Some folks don’t have their own wine blog, so they write down their wine notes every time they open a great bottle. If you know someone who jots down their wine notes in a regular notebook, then this gift is the ultimate upgrade. It looks fancy, has room for all the details for the wine, and includes a page for pasting in the label. Of course, you’ll want to get a few packs of label savers to throw into the gift box.

The Rabbit and other me-too’s have been more popular recently, but it all started with the original leverpull by Screwpull. I’ve owned one and been quite happy for almost ten years of rigorous use — it has been through several tastings that required the opening of 200 bottles or more (in one day). I think it is the easiest to use cork extractor on the market, with the only caveat being that every once in a while it will refuse to pull out a cork (sometimes it just takes a second or third jab, once in a while it won’t grab it at all). This particular kit is more giftworthy than the Screwpull on its own, as it comes with a small assortment of useful wine gadgets and is packaged in a nice gift box.

If one of your gift recipients has a full-blown wine cellar, these color-coded tags are the perfect present. One of the most annoying things when looking for a wine in a cellar is having to pull each bottle out to see what it is. In addition to identifying the wine, you can also write in other details, such as purchase price, WineWeekly score, or a “drink by” date. One kit comes with 100 tags, so you may want to buy two if your recipient has a serious cellar.

Riedel is the name to remember when it comes to glassware, but you already knew that. Now that the Austrian glassmaker can be found in Targets throughout the US, is it still fancy enough for gift ideas?

Of course … but you want to choose glasses that are more unique and unusual — and pricey. These are gifts, after all, and a good gift is one that the recipient would not lavish himself/herself with.

After seeing a set of Riedels on sale in Target, you might wonder why anyone would pay upwards of $50 or $100 for a single glass. Well, what you’re getting on sale is likely machine-made, while the upper-echelon of Riedel’s line — the glassware that impressed Robert Mondavi, Robert Parker, Jr., and the rest of the wine industry — are hand-blown, made from 24% lead-crystal. These ultra-thin, specifically shaped glasses really DO make a difference — their only drawbacks are their price and fragility. But if you know someone who is REALLY into wine, and often drinks expensive and rare wines, then a glass chosen from Riedel’s Sommeliers series is guaranteed to be a hit.

It’s kind of like getting a Balabushka cue for a pool player, a Steinway baby grand for a pianist, or an Akadema glove for a baseball player — in other words, the best of the best, and if your recipient is that passionate, the gift is well worth the cash outlay.

Remember — look for the Riedel Sommeliers Crystal Collection (or just click the link to get to the Amazon page full of Sommelier selections).

(FYI – all of the suggested gifts on this wine blog can be purchased from Amazon by clicking on its image)

OK, this these are pretty geeky items — but still pretty cool.

Basically, it’s for wines that need to breathe — think young, expensive Zins, Cabs, and mature Bordeaux and Burgundy. After placing the funnel thing into the top of your decanter, you pour the wine through it and it does two things: first, a screen traps the sediment, and second, its slanted spout further aerates the wine by directing it against the inside wall of the decanter. For those who are so concerned about “bruising” their wine, this is a gentler introduction to the bottom of the decanter. It also comes with a nifty, shiny stand to display the funnel prominently on the wine bar.

Want to go one better? Spend $55 for the Spiral Pewter Funnel. Remember as a kid you drank juice through one of those spiral straws? Well this is just the opposite — though that gives me an idea to freak out a wine snob at the next party. As you might guess, the wine takes a whirlwind of a tour before falling into the decanter, and the purpose of all this round-and-round motion is to further aerate the wine.

The “French” funnel is similar, except that it has little pinholes to direct the wine toward the the decanter sides. And it’s French, which means it carries a bit more wine snobbery cachet.

Any of these is a must for wine ubergeeks.

(click on images to learn more)

This 7-item Accessory Gift Set ($55) has just about everything a wannabe snob could wish for, all encased in a fancy wood box. It includes a ‘patented’ one-hand cork screw, thermometer, stainless steel stopper, foil cutter, wine ring, pourer, and bottle cap. Good for someone who often entertains wine drinkers and has one of those wine bar thingys in the home.

The MetroKane Houdini Wine and Stuff
($40) set’s centerpiece item is the Houdini corkscrew, which is a variation on the Leverpull and Rabbit cork removers. It also has a foilcutter, drip-stop ring, wine sealer, identification tags, metal whacker, and extra spiral screw. All nice pieces for the wine geek in your life.

