Wine books, tasting glasses and wine gadgets make splendid holiday gifts for novice and experienced wine lovers alike, helping enhance the enjoyment of almost every wine.
Places to shop include better retail wine stores, many of which have wine accessory sections, and online merchants such as Wine Enthusiast (800-356-8466, www.wineenthusiast.com) and International Wine Accessories (800-527-4072, www.iwawine.com).
Pek Wine Steward Supremo Model ($199); Pek Preservino ($40): The top-of-the-line Pek Supremo preserves an open bottle of wine for a week or more by injecting a blanket of inert argon gas into the open bottle and sealing it in. It also provides an adjustable thermoelectric chiller to keep the contents at ideal serving temperature, while a soft blue light keeps the bottle visible through a clear window. The Supremo comes with two argon gas cartridges, enough for about 12 bottles. Include a few extra cartridges ($14.95 for four) with your gift. The hand-held Pek Preservino uses the same gas cartridges as the countertop Supremo and preserves wine just as well. With either model, to get the best results, pour what you think you’ll need into a decanter, and preserve the rest immediately (www.peksystems.com; 800-560-8860).
Riedel O Champagne Glass ($25 for 2): The latest addition to the popular O series of stemless, dishwasher-friendly versions of Riedel’s premium Vinum glasses, this glass sits on a ribbed hollow pedestal. The elegant tulip-shaped bowl is specifically designed for champagne, prosecco and other sparkling wines. Like the other glasses in the series, it is made from non-lead, machine-blown glass.
“The Oxford Companion to Wine, Third Edition” edited by Jancis Robinson ($65; Oxford University Press; 840 pages, more than 250 illustrations): This newly updated edition of “The Oxford Companion to Wine” is as cheeky and irreverent as ever, and even more informative, with new color illustrations and entries on topics as wide-ranging as globalization and politics, climate change, precision viticulture, emerging regions, the biodynamic movement, food matching and more. It’s a valuable reference book and great fun just to pick up and read.
Check The Herald’s Travel &Leisure section next Sunday for more wine gift ideas.
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