In case you missed it, the first 2 parts of this gift guide focus on fun cooking and baking gifts. Be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2! And don’t forget to enter the GIVEAWAY at the bottom of the posts. This gift guide is specific to wine gifts, in case the Foodie in your life is more of a consumer than a maker. And by consumer… I mean drinker. Since food lovers are called Foodies, I’m going to call this one for the Winies.
We will start with my favorite wine opener. I LOVE rabbit style openers. They can be used with little/no hand strength, are pretty much idiot-proof (or rather… klutz-proof) and they’re just downright cool. Mine is a complete set in a beautiful cherry wood box that I got from my awesome dad.
Since it was a gift, I have no idea where this one came from. But when I did some browsing on Amazon, it looks like most go for about $50 if you want a full set, however, I found this 4-piece set with a stand for $20.
(This just in: A sale just landed in my inbox for Metrokane Wine Products going on for TODAY ONLY! If you are not an ideeli member, sign up with this link (www.ideeli.com/invite/smujwud) and then click on Metrokane. They have some really nice gift items.)
Now that your wine is open, you want it to taste great, right? Welcome The Vinturi.
The Vinturi aerates wine, which basically cuts down the time you need to let a wine sit out and open to nil. I was a skeptic, however, my mother (who gifted this one to me) told me to do a side-by-side comparison of the same wine, one through The Vinturi and one regular. She was right, The Vinturi just makes it smoother. Plus, it looks pretty cool on your countertop (and gets covered in flour, as evidence from that picture up there!). You can get a non-Vinturi brand online for about $23 and the brand name for $36. (Nerds rejoice… the mechanics are based on The Venturi Effect. Oh Vinturi… your fun world play was not lost on me!)
Last, but not least, is what to do if you somehow don’t manage to finish a bottle of wine (I know… crazy, right?! I’ll just assume you were cooking with it and want to drink it later). Most of these items are called Wine Savers but it’s important to find one that vacuums (this one is done with a pump).
Wines will only last a few days after they are opened since oxygen screws it all up, however, if you vacuum out the air and seal it, it can last up to 2 weeks. Score! (Though if you have wine left open for 2 weeks, you are obviously not the wine drinker I always assumed you were… yes, all of you). Vacu Vin is a popular brand and is under $10. Mine is Metrokane brand and is available at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for $13.
I hope everyone has enjoyed this gift guide! I know I sure had fun running around my kitchen to find my faves to share with you.
And don’t forget… THE GIVEAWAY! I will be giving away a set of my favorite product of 2010, the Betty Crocker Baking Cups, to one lucky reader. It will also come with a printed copy of the Super Secret Axelrod Brownie recipe (which you can make in the cups!)
Here are the rules: Leave a comment below about which product from the NYC Nom Nom Official Gift Guide (there are three parts, all posted on Thursday, December 9th, including a special on wine products) you covet the most. Please be sure to leave me your name and an email address. (Limit: one comment entry per person… so no comment spamming!) If you would prefer to email me, you can feel free to do so at sara@nycnomnom.com.
You can earn additional entries by posting a link to this blog on Facebook, Twitter, your website or just emailing it to all your friends (one entry per post). Just send me a screenshot or link to NYC Nom Nom from the post/email (flex that “@” key!)
I’ll be taking entries through midnight, EST on Tuesday, December 14th and do the drawing on Wednesday, December 15th.
Happy Holiday Nomming!
