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Bibiana González Rave is one of my favorite winemakers in California—her exuberant spirit shows in all of her wines. Perhaps related, the Colombia-born vintner is also a coffee enthusiast who drinks several cups a day. It's a natural extension for Rave to start importing Colombian coffee beans from high-altitude, small farms and roast them herself.
If your hosts are kind enough to let you stay over, you can double down on the gift by making everyone some scrambled eggs for breakfast. There is video proof of me deftly completing a puzzle at a mere 18 months old. Of course, not everyone is a puzzle enthusiast, but those who are can vouch for the fact that if you gift them one, it will not end up in the closet unsolved.
Animated 3-D Map Video: Understanding Washington Wines
The Irish ex-pats behind Manhattan’s Dead Rabbit, regarded as one of the world’s best bars, have a knack for creativity with their national spirit, offering drinks that showcase Irish whiskey’s lighter and more floral leanings. Don’t miss the section on homemade syrups, tinctures and infusions or the indispensable front-of-book primer on the whiskey itself. The green foil cover makes the book a fetching holiday gift for your favorite amateur cocktail slinger—even if that person happens to be you. This unique decanter with an ice pocket for chilling white wines tells a story for a cause. Made by Swaziland's Ngwenya Glass, each piece is hand-blown from recycled glass, and the company's furnaces are fueled by discarded cooking and engine oil. Local schools help collect the used glass in exchange for building materials and soccer kits.
Say goodbye to that conventional decanter and instead turn to a high-quality version that embraces functionality and form. Glass expert Riedel’s O decanter offers a slanted lip to facilitate a clean, precise pour. The minimalist design and modest size, as well as the punt at the bottom, make it user-friendly, fitting easily in your hand. While your “special occasion” decanter takes up space on the shelf, this will quickly become your everyday go-to for decanting everything from a prized bottle to your pre-dinner sipper.—A.N. Wine lovers are a particular bunch, and can be tough to shop for if wine accoutrements are the order of the holiday. Most enophiles already have a preferred corkscrew, decanter, wineglass, etc., so the gift of an everyday tool may just accrue dust.
Wine Gifts
Love receiving wine as a gift, but enjoy giving it even more when it's something symbolic/significant. Just helped my brother-in-law source a 1990 Heitz Martha's as a gift from him to a friend for their 25th anniversary next week. I love the look in their eyes when they "get" the tie-in of the vintage to the year of their birth, marriage, etc. My wife's family knows I like wine, and occasionally I will get a bottle in the family Christmas exchange. But I have to cringe every time I unwrap one, as more often than not, its something I'm probably not going to drink, like a bottle of strawberry wine from someplace in Ohio, or a semi-sweet Chambourcin from the Finger Lakes.
A nifty silicone lining makes for a fool-proof seal, and it’s big enough to shake a party-pleasing batch of drinks at once. Made from water-resistant waxed canvas, this bag is the perfect pouch to pack a few tools and cold beverages for an afternoon hike. With straps that can be worn on the chest, back or messenger style, it’s similar to those once used by vineyard and orchard workers. But with this bag, it’s not only about what you bring with you, it's also about what you carry home.
Gift Guide
For each wrapping style above, you can add a decorative accent such as greenery or a bow to the bottleneck along with one of these four holiday tags. This sophisticated version combines the see-what-you’re-shaking theatricality of a glass Boston shaker with a classic strainer-shaker’s ease of use. The crystal has a pleasing weight, and it doesn’t get icy like a metal shaker, so it’s easy on the hands. Though Waterford says it’s designed for rum cocktails, I’ve never known a shaker to discriminate.
I credit my colleague Aaron Romano for discovering Real Good Fish after we’d watched a documentary on the fishing industry, which left us troubled about how to enjoy seafood responsibly. This company ships sustainably sourced, wild-caught, seasonal seafood to your favorite pescatarians . It’s completely customizable and flexible, and you can even order add-ons, from salmon burgers to locally raised and butchered meats.
