8 Must-Have Gifts Every Wine-Lover Needs

Know a wine-lover in your life? Or maybe you’re ready to ditch the goon bag for a more sophisticated wine experience? Either way, there is quite a complex toolkit to amass in order to achieve true wine connoisseurship.

But don’t fret – we’ve got you covered. Our checklist below outlines the seven essential accessories every wine-lover should keep on hand.

1. Stainless-steel wine bottle opener

Yes, a wine opener seems like a bit of a no-brainer, but choosing the right one to stow away in your drawer is where things can get a tad overwhelming. With so many models out there, how do you know which one will fit your needs?

Well, for starters, make sure you forego cheaper options for a sturdy and robust wine opener. Naturally, stainless steel models are ideal for this reason, harnessing the fortitude to crack open many a wine bottle, time after time. Though there are plenty of different types of wine bottle openers out there, we recommend investing in a simple twist corkscrew, or if you’re feeling fancy, try a push-button electric wine opener.

2. Coravin Wine System and Screw Caps

The Coravin wine system gives you the freedom to pour and enjoy a glass of wine from any bottle at any time. By inserting a medical grade needle through the cork and injecting 99.9% pure argon gas, the bottle is pressurized and wine is being pushed out. When finished, the needle is pulled out and the cork reseals due to its elasticity, no air has gone into the bottle and the remaining wine can be preserved and continue to age.

In addition, Coravin screw caps work together with any Coravin wine system, opening your door to savouring a glass of your favourite wine in a bottle closed with a screw cap.

Designed with a silicone membrane, Coravin screw cap reseals itself after being accessed using a Coravin wine system, just like a natural cork would. Protect your wine from oxidation for up to three months. Now you can open a bottle, put a Coravin screw cap on, taste your wine, then leave it and come back to enjoy it later.

3. Cooper Cooler

The Cooper Cooler™ is the fastest way to rapidly chill your warm beverages from 25°C to refrigerator cold (6°C) in the below times:

• Cans in 1 minute
• Bottles in 3.5 minutes
• Wine bottles in 6 minutes
• For ice cold (1°C) beverages, just double these chill times.

The Cooper Cooler™ is able to consistently chill beverages to an exact temperature without altering any beverage properties like taste and carbonation. Ability to chill your drinks to “ice cold” 1°C without the fear of over freezing or exploding your carbonated beverages. No messy clean ups like when your beverage explodes in the freezer because you forgot to take it out.

At the touch of a button, chill 750mL wine bottles from room temperature (25°C) to the perfect serving temperature:

• 20°C in 1 minute
• 11°C in 3.5 minutes
• 6°C in 6 minutes
• Use the NO SPIN option for chilling delicate wines without worry.

4. Wine bottle stopper

We’ve covered how to get into your wine bottle, but what about how to seal it back up again? While you can certainly shove the cork back in, a wine bottle stopper makes for an equally practical and decorative option, serving to preserve the life of your precious drop.

Like wine openers, there are many designs of wine bottler stoppers out there, so it’s a good idea to brush up your knowledge:

• Decorative stoppers are often a fun gift for your wine-loving friend, where a rubberised area seals the neck of your bottle while an ornamental pull sits at the top;
• Pourer stoppers work to seal your wine while still enabling you to pour through a small spout that minimises drips;
• Vacuum preservation stoppers are ideal for the serious wine connoisseur, allowing the user to manually pump the oxygen out of an open bottle of wine to create a vacuum and therefore extend the wine’s life.

5. Vinturi wine aerator

Accelerate a wine’s aeration process with the Vinturi wine aerator. The award-winning wine aerator from Vinturi opens and develops red and white wines in the time it takes to pour a glass - no more waiting as with traditional decanters.

The Vinturi aerator features patented technology and a stylish, yet classic look. When aerating your wine, listen for the sound - this sound is unique to all Vinturi aerators, and lets you know that you have an authentic Vinturi aerator, not some copycat imitation product. Upon opening the premium full-colour box, the Vinturi wine aerator presents itself. Made from specially formulated acrylic with an easy-to-grip silicone body, the wine aerator comes complete with a no-drip stand for properly displaying the device and keeping wine off surfaces when it's not in use, and a filter screen that protects your wine from bits of cork and sediment. A must-have for entertaining, the Vinturi wine aerator is perfect for quickly aerating an entire bottle of wine, or one glass at a time.

6. Wine discs

A simple but genius concept, wine discs help prevent those dreaded wine stains on Grandma’s good tablecloth. Economical, ergonomic and easy-to-use, wine discs should be an essential piece of equipment accompanying you in your voyage to wine expertise. Constructed from a patented material, these flexible discs come flat, ready to be rolled into a cylinder and inserted into the neck of your wine bottle. As you go to pour, the wine disc cuts off the flow of liquid as soon as the bottle is lifted, thereby eliminating droplets from forming and trickling down the side of the bottle.

7. Wine fridge

Of course, this list would not be complete without mentioning a wine fridge. The reasons to invest in a wine fridge are multiple, primarily circulating around the fact that this nifty device will ensure your quality drop is served at just the right temperature for maximum enjoyment.

8. Decanter

Last but not least, a good-quality decanter should complete your wine accessories toolkit. Again, there are plenty of models to choose from: a swan or a cornett? A duck or a standard? To keep things simple, let’s stick to standard decanters and outline which sizes will best suit your needs:

• Small: light-bodied reds, rosés and white wines
• Medium: medium-bodied red wines
• Large: full-bodied red wines

If you’re only interested in purchasing one decanter for now, may we suggest opting for a larger model that maximises surface area, as this will decrease the amount of time you need to decant.

At the Grand Cru Wine Fridges Shop, we sell a full range of Coravin wine systems, Vinturi wine aerators, the Cooper Cooler, plus Plumm glassware & decanters alongside our range of high-quality wine fridges.

Visit our shop to discover our new collections and our Australia wide delivery options.