By Correspondent Maria C. Hunt / in Destinations,Drinks,Food and Wine,Gadgets and Gear,Guide,Holidays / tags Christmas, holiday gifts, Napa, Sonoma, wine The best wine travel gift of all would be a carry-on boarding pass for that bottle of pinot noir you picked up on your last trip to Sonoma. But since I haven’t figured out how to snag one of those, I figured the least the Forbes Travel Guide correspondent for the Bay Area and Wine Country could do was share some other wine gifts that will appeal to travelers who love vino: GSI Travel Champagne Flutes There’s nothing like drinking champagne from elegant crystal flutes, but since crystal doesn’t travel especially well, I like to have these acrylic ones in my bag. The stem unscrews making them compact, and they’re great for sipping bubbly on a hike or in the Jacuzzi. Wine Carrier & Purse Heading to a party with a bottle of wine tucked under your arm has its pitfalls. I once stumbled down a flight of stairs and watched in horror as a bottle of port I was carrying turned into a projectile and exploded when it hit the wall.

I’ve graduated to a purse carrier like this one, which is fashionable as well as practical, since it has a padded interior and a little pocket for a corkscrew. This is one of those simple yet brilliant products that falls under the why-didn’t-I- think-of-this category. When traveling, all you have to do is place your precious cargo in this vinyl pouch shaped just like a wine bottle. The bubble wrap layer inside keeps your wine cushioned and secure. And just in case there is a mishap, the end of the pouch seals. $5.99 for a two-pack If you’re one of those people who worships the wine inside the bottle, but never got comfortable with using a corkscrew, this is the gadget to put atop your Christmas list. Coravin’s ingenious “Wine Access Technology” lets you tap into the bottle and pour with a thin needle that goes through the cork. Argon in the air then pressurizes the bottle allowing your cabernet to flow freely. The rest of the wine stays safe in the bottle, and you don’t have to worry about its flavor starting to deteriorate before you can get home.

The Wine Check Luggage Combo Set It can be a bit nerve-racking to turn all those fine bottles you’ve acquired on your trip through France over to a shipping company, and trust them to pack and send everything safely to your home. Why not pack the wine yourself and then check them with the rest of your luggage? With this 12-bottle tote, you can do just that. Fingers crossed that the TSA officer doesn’t have a taste for Haut-Brion. Photo Courtesy of iStock ← Where To Find Hawaii’s Favorite Midday Meal Spending Christmas Down Under →It’s the moooooost wonderful tiiiiime of the yeeeear!Ok, ok, I know not everybody is as much of a sap when it comes to the holidays as I am, but I just can’t help myself.  To me, Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year because it encompasses so many things that I love all at the same time: the smell of Christmas trees, sausage balls and cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, beautifully wrapped presents, holiday parties and pretty dresses, mulled wine, Christmas cookies and holiday sweets, fires in the fireplace, quality time with family and friends

, classic Christmas movies, sparkly lights and glittery decorations, holiday music, endless bottles of bubbly,  kissing under the mistletoe…you get the picture.  It’s just a happy time of the year, and every January 1st I start counting down the days until we get to do it all over again.For many of us, exchanging gifts is a big part of the holiday season, and while I know the process of buying presents can certainly be a stressful one, I happen to love everything about it.  good wine to drink dailyGift giving is definitely one of my love languages (did y’all read that book?), so I get a lot of satisfaction in coming up with the perfect presents for the special people in my life.best cheap wine bars nycSince so many of my loved ones enjoy wine the way that I do, I’m always on the hunt for unique items to fit that theme. best boxed red wine 2015

While a bottle of wine always makes a lovely gift, I like to get a little more creative when I can.  Especially at Christmastime when I give myself license to go as overboard buying presents as I want!  So if you have any wine lovers that you’re buying for this year, look no further.  Here are 10 gift ideas to surprise everyone on your list.Until I win the lottery and can afford a place in NYC that has room for a wine cellar, I have no choice but to get creative with how I store my wine.  best red wine prices in indiaThat’s why I love these modular wine racks by STACT, which get your bottles out from hiding in random nooks and crannies and on to a proper wine rack.  best white wine targetAnd because they screw into the wall, you don’t have to make room for them like you do a standing rack or wine fridge, which is perfect for city living where space is at a minimum.  high end wine los angeles

You can hang them individually or use a handful to create your own arrangement, and they come in nine colors so they’re easily customizable to fit any space or décor.’s practical appetizer flex tray.  This beautiful bamboo tray has four removable, magnetic dividers with chalkboard labels on top, and a dishwasher-safe, ceramic plate insert on which to serve your goodies. You can use all or none of the dividers to accommodate whatever you’re serving, and the best part is that a bottle of wine fits perfectly in the middle!buying wine as a birthday giftI am girlie to the core and a sucker for all things pretty, so Riedel’s new Ayam Decanter is officially on my own wish list!  buy and send wine onlineNot only does it make for a gorgeous centerpiece at any meal, you can actually hang it from the edge of your table to save table space and to wow your guests!  sweet dry wine white

