Giving wine to someone who knows their stuff is risky. They have their favourite vineyards and vintages, and often very firm opinions about what’s worth drinking.
The good news: you can delight them without necessarily giving them a bottle.
Here are 10 gift ideas for a wine lover, each with a price range. For other recipients, explore our Christmas gift ideas.
How do you choose a gift for a wine lover?
Before you start looking, ask yourself two questions.
Are they a beginner, or do they already know their wine?
Someone new to wine will appreciate a class or an aroma kit. A connoisseur will already have the essentials, so aim for something more premium or unexpected.
Do they often have guests over?
Someone who hosts dinner parties will bring out a decanter or beautiful glasses every week. If they tend to enjoy wine on their own, a visit or a book will make more sense.
Finally, set a budget from the outset. With wine, the sky’s the limit: a corkscrew can cost €15 or €300.
The Alpha Millésime: a trainer
At Zèta, we have a real soft spot for this gift. And not just because it’s ours.
The Alpha Millésime is a limited-edition trainer made from grape pomace from Château Le Payral. This Bergerac estate uses organic and biodynamic farming methods. Pomace is what remains after the grapes are pressed, mainly skins and seeds. Rather than going to waste, it becomes the material used to make the trainer. Does that approach resonate with you? Find another eco-friendly gift idea in our selection.
And the finishing touch: its gift box. Each pair arrives in a wooden box styled like a wine crate. Under the Christmas tree, it could almost pass for a fine bottle.
Designed in Bordeaux and assembled by hand in our workshop in Portugal, it can be worn every day, with jeans or smarter trousers.
Essential accessories for wine tasting
Idea no. 1: A waiter’s corkscrew
A sturdy, comfortable double-hinged waiter’s corkscrew helps remove old corks without breaking them. It’s the tool sommeliers use: the first lever lifts the cork halfway, and the second frees it without force. Choose one with a fairly long worm, which grips a fragile cork more securely.
Budget: €30 to €80.
Idea no. 2: A wine decanter
A decanter aerates young reds before serving and separates older wines from their sediment. For a young wine, a wide-based decanter gives more surface area to the air. For an older vintage, a narrower shape will do: the aim is simply to leave the sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
Budget: €30 to €100, depending on the shape and the glass.
Idea no. 3: Wine-tasting glasses
The glass really does change how you experience a wine. A fine glass with a rim narrower than its bowl concentrates the aromas.
A set of two or four glasses, costing around €40 to €80, is a simple gift that connoisseurs will actually use. A tip: avoid engraved or coloured glasses, as they make it harder to appreciate the wine’s colour.
Experiences for wine enthusiasts
Idea no. 4: A wine-tasting workshop or wine appreciation class
An ideal gift for someone who wants to learn more about wine. In two or three hours, they’ll learn to recognise a grape variety or read a label with confidence.
Many wine merchants run their own workshops, often more sociable than online sessions.
Budget: €20 for a short introductory session to around €90 for a more in-depth evening.
Idea no. 5: A vineyard visit with a tasting
A vineyard visit lets you experience wine first-hand, from a tour of the winery to a tasting on site. Most can be booked online, often for €15 to €40 per person.
Book two places. Discussing the tannins is more fun together, after all.
Idea no. 6: A wine subscription box
Each month, two or three bottles arrive at their door, often with notes on the vineyard and a food-pairing suggestion. For a wine lover with established favourites, it’s a chance to discover lesser-known appellations or small-scale winemakers.
Before choosing, check two things: that you can select red, white or a mix of both, and that there’s a fixed-term gift option (three or six months) with no ongoing commitment.
Budget: from around €30 per month.
An original wine gift that goes beyond the bottle
Already have all the accessories? Try a different approach.
Idea no. 7: An aroma kit to train their nose
Le Nez du Vin, created by Jean Lenoir in 1981, contains small bottles of scents to identify: blackcurrant, green pepper, truffle, toast… It has become a go-to reference for wine professionals and enthusiasts alike.
Budget: The set comes in several sizes. The six-aroma ‘Clin de nez’ is the most affordable, while the large 54-aroma version costs over €300. For a first gift, the 12-aroma version dedicated to red wines, at around €80, is a good compromise.
Idea no. 8: A wine atlas or book
Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson’s World Atlas of Wine is the go-to reference, with detailed maps of wine regions from Bordeaux to Napa Valley. It’s the kind of book you keep for years and pull out before every trip.
Budget: €20 to €60, depending on the book.
A Bordeaux gift for lovers of Bordeaux wine
Idea no. 9: A bottle from a Bordeaux appellation
Don’t choose at random: ask a wine merchant for help. Tell them what the recipient likes to drink and let them suggest a Saint-Émilion, a Pessac-Léognan or a Sauternes for dessert. A good bottle starts at around €25.
Idea no. 10: A ticket to the Cité du Vin
It’s Bordeaux’s major wine museum, on the banks of the Garonne. The ticket includes the permanent exhibition and a glass of wine at the eighth-floor viewing platform, with views across the city.
Budget: €20 to €25 per adult, and allow at least two hours for the visit.
Good to know: the museum is closed on 25 December, so give this as an outing for after Christmas.
Our tips for choosing a wine gift they’ll love
Book experiences early.
Wine-tasting workshops fill up quickly towards the end of the year. Once you’ve settled on the idea, book a date.
Make the wrapping special.
A wooden box, kraft paper and some string: wine lends itself beautifully to this kind of presentation. That’s why the Alpha Millésime already comes in its own gift box.
Be wary of choosing a bottle on a whim.
To a connoisseur, a bottle picked at random can suggest you didn’t know what to give them. If you’re set on giving wine, visit a wine merchant and tell them who it’s for.
