Gifts for Wine Lovers

Start with the Cork Pops Legacy: a thin needle slides past the cork, a breath of food-safe gas lifts it out whole, and there is no twisting at all. The same family has made it in Novato, California since 1961. The Starter Set ($45) pairs it with two cartridges and ships free.

After that come the things that make the second glass as good as the first: aerators that open up a young red as you pour, the VinOice chiller that holds white wine at drinking temperature for up to an hour, stoppers that seal an unfinished bottle, and small finds under $10: foil cutters, glass-writer pens and a red-wine stain remover for the inevitable.

For the hardest person on your list, read gifts for wine lovers who have everything, or browse wine gifts under $30 and $50.

Questions

What do you get a wine lover who has everything?

Something that replaces a tool they only tolerate. Most people have a corkscrew; very few have an opener that lifts the cork out with a puff of gas, or a chiller that works inside the bottle instead of an ice bucket. Those get used every time a bottle is opened.

What are good wine gifts under $25?

The VinOair aerator ($20), a Royal bottle stopper ($15), Drop Stop pour discs ($9.90 for five), wine-glass writer pens ($8), a foil cutter ($7) or the Vino 911 stain remover ($7.50).

Does the Cork Pops opener change the taste of the wine?

No. The cartridge releases a small amount of food-safe, inert gas under the cork to push it out, and it has no effect on the wine's flavor or aroma.