Holiday gifts for the wine lover

It's that time of year again, and you've got a wine lover on your list. What should you get for them? Here are some suggestions:

Wine. Well, yeah, but which wine? Here's where a good wine merchant can help you. Give them as much information as possible about your budget and the wines that your prospective giftee enjoys, and then let them guide you. Said wine merchant knows when there are good deals to be had (for example, when a distributor is closing out a vintage of a great wine because the new vintage is in, as is the case with Mondavi's Oakville Cabernet, which can be had for $15 off right now) or when something is unique because it's, say, new to the area (Bookwalter, the fantastic producer of Bordeaux varietals from the Columbia River Valley in Washington is back in Ohio after losing distributorship a while back). If you have deep pockets, your wine merchant can also clue you in to when something is extremely scarce and will be appreciated by a collector (there are literally just 36 bottles of 2007 Bialla Cabernet that came into Ohio, and I bought some for our shop). Anyway, enough examples. Come into our shop or another in the area and you'll find the help you need. One good piece of advice that I like to adhere to is that its a good idea to buy two bottles of whatever you settle on. That way, the recipient will be able to enjoy one bottle now (perhaps, if you're lucky, with you at that Christmas party you take it to) and will still have one left to hold, allowing it's continued development.

Beer. Yes, beer. Not just any beer, though. Many wine lovers also appreciate excellent beer, and many others who don't yet will start to once they experience what's out there. I recommend the brews from Trappist monks in Belgium like Westmalle, Trappistes Rochefort, and Chimay, and some of the better microbrews like Allagash, Brooklyn, or Breckenridge.

Accessories. This can be a tricky one. Many real wine aficionadi will already have everything they want when it comes to accessories, and much that's out there is just poorly made junk. There are a few unique and useful products out there, though. Wine totes are always appreciated, especially if they are padded and insulated like the neoprene styles from Built NY. Decorative tabletop wineracks can be a good gift, as well, because no matter how much long-term wine storage one may have, it's always nice to have something that can sit on the counter and hold a few bottles close at hand. A great gift for the holiday could be a bottle chiller, as well, since sparkling wines will be flowing at many gatherings.

Those are just a few suggestions to get you going. As I said before, any reputable wine shop will be able to guide you further. Happy holidays, everybody!