How To Enjoy Wine In High Style This Holiday Season

Tis the season for showing off your wine style.

Wine lovers know buying the bottle is just one aspect of enjoying wine. Acquiring the right accouterments is the other pleasure of the oenophile life. From service to sipping, here are a few high-style luxuries to fix your habit or that of someone on your gift list.

The home wine bar

All Clad wine accessory set. From the company that makes the much-coveted professional cookware, this three-piece set includes a foil cutter, opener, and an aerator. Handsome in its simple elegance, made of sturdy stainless steel. $99.95

Buccellati “Tahiti” sterling silver bottle stopper. Originally designed in the 1960s for an Italian industrialist’s private yacht, this sterling silver and bamboo is somewhat exotic, and inspired by Paul Gauguin’s Polynesian artworks. Handmade in Italy. 3 inches long.  $540

Alessi Jasper Morrison Bolly wine cooler. From the Italian home-design firm. Sleek, organic design. Stainless steel, $225-$235

KitchenAid undercounter wine fridge. The splurge is worth it for the sleek integrated design and brand reliability factor. Six sliding racks in this 24-inch-wide model hold 46 bottles. Dual temperature zones for reds and whites (though, really 55 degrees F for both is ideal). $2294.

French wine bottle rack. Inspired by the tradition riddling (turning) racks in Champagne, this decorative reclaimed Mango wood rack is a blank canvas where can display your collection of souvenir bottles and other memorabilia. Empty bottles only; rack is not designed to hold weight. $236 on sale; reg. $249

Glassware

The modern home wine bar keeps it simple with a recent trend away from a collection of variously sized and shaped glasses for reds and whites and towards a “universal” style that accommodates both styles—and even sparkling wine.

GlasVin is a recent entrant in the pro-glass category, with an elegant and well-priced universal glass it sells direct-to-consumer. Mimicking the ethereal quality of European-made glasses at a fraction of the price, the stemware is on the tables at high-end restaurants such as Gabriel Kreuther,. New York-based GlasVin’s hand-blown offerings are light, delicate but surprisingly sturdy. Set of two: $70. Other varietal glasses available, prices vary.

If you are set on a glass for every style, German glass blower Schott Zwiesel has a wide range of styles and prices plus the panache of a heritage brand. For a bit of 1920s elegance, check out the Art Deco-inspired “Glamorous” line with its black stemmed glasses and delicate etching. Set of two: $280

Simon Pearce “Madison” wine decanter. A best-selling classically designed decanter from the Vermont-based artisanal glass blower. About 8 inches high and the same in diameter. Can be engraved (six weeks processing). $165

Richard Brendon/Jancis Robinson “Young Wine” decanter. Co-branded with one of the world’s foremost authorities and a Master of Wine, this modern crystal decanter from a British tabletop designer is ideal for big, young wines that need aeration, but can be used for several styles of wine—still, port and sweet, and sherry. $175

Accessories

Forget the paper bag from the wine store! Tote your wine in style with Ghurka’s leather wine carrier “Pairing No. 285.” The chic travel-accessory company offers a two-bottle tote in its trademark sturdy full-grain hide, stamped for authenticity and with a lined padded interior divider. Choose from three colors. $695

A more modest but also stylish offering comes from Graf Lantz in gray felt with a leather handle. Perfect for the eco-conscious set, Brooklyn/Detroit maker/hipster and anyone who enjoys New Zealand wines (OK, you knew that was coming, right?) $95.

Smythson’s “Mara Hardbound” Cellar Book keeps it old school with this embossed crocodile book (14 x 5.5) for your cellar inventory. Track acquisition dates, vintages, other collectors’ notes on rich watermarked paper. (But really, just drink the wine already!)