An Oenophile’s Holiday Wish List
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

Even in Omar Khayyam’s day, a dedicated lover of the grape would have welcomed a few extra touches, beyond a loaf of bread and a book of verse, when it came time to share a jug of wine with his beloved. This holiday season, there are peripherals aplenty — as well as some special bottles — to please even the most jaded wine buff on your gift list. Our selection of gifts, priced from under $20 to blowout, ranges from high-tech glassware to hand-blown bottles of 19th-century Madeira.
Eisch Glaskultur “Breathable” Glass
To be a wine connoisseur, one must have an agile hand to swirl a glass of wine to help fully release its aromas and flavors. Now comes this German-made stemware whose invisible coating is claimed to aerate wine — without swirling — in just a few minutes. Does it work? Subjecting a blindfolded friend known for his exacting palate to several young California reds, each poured into both the breathable glass and an almost identical standard glass, the results were modestly persuasive: After five minutes, he preferred the wine in the breathable glass two out of three times. Trying it myself, I found that the breathable glass did seem to smooth out most tannic young red wines. Riedel, the dominant wineglass maker, has sued Eisch, claiming that the breathable glass doesn’t work. Decide for yourself. Among several models, the 21.2 oz. breathable glass is a good all-around choice ($19.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond, bedbathandbeyond.com).
Sommelier Stemmed Cups
Edgy Czech designer Maxim Velcovsky has translated the motif of the humble “Dixie-style” plastic cup, with its ridged horizontal bands, into an exquisitely handcrafted wine glass. Wine wisdom decrees that the best wine glass is bowl or tulip-shaped, but for anyone on your gift list with a pop sensibility, this glass will bring a kick of compensating pleasure ($100 at the MoMA Design Store, momastore.org).
Rimon 2005 Dessert Wine
Wine buffs typically kiss off fruit wines as if they were alcoholized Kool-Aid. But now, along comes a new pomegranate dessert wine that’s intense, layered, and rich. The secret is a new variety of the fruit developed by a father-and-son team with vineyards — oops, I mean orchards — in Israel’s Upper Galilee. Unlike standard pomegranates, Rimon’s fruit carries sugar levels high enough to allow for fermentation into a dessert wine without the addition of a grape wine base. Rimon is aged for 10 months in French oak barrels. It’s hard to surprise an eclectic wine collector with a medium-priced gift bottle, but Rimon is a good bet to do just that. ($35 in a gift case from Gotham Wines, gothamwines.com).
History in a Bottle
In January 1810, the brig “Twins” arrived in New York carrying barrels of that era’s adult drink of choice for importer P.P. Goelet: Madeira. In keeping with a custom of the time, the wine was named for the ship that brought it to America. Bottled in September 1816, it was decanted (to remove sediment) in January 1885, and recorked by the local importer William Fearing in April 1919. Five bottles of “Twins” Madeira, sourced from a great private collection, are being auctioned on Saturday evening at Christie’s, estimated between $2,400 and $4,000. Other Madeiras that landed in 19th-century New York to be auctioned include “The Rebel” 1840 (estimated between $12,000 and $18,000 per dozen) and “The Mexican” 1841 (estimated between $750 and $1,000). Thanks to its intense acidity and high alcohol, Madeira is all but immortal. Make a gift of one of these lots, and you’ll send a chill up the spine of history buffs, as well as wine buffs. Auction begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Christie’s, 20 Rockefeller Plaza (christies.com).
Cork Jester’s Wine Teasers
A witty wine blogger, Jennifer Rosen, also known as the Cork Jester, has partnered with wine-loving librarian Stefan Smith to create a wine game that combines elements of Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly. And it’s been cunningly devised so that wine nerds and neophytes can play together. If a player can’t directly answer a wine trivia question, a hint is offered. Each correct answer leads to a “cellar step,” which allows the player to select a wine bottle card for your cellar — or to loot a bottle from the opposing team’s cellar. The first team to accumulate six bottle cards wins. Wine Teasers can be played on an auto trip ($12.95 at amazon.com).
Hugh Johnson’s “Pocket Wine Book 2008”
Each year (this is the 31st), this “little wine guide that could” becomes a more remarkable feat of compression. The 2008 edition includes a new color section on the Italian wine scene and a “big brand review,” which divides the most widely available wines into just three blunt categories: best, passable, and poor. This last category includes both red and white versions of the biggest brand of all: Yellow Tail. Johnson’s opening essay, firing a fierce volley at the 100-point rating scale popularized by Robert Parker in his Wine Advocate, is alone worth the price of this slim yet encompassing volume. ($14.95 at Barnes & Noble).