products, sweet treats, foodie gifts, gins and wines ready to go out to friends and family.
For those not quite prepared for the big day that are looking for something different and unique sometimes looking at what someone might enjoy when relaxing can be the answer you’re looking for.
Let’s take my dad for example, he enjoys sitting and watching tv or reading a book with a glass of wine or gin and he’s not the only one. Many enjoy a glass of wine or the like during the week with their meal or when friends come to visit or like my dad when they’re relaxing (obviously when the kids and I haven’t gone to disturb the peace lol.)
Giving wine or a wine-related gift is ideal for someone that enjoys a good wine, gin, whisky, port etc. As you may have seen recently in my post The Best wines to Serve with Meats at Christmas my dad introduced me to Rude Wines recently. Thanks dad this chance recommendation has given me lots to share with my readers.
The cogs started turning when I realised the site had a range of items that would make great gifts including some fine quality wine accessories like glasses and decanters.
Glasses
First port of call for wine gifts (sorry couldn’t help myself) is good quality glasses. Wine tastes much better out of a proper wine glass I was informed by a friend one evening at ours having partaken in a few wine sampling evenings. She does love her wine and her knowledge far exceeds mine. Apparently choosing the correct shape of glass for your wine will help the flavours and aromas to be released to optimise the enjoyment factor. It’s important to choose the right glasses for Red vs White, fluted glasses for fizz, and correctly sized and shaped glasses for Bordeaux or Burgundy.
Ideal for my friend and her partner would be the Rude Prosecco and Flutes Gift Box (£26.99). I got excited when I saw this on the site as I know she does love Prosecco. It’s presented in a lovely wooden gift box filled with a bottle of exclusive Rude Wines Prosecco and two Dartington Crystal flutes. The prosecco is a crisp, light fizz to grace any occasion and was finalist in the People’s Choice Wine Awards 2019. This makes a lovely gift for anyone and it’s under £30!!!!
If you are looking to spend a little more on something for your dad, brother or sister or even brother-in-laws the Salcombe Gin and Four Riedel Gin Glasses Gift Set (£59.99 including free delivery) is a great option. Gin is the drink of the year and will be for a while yet. As this has four glasses maybe they’ll share one day with my husband and I when we go visit. If I decided to spend a little less my alternative would be a single bottle available at £36.95.
Decanters
I’m going to be really girly and say, they’re soooo pretty!!!! It’s not just about the aesthetics, these help wine aerate. Leaving wine to breathe it’s like adding salt to a dish it really does enhance the flavours and aromas.
I used to enjoy a small glass of Port with my gran as she was partial to it. Ever ended up with sediment in your glass? Not pleasant I agree. Top tip – decant your port, sounds obvious now really doesn’t it. Vintage ports, unfiltered LBV’s and crusted ports will all need decanting. Having your wine poured from a designer glass decanter can make the experience far more luxurious. Having the decanter and set of wine glasses is even better!
The great thing is the Rude Wines site has options should I need to get one. I can choose from a decanter on it’s own or one with a set of 6 glasses. Hubby seems to be having a smashing time at the moment (I have no control of the puns today it seems). We may be looking back on the site for some glasses soon.
Books
My wine loving friend also loves books. She has an enormous and having done some detective work I noticed her books on wine were lacking. They would definitely be a welcome addition.
Ideal for her is the Wine: A Connoisseur’s Journal (£14.99). It has advice from expert wine writer Andrew Jefford. This beautifully produced journal is somewhere she can note memorable wine moments, building to an invaluable personal wine resource. Never again will she forget which wine she had that she loved as it can all be noted down for future reference! Maybe I need one for my husband and I too.
Wine & Food: Perfect Pairings Every Time (£16.99)
Jane Parkinson’s book is what any novice wine connoisseur needs to help them learn how to get the most from wine and food pairings. It’s not at all geeky, it simply walks you through the grape varieties, wines and foods to give an entertaining overview.
Wine
It goes without saying wine is going to be on the list. No point having lovely decanters, the right glasses and nothing to fill them with! When gifting adults I think giving one nice gift far outweighs lots of smaller items especially when there is no thought behind them. This also applies to wine.
Use knowledge of the type of wines your giftee likes as a starting point. A special type that reminds them of great memories is always good. A case is of course even better. We have the most basic corkscrew at home which I tend to hide away when guests come as it’s awful. I may have to look at getting a proper one like the Flint and Flame Waiter’s Friend corkscrew and pop that in hubby’s stocking for Christmas.
As for the wine
A Christmas Claret Case (6 bottles for £106.38 now down to £92.99).