Brewing Up Great Gifts
Just in time for the holidays, these unique gifts for wine lovers will surprise and delight. From an African hand-blown decanter that benefits needy communities to chocolate-dipped Dom Pérignon gummies in a gold-trimmed box, we've got all the bases covered. Head over to Wine Spectator's full list of the Top 100 Wines of 2017 to find the perfect bottle to pair with these gifts. From great gadgets and wine coolers to dazzling decanters, we have the perfect selection of wine gifts that will impress oenophiles of all kinds. For the foodie or host, you’ll find dozens of cheese boards and serveware options. Our one-of-a-kind barware sets and accessories will delight at-home mixologists.
Wine Spectator's Owen Dugan reviews gifts for wine lovers, from coasters to Champagne sabers. This holiday season, delight your friends and family with thoughtful, handpicked gifts of fine wines. Bigger isn’t always better, but these hand-blown, Austria-made glasses are awfully impressive.
It’s a terrific way to lift someone’s spice game into new territory. Having inherited my grandmother’s cast iron pans made by Griswold, I never thought I’d see their equal. Most modern cast iron is rough cast and lacks the naturally smooth nonstick quality of vintage pieces. But Butter Pat delivers a smooth surface, hefty base, thin walls and “ears” for pouring.
The bowl boasts a wingspan of 5 inches, and when put to the test, it holds a remarkable 32 ounces—more than a standard wine bottle. All that capacity gives you plenty of swirl space, but it could also easily be unwieldy in a lesser glass. Somehow the Zalto is graceful whether there’s an ounce or a bottle’s worth of wine in it, despite having one of the slimmest stems I’ve encountered. As the name suggests, this version is recommended for Burgundy, but a glass like this elevates wines from many regions. You can try accepted Burgundy alternatives like Barolo or Etna reds from Italy, but you might also enjoy using it to sip vintage Champagne or a gran reserva Rioja.—A.N.
Fashioned in a variety of vivid colorways, these blades are also easy to spot if dropped. If you only choose one to gift, pick the JH Hunter/Forager ($269), whose 4-inch blade can tackle camp chores like carving a tent stake and still fillet a fish. Wine Spectator's team of editors taste over 35,000 wines a year.... Not even certified Masters of Wine are likely able to pinpoint every wine appellation on the globe. I exchange wine with my brother for christmas every year and always look forward to it. The 2016 William Hill Estate Winery Napa Valley Chardonnay shares notes of apple, pear, tropical fruits, and lemon balanced with coconut and baking spices, leading to a finish worthy of a celebratory toast.
I have been opening wine bottles in commercial quantities ever since I was a bartender. Over the years, I acquired some beautiful and effective machines for removing the corks. Mostly I rely on the classic waiter’s corkscrew, especially the double-hinged version introduced by the Spanish company Pulltaps. This family-run Southern company has been a favorite of mine since a friend introduced me to its aromatic bitters. They’re a touch lighter than classic Angostura, with zippier licorice and citrus peel notes, and they prove that even standbys can benefit from a makeover. The cherry bitters are dusky and seductive, perfect for knock-your-socks-off Manhattans; the orange bitters are sultry and perfumed, more Seville than Key West.
The 2016 Bear Flag Zinfandel embodies the rugged independent spirit of early California settlers who rebelled against tyranny and fought for independence in 1846 and inspired the Golden State’s motto, “Eureka! ” Bear Flag celebrates forward thinking individuals prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve their dreams. Sourced primarily from Sonoma County’s distinguished Dry Creek Valley, the wine is complex with a pinch of spice, vanilla, and dark fruit elegance. Full-bodied yet supple, Bear Flag stands tall as its namesake and is well-structured with an All-American backbone.
With grapes selected from several distinct Napa Valley regions, William Hill is a powerful expression of a noble varietal from a New World class appellation. Touches of Merlot, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Franc heighten the wine’s roundness and depth. For a modern rustic touch, use chalkboard or butcher paper, chalk or pen, a ribbon, and baker’s twine. Evoke the feeling of a special offering from a refined yet laid-back California wine country restaurant. Try this with the bold 2016 Bear Flag Zinfandel or the farmhouse chic 2015 MacMurray Estate Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. But when I pull a bottle from my cellar—any wine more than 10 years old—I rely on the Durand.
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