Do you know someone who keeps a “wine book” ? In other words, they keep notes on nearly every wine they drink, and glue a label next to their notes to help remember the wine? Well, it can be gosh-darn difficult to get the labels off of the bottles — especially if they use a specific type of glue that seems stronger than cement. No amount of soaking, blow-drying, or peeling can take those things off. Enter the Wine Label Savers. All you do is stick the thing onto the label and peel it right off. It works every time. They work great, but they’re not cheap, especially if you’re always recording your wine notes. Therefore, they make a nice gift for someone who wouldn’t otherwise spend the ducats to make their life easier.

Built NY Byobag Two-Bottle Tote, Cranberry Red
$20 and under

I have used and loved the BuiltNY two-wine carrier enough to give it out as a gift to several friends, and so I’m recommending it here as well. It’s made of the same stuff deep sea divers wear (neoprene), so it is very effective at keeping your wine at a constant temperature, while being lightweight. Perhaps more importantly, it looks chic, especially when walking into a BYOB restaurant. The durability scores points too — I’ve had mine for three years and it’s like new. Plus, it’s easy to store, as it flattens out for storage in a drawer or the linen closet. It comes in several colors, and in one- and two-bottle versions. (Go with the two-bottle, as it’s similarly priced and light and svelte enough to not be burdensome when carrying just one bottle.) They also have a six-pack version for beer lovers.

Of course, there are those who think that leather is more classic and impressive than neoprene. And so, there is a leather wine bag, which holds two bottles in plush velvet lining and includes a shoulder strap for easy carrying.

But hey, if you’re going to go leather, go all the way and get this Mulholland 2 Bottle Wine Carrier Leatherwine bag, which has an insulated lining to keep wine at optimum temperature.

Not to be left out, the granola crowd will enjoy the Picnic Time Meritage Wine and Cheese Tote For Two, which is ideal for hikers whose pinnacle moment is peaked by a hilltop picnic. (OK, enough puns for one sentence). This fairly lightweight polyester bag has enough room for two bottles of wine, plus the following included picnic accessories: a wood cutting board, waiter-style corkscrew, two cotton napkins, stainless steel cheese knife, two acrylic wine glasses, and a bottle stopper. All you need to add is the wine, the cheese, and the energy to hike up the nearest mountain.

A similar bag for picnics but looking a little more stylish is the Picnic At Ascot Ivy two-bottle carrier. The simulated suede covering gives a more upscale look but doesn’t include all the extras. It does, however, have compartments for the corkscrew and wine stopper (included).

Wine Clip Thermometer
$15 or less
More than half of the wine bottles you pick up have a “recommended serving temperature” stated on the back label. But does anyone notice? Does anyone care? Even if you did, how would you go about finding out the exact temperature of the wine in your bottle? I suppose you could try sticking a meat thermometer into the bottle, but that would require uncorking, and few of those read below 100 degrees anyway. The cheapo trick is to stick an aquarium thermometer on the side, but that isn’t so “cool”.

Enter the Wine Clip Thermometer, which does look cool (or “qool”, as my friend Tish would say), and works quite well. You simply clasp the thing around the middle of the bottle and it gives you a digital readout of the temperature.

Wine Maestro – Bonjour products
$20 and under
If the bangle isn’t high-tech enough for your wine geek – slash – gadget guy/girl, then maybe the Wine Maestro is. I haven’t tested it out myself, but it sure looks formidable.

And if you want to get really insane, go infra-red. (over $40)

VinTemp Infrared Wine Thermometer Pen

This handy little pen comes with its own carrying case and has real James Bond appeal. Plus, it’s better than the other devices, because the infrared light is able to detect the temperature of the wine INSIDE the bottle, WITHOUT removing the cork. And for some people, that’s really important. I have visions of geeks walking around wine tastings pointing their infrared pens and informing vendors that their bottles are too cold / too warm. Lovely.

OK, let’s get something straight — I HATE cutesy wine stoppers. But many people think they’re just so cute and wonderful and this one has a Christmas theme so here it is.

It’s a three-piece set that includes Santa, boozed-up Blitzen, and an unidentified reindeer (looks like Donner to me, though which one they put in your set is anyone’s guess). Sorry, no Rudolph, whose red nose would have been appropriate, but was considered offensive to people who suffer from alcohol flush reaction.

If you’re interested, click on the image to purchase this from Amazon.