Hand-crafted and mouth-blown in Austria, the Ayam Decanter double decants the wine – once when it is poured into the decanter and again when it is poured out – so your wine gets aerated twice as fast. Ideal for younger red and white wines, this crystal decanter is not only beautiful, it’s nearly shatter resistant.  /watch?v=zSzZSFCbHKAITEM:  Vinnibag Inflatable Travel BagFor the avid wine traveler in your life, Vinnibag’s Inflatable Travel Bags are an absolute must.  Not only do they safely protect any bottles of wine you collect on the road, these TSA-approved bags are reusable and easy to use.  Simply put the bottle in the bag, inflate it with a few breaths of air to create an air cushion around the bottle and snap the bag closed!  And the best part is that these bags aren’t limited to wine – use them to protect all the fragile valuables you purchase throughout your travels.ITEM:  SAVED Wines Corkscrew by Scott CampbellMy sister has been into tattoos for years (and has two beautiful sleeves to show for it), so I knew who famous tattoo artist Scott Campbell was long before he had anything to do with wine. 

Then in 2013 he launched SAVED Wines (named after his acclaimed SAVED tattoo studio in Brooklyn) and began expanding his artistic interests from tattoos into a wide variety of artistic mediums.  This year he’s combined his love of art with his love of wine and teamed up with manufacturer Shinola to create a solid brass corkscrew carved with patterns that to Scott represent inspired ideas and the focus and determination to act upon them.  This T-handle corkscrew combines beauty with function and would make a great collector’s item for anyone who loves wine.  (Please note that this corkscrew is quite heavy.)ITEM:  MLB Baseball Bat Electric Wine OpenerWho says beer is the best pairing for baseball?  WineOvation’s electric baseball bat wine opener is a great gift for baseball lovers who’d rather skip the brewskies and grab a bottle of wine instead.  Officially licensed by the MLB, this rechargeable opener is stylishly sporty and super easy to use – just push the button down to remove the cork from the bottle and then push it back up to remove the cork from the bat. 

Available in all MLB team logos, it’s bound to be a homerun present for any wine loving, baseball fanatics in your life, as well as a fun way to commemorate this year’s Chicago Cubs’ historic World Series win!ITEM:  Rosé All Day Gummy BearsWine mixed with gummy bears?!?  A) I am clearly obsessed with wine and consider it its own food group and B) I’m equally obsessed with gummies to the point that my sister and I used to dream of what it would be like for our childhood bedroom to be made of regenerating gummy bears!  So put the two together and I’m pretty sure you have the best combination on the planet.  Infused with Whispering Angel Rosé, these bears are imported from Germany and sold in individual cubes or in party packs of six, so they’re perfect as a stocking stuffer or even for goodie bags at a party. (And if you don’t have any wine lovers in your life to buy them for, I will happily send you my address so you can buy them for me!)The first electric wine aerator on the market, Aervana is a simple, clean and easy to use aerator that leaves wine sediments in the bottom of the bottle while dispensing fully aerated, debris-free wine directly into your glass. 

With just the push of a button, it pulls wine out of the bottle and maintains a constant rate of flow to open up the wine’s full flavor profile.  Aervana’s hands-free design helps you avoid any dripping or spilling, and in just two seconds it will dispense four ounces of fully aerated wine.ITEM:  Wine Cork Place Card HoldersFlatiron Wines here in NYC uses corks like these to label their wines, and every time I shop there I think how genius of an idea it is!  So I was pumped to come across these place card holders during my search for creative wine gifts because they’re such a simple way to add a unique touch to seating arrangements at a dinner table or to wine and food labels at a party.  These place card holders come in a set of eight and would make a lovely hostess gift or stocking stuffer for home entertainers.My friend, John, and I have an ongoing joke when we go out together – at the end of the night when most people ask if they should have “one more,” our question is if we should have one more bottle not one more glass!

So when I came across the Guzzle Buddy I instantly thought of John.  Gone are the days of feeling guilty for our overindulgence!  Instead, our one more bottle really can become just one more glass.  Simply open a bottle of wine, screw the Guzzle Buddy into the neck of the bottle and drink. And the best part is that as you sip, the wine is gently aerated, so you get a glass and an aerator all in one!  Come on now, does it get any better than that?!, with a column focused on wine and making wine accessible to the everyday consumer.  Her goal is to introduce her readers to different wine regions, styles and price points and to educate them in a way that takes the intimidation factor out of the equation.  Allie is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and was named the Walter Clore Certified Sommelier Exam Scholar for being the top scorer in the state of New York.  Allie is also a graduate of the International Culinary Center’s Intensive Sommelier Program, where she finished at the top of her class, and the founder of Parched: NYC, a website launching in 2017 that is dedicated to all things cocktail, wine and beverage-related in NY and around the world.