The seasons bring different weather patterns, which change how we accessorize our wardrobe.
This time of year, we are also looking at how we can accessorize our wine cellar and bar, which will allow us to entertain guests in a more comfortable manner.
Various accessories are also a great gift idea for the wine lover on your list this holiday season.
Let's take a look at some of the accessories that make for great gifts and stocking stuffers this time of year.
Holiday parties are always a lot of fun, and no one should fret about that "hostess" gift to bring along. You can pick up a bottle of wine and accessorize the bottle with a decorative holiday wine bottle collar that you can find at your local wine store. There are jeweled items, snowmen, holiday sayings, and other collars that are both fun and decorative.
You also can place a bottle of wine in a nice holiday bag or sleeve to hand to your host directly. You can even pick these items up along with a bottle of wine at the same time for those spur-of-the-moment gatherings.
A great gift for the wine lover is a new corkscrew or bottle topper. These make great stocking stuffers and you can never have enough of them. There are openers that fold up and are easy to store ("Waiters Corkscrew") and others that are tabletop-sized, if space allows. The electric openers make great gifts and are easier than ever to operate. They even have an LCD screen to let you know how many cork openings you have left before recharging.
The bottle toppers are both decorative and functional gifts. Look for a monogram bottle topper for that special touch or a holiday topper with snowflakes.
Sometimes it's difficult to buy for that person who seems to have everything related to wine and barware. In this case, you can look for items that are fairly new to the marketplace.
A new wine aerator makes a great gift and can be found at a variety of price points. A good aerator will "open up" the wine and decant it, one glass at a time. This is a great tool for times you do not want to decant a whole bottle of wine. Check with your local wine store to review a variety of options when purchasing an aerator.
Other great gift ideas are wine journals, which are used to record tasted wines over a period of time, or wine books that share insight into the various regions of the world where grapes are grown. There are many great books you can find at your local wine store that will allow the reader to enhance their wine knowledge and to be entertained.
And if you choose to purchase a wine for that special gift, it is a great idea to pair that wine with a gift of artisanal cheese or handmade chocolates. Wine, cheese and chocolate—now there's a winning combination!
The art of gift-giving has definitely been made easier with the availability of great wines and the many accessories and complimentary cheese and chocolate items to enhance the experience. Stop by your local wine store and ask for suggestions regarding wines, wine pairings and accessories to enhance your holidays this year. You'll be glad you did!
Have a Happy and Safe Holiday Season!