Claret and Christmas go together like mistletoe and wine. A magical match that’s somehow perfect for this festive time of year. If your home’s a Bordeaux stronghold this is exactly what you need.
Quinta Da Romaneira Port, 2008 (£45.00 per bottle)
Made at a beautiful Quinta or wine estate situated high up in the heart of the Douro Valley. This port is a dense, purple colour, with a fresh, red berry fruit character. Pair with a yummy mature blue cheese and decant at least two hours before serving. Drink straight away or leave for 10 years in a wine cellar or wine rack for the wine flavour to develop.
Will you be giving any wine or wine related gifts this year?
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Love this post. I am 100% going to have to give the wine you suggested a go!
Enjoy Charlotte. These all make lovely gifts or items to treat yourself.
Totally agree with you about the glasses. My sister bought me some beautiful champagne coupe saucers and I LOVE them. Makes drinking champagne even more decadent. Always love your wine posts, thank you!
Thanks Emma. It can be so much nicer drinking from nice glasses 🙂
My daughter bought me a huge gin glass for christmas…….not used it yet though
That’ll come in handy this year.
When we have our own home I want to have a proper bar area and some beautiful decanters would be such a nice present x
They do make a lovely gift. And look good with wine in them too!
Ooh these all look great! I discovered gin this year, I wasn’t a fan at first but raspberry gin was a game changer!
I’d be super happy with any one of these as a gift! I hope you had a lovely festive, and wishing you all the best for the new year.
Some fantastic gift ideas, we love how pretty decanters look as well! I bet this would make someones ideal gift x
I am a sucker for a good bottle of gin and often opt for it when I am out with the girls. wine though is not my thing but some lovely options here
We got a couple of really beautiful gin glasses for christmas. They’re displayed on our bar right now! xxx
The idea of keeping a notebook for a wine journal including advice from Andrew Jeffers would be a great addition to anyone’s shelf.
I have a rum decanter that I absolutely adore, and yet it never occurred to me to get such a present for somebody else! Definitely an idea I’ll be tucking away for next Christmas!
These sound like really good gift ideas.
My dad actually got me a nice gin glass for my birthday, my other half has a decanter for his whisky, not that it lasts long in there. One of the presents I got was a gormet cocktail set, it’s a prosecco topper set which are flavoured bottle which you add to wine or prosecco, they are so good. X
Sounds like you got some lovely gifts Victoria 🙂
I really want to get a bar cart or drinks trolley this year – I’d love to decorate it with beautiful glasses and decanters x
That sounds like a lovely idea. It would make a great focal point to a room.
What a great list and I would LOVE my own little bar section – sadly we don’t have space. But I can dream of pretty glasses and quirky decanters, right?
Of course. They make great gifts too!!! 🙂
I love wine and gin…. prefer gin absolutely love one with pink lemonade
This is a very useful list! There’s a few things on here my family members would like for birthdays!
Hope that’s saved you some time searching for inspiration x
My uncle loves wine do whenever I’m visiting him, I bring along a bottle of wine. Actually, I’ve never thought of bringing him some nice wine glasses. Now I know what to bring him next time.
I am sure he will love them Dalene.
Love the collection.Nice gifts for anniversaries and birthdays.
Your post has given me an inspiration for birthday gifts and also prepare early for Christmas. My family and friends will be thrill.
Glad to have helped Karen. Have fun shopping x
I really like wine. I tried Prosecco and found it more champagne than wine, however, I am a fan of red wine and dessert wines. Thanks for sharing and having a journal on wines is also a good addition for book lovers.
The journal is a great way to record wine that you’ve enjoyed drinking.
A set of pretty wine glasses are always a welcome gift. I would love to receive some this Mother’s Day. I don’t drink wine that often but I just like looking at pretty wine glasses on display in my china cabinet.
They can make great display items.
It’s never too early to start thinking about Christmas presents since we try to be more mindful about the gifts we give, I make sure to take time and research on gift ideas. So happy to stumble upon your post. This is really a great list.
Thanks so much Clarice. I hope I’ve inspired you there and helped reduce your gift buying stress.
what a great gift idea to give a book on wine! I’ll keep this in mind for my mother’s day gift ; )
thanks!
Glad you liked the suggestions. They make great gifts all year around.
Thank you for the inspiring post about what to get wine or gin lovers. A few of the items might just make it on my own wish list 😉
Ha, I know. There are some great gift ideas there.
What the right time post! I had been planning to give something like this for my friend. This post has given me better ideas and conclusions 😀
Glad to have helped. Hope you managed to get hold of what you wanted x