5 Christmas Gift Ideas For Wine-Loving Dads

Love it or loathe it, Christmas shopping is pretty hard to avoid at this time of the year. The streets are packed with endless crowds of people, all desperately trying to seek out that perfect gift for their loved ones… and that’s not always an easy task.

For most of us, heading out to our local shopping centres and high streets in December can be a recipe for some serious stress, and it can really suck the fun and magic out of the season - even more so if you aren’t well prepared before hitting the stores. Of course, this all becomes even harder if you’re trying to find a gift for your dad... aren't they always the toughest people to choose presents for?

Here at The Wine Gallery, we’re determined to help you have a more relaxing festive season. It’s a well-known fact, after all, that wine lovers - and especially dads who enjoy a bottle or two - are always more than happy to receive wine-based gifts at this time of year. For most of us men, wine isn’t so much of a drink as it is a way of life… and as a result, if you stick with something vino-related, we’re sure to be pleased with the result.

Well, that’s enough preamble for now. Let’s take a good look through our top five wine gifts for dads this Christmas 2017, and get some inspiration for the lucky fella who’s going to be receiving them!

1. A Quality Wine Aerator

Every dad loves a new kitchen gadget at Christmastime to play with, and this year has seen the launch of some of the most effective wine aerators ever to hit the market.

The wine aerator is, in essence, a relatively simple bit of kit: it’s designed to do the job of a decanter quickly, efficiently and with the minimum of fuss (and if those aren’t ‘manly’ traits, I don’t know what is). Essentially, as your wine is poured via an aerator, the device oxidises the wine. This rapidly softens the harsher tannin, and rounds out the more unpalatable edges of the acids in the wine, resulting in a far greater drinking experience. If the father you’re thinking of as a recipient enjoys the finer things in life, and likes things to be at their very best, then a quality aerator might just be the perfect gift for him.

Aerators come in a wide range of styles and designs, from simple, straightforward examples to more showy and elaborate devices. We’d always recommend going for substance over style, or looking for one which has a healthy mix of the two!

2. A Vineyard Tour and Tasting Experience

If your dad is a true wine fan and takes a real interest in where his produce comes from, nothing quite beats a trip to a professional working winery. Even if he isn’t quite as fanatical as we are when it comes to understanding the winemaking process from vine to bottle, visiting a winery is rarely anything short of a highly satisfying and eye-opening experience. There’s so much to see, learn and do… and the best part? You get a chance to try loads of different bottles, eat some fantastically paired food, and take your favourites home with you.

In Australia, we’re lucky to have beautiful and bountiful wine regions all along our vast coastlines, with most of them in close proximity to our major cities. As such, it’s not so difficult to make a winery visit part of a relaxing day trip. As far as gift-giving goes, most of the bigger wineries will offer Christmas gift packages to eager visitors who want to see where and how the magic happens for themselves. Perfection!

3. A Minimalist Decanter and Matching Glasses

Here at The Wine Gallery, we don’t generally subscribe to the belief that you need all kinds of fancy glasses in different shapes and sizes for various different wines. However, that being said, every wine-loving household deserves at least one set of high quality, well-made wine glasses for bringing out when the guests come round.

Matched with a modern, minimalist decanter, you can bring a touch of urbane chic to your dad's wine drinking evenings, and allow him to enhance the overall experience of enjoying his favourite bottles.

4. A Gas Wine Preservation System

If your old man is serious about their wine tasting, then sooner or later, they’re going to be in need of something that’ll keep their best wines fresh between tasting sessions. Enter the top-of-the-range wine preservation systems, which have come on leaps and bounds in recent years when it comes to efficiency and effectiveness, and many of which are capable of keeping your vino in tip-top condition for weeks after opening.

We’re not talking about a run-of-the-mill wine stopper here, but rather the kind of preservation systems which inject a protective cloud of inert gas into the bottle (which makes you feel like a proper scientist while you do it) before sealing the neck with an air-tight cap.

This stops the harmful process of oxidation dead in its tracks, and ensures your wine doesn’t turn bad over time. These are ideal for serious wine collectors, but are also ideal for people who like to dip into a bottle little by little, and don’t want to have to toss their precious wine down the sink after a few days of it being opened.

We especially love the examples made by zzysh, as these deal with keeping both red wine and Champagne fresh and exactly as the winemaker intended!

5. A Top-Class Electronic Corkscrew

Is there anything more upsetting than trying to prize a cork out of a bottle of wine, only to find it snap off and crumble in your hands? It’s happened to us more than a couple of times, and it’s possibly the most annoying thing that can occur to the dedicated wine lover. If your dad has struggled with this in the past (and let’s face it, if you drink enough wine, it’s going to happen to us all sooner or later) and is partial to a gadget or two in the kitchen, then a quality electronic corkscrew is a gift he’ll highly appreciate. Not only do the best examples work like a dream, they also look damn cool when you’re popping those corks for your guests, too.

6. Bonus Gift Idea. A Subscription to The Wine Gallery

We’re not here to blow our own trumpets, but if we’re honest, it’s hard to see how any wine lover would not benefit from a gift subscription to The Wine Gallery. Great wines from top Australian wineries and winemakers around the world, carefully chosen by an award-winning sommelier, personalised to their tastes, and delivered to their door every month - what’s not to get excited about?

It doesn’t just end there, either. In every box, we add tasting notes for each of our bottles, as well as food pairing advice and a unique, easy-to-follow recipe which even the most kitchen-phobic father could master. We even chuck in a free gift, too… just because we want you to get the absolute most from your subscription.

They can start with our fun quiz here and we’ll recommend three bottles for their personal tastes.

So, we hope we’ve given you a few great ideas when it comes to wine-related gifts for your dad… now all you’ve got to do is get the gift wrapping in, pick out a festive card, and have yourself a merry Christmas. Go on, have a glass on us - you deserve it.