10 gifts sure to satisfy the wine lover on your list

Shopping for the wine lover on your list is always tricky -- you’re never sure which bottle they already have or have already dismissed. Coastal Pinot Noir would have been perfect last year, but now they’re back into Beaujolais. Here are some ideas that will work for anyone, no matter what they’re drinking right now.

Coravin wine preservation system
Hardcore wine buffs have been eying this new wine preservation system since it was introduced this summer. Devised by medical device inventor Greg Lambrecht, Coravin is a game-changing gadget for preserving wine that allows you to pour a glass of wine without ever removing the cork — and without oxygen ever touching the wine. How does it work? A thin, hollow needle is inserted through the cork to extract the wine and as it’s poured out, it’s replaced with inert argon gas from a small, neat canister. Remove the needle and the cork reseals itself. Coravin 1000 with stand and two pressurized Coravin capsules costs $299 ($279 without the capsules). Capsules, which allow access up to 15 glasses of wines, are $10.95 each. Buy six for $56.95, bringing the price for each to just over $8. Free shipping.

Bicycle wine carrier
Such an ingenious and elegant solution for carrying a bottle of wine to a dinner party from Etsy seller oopsmark. The bicycle wine rack is made of vegetable-tanned leather and attaches to any 1-inch-diameter bike frame with its antique brass fasteners. (For bike frames with a different dimension, there is an multi-size version for $33.) The wine holder is designed to fit any 3-inch-diameter wine bottle. Sorry, no magnums. This nifty gift for a wine and bike enthusiast is just $28.17 and ships all over the world from Montreal. Available in black or tan.

Antique decanters
For the last 20 years, Rare Wine Co. in Sonoma has been offering a selection of antique English and Irish decanters from the 18th and 19th centuries for the holidays. Each decanter comes with a letter of authentication signed by Andrew Burne, according to the company, one of England’s foremost experts on early English and Irish glass. The antique decanters are $750 to $950.

Riedel decanter
Riedel, the famous Austrian glass company that produces wine glasses for every type of wine, also has a line of elegant decanters. They come in many styles, from simple to fanciful shapes. Wine Enthusiast sells close to 20 different Riedel decanters with free shipping. You can also find the basic ones at Williams-Sonoma and fine wine shops around town. They start at about $40 and go up to about $500 or more (this last for the Riedel Boa Decanter or the Riedel Dragon Decanter). If you want to be extra nice, you might want to throw in a decanter drying stand for about $30.

Zalto stemware
The wine glasses that the cool kids are coveting: elegant stemware from Zalto, a boutique glassware maker from Austria. Zalto stemware features an ultra-thin rim that makes drinking wine a pleasure. They’re also extremely light — and yet are tough enough that you can put them in the dishwasher. The line is relatively small, encompassing half a dozen glasses -- one shape each for Champagne, white wine, Bordeaux, Burgundy and dessert wines. There’s also a beer glass and a water glass as well as a “universal” glass meant for pretty much anything. Available at Wally’s in West L.A. for $55 to $63 a stem and online from Winemonger in sets of six, from $342 to $376, with free shipping for orders $99 and up.

Alessi cork presenter
Designed by graphic arts superstar Milton Glaser, Alessi’s cork presenter is polished stainless steel and will set you back just $30. Designed for Eleven Madison Park, the highly lauded New York City restaurant, this is something for the dedicated wine geek rather than the casual wine drinker—and definitely for someone who entertains rather formally at home. Available at the Alessi Store at Diva, 313 N. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 276-7096, [email protected].

Josef Hoffman-designed wine coaster
Subtle and understated, this nickel-plated pewter wine coaster was designed by Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann in 1905. Available from the gift shop at Neue Galerie in New York, the museum dedicated to early 20th century German and Austrian art and design that sells reproductions of many of the iconic pieces of Viennese design. $125 online or at the shop. For big spenders, there’s also a Hoffman-designed wine coaster in sterling silver and rosewood from 1909 for $1,250.

Champagne saber
For the Champagne enthusiast, a Champagne saber. What could be more festive than opening a Champagne bottle the old-fashioned way--by lopping off the neck with a saber? Include some links to helpful YouTube videos demonstrating how to do it—and maybe a few bottles of cheap bubbly to practice on. Williams-Sonoma sells a Laguiole Champagne saber made by a single master cutler in France’s Laguiole region. The handle is Zebu horn, the blade ultra strong, corrosion-resistant Sandvick stainless steel. $299.95, online only.

Wine tote
This cheeky wine carrier in natural cotton comes from from Maptote in Brooklyn. The Los Angeles Wine Tote ($15) is approximately 12x6 inches and fits one bottle of wine. Check out the back printed with the names of L.A. neighborhoods—Watts, Malibu, Van Nuys, Bel-Air, Los Feliz, Encino, etc.—inside the outline of a bottle. Other designs include Brooklyn, Manhattan, Champagne, Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Sonoma, Tuscany and more. There’s no insulation or padding, so be sure to set that tote down carefully. On the other hand, that also means you can fold it up and slip it in your purse or backpack once you’re done. To order from Maptote: A single wine tote is $15; a double goes for $22.

Membership in Les Marchands wine club
The new Les Marchands wine merchant in Santa Barbara has launched Les Marchands Wine Club Series, most of which are quite a bit more upscale and sophisticated than most such clubs. Sommeliers Brian McClintic and Eric Railsback have put their considerable knowledge together to create the series. The clubs range from SBC Wine Club (two bottles of Santa Barbara County wine each month at $80 per shipment) or Daily Drinkers Club (two unique wines each month picked for value and quality at $49 per shipment) to the Grand Cru Club (two or three highly allocated Burgundies a month, $249 per shipment). Along with the wines, subscribers also get the somms’ handwritten tasting notes, wine descriptions, and recommended food pairings. Also to consider: the SOMM Seasonal Package (three wines each month for three months at $109 per shipment) or the SOMM Annual Package, (three wines each month for a year at $99 per shipment). All prices are plus shipping and any applicable tax.

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