Happy holidays, everyone! As I compiled this list, I looked away from publicists’ hype, all of the emails flooding the inbox with info on the latest gewgaws that should fill the holiday stockings in 2025. Instead, I asked myself a simple question—what are the things I use all the time, the things I’m grateful for, the things that make my life easier and better as a wine person in 2025?

I ended up with these classics—not necessarily new, but absolutely the best they can be, tools and facilitators that haven’t been improved upon no matter how long they’ve been around.

Stems, Glasses, “Glasses”

I’m going to recommend three types of wine glasses, starting with the fanciest, even though I’m not exactly fancy. Still, I relish the chance to taste wines in my Josephine Hütten No.2 universal glass ($99/stem). Designed by Kurt Josef Zalto (whose last name still appears on a brand he no longer owns),  the wine in this glass simply sings. The stems possess a stunning lightness and grace that insists you take care with its contents. A slight crimp in the bowl of the glass helps aerate the wine, and distinguishes these from the original Zaltos.

For everyday wine drinking and tasting, I swear by Ouverture Red stems from Riedel ($20/stem). They are neither light nor heavy, with terrific balance (much better, to my mind, than the Ouverture White or Ouverture “Magnum”), and have exceptional durability.

Finally, I have a set of plastic glasses that’s in fairly constant rotation in the summer for picnics or outdoor gatherings. Govino’s Stemless ($25 for 4) are made with BPA-free Tritan plastic. They’re very clear, they stay clear and odorless after several washings, and they have that nifty notch for your index finger to keep the glass steady when (inevitably) you employ one as a roadie.

Gadgets

As gadgets go, these are not the most recent products to market. But for me they are simply the best tools for your cellar that feel essential.

Le Creuset Metal Foil Cutter ($35)

A friend recommended this after I complained how most foil cutters seem to break within weeks of purchase. Not this one. It’s made from a sexy black metal alloy that feels smooth on the hands, and the quartet of circular blades make a clean cut to the foil. It’s probably not indestructible, but it does come with a ten-year warranty.

Rabbit Wine Funnel, Aerator, Strainer tool ($35)

It seems like dozens of aerator gadgets come to market every year, but as far as I’m concerned, you could hardly improve on this tool from Rabbit. A durable two-piece device made from brushed stainless steel, the funnel’s drainage tube has four small holes which aerate the wine. A second sleeve lined with fine mesh traps sediment or stray bits of cork. Don’t double-decant without it.

The Durand ($145)

The breakthrough gadget of 2007 has no equal when it comes to removing fragile corks from older wines. The device combines a worm and an ‘ah-so’ two-pronged component for a two-step process. The worm applies pressure toward the outer edge of the cork, securing the ah-so. Using one or the other, mistakes are made, but in tandem they work flawlessly for a clean extraction every time.

Coravin ($200 to $300, depending on model)

If you’re not already familiar, the Coravin pierces the cork with a hollow needle through which one can dispense wine, then replaces the void in the bottle with argon gas. It’s ingenious, allowing you to linger over a bottle’s contents for days, even weeks (to my palate there is some modest degradation or muddling of flavors and textures the longer you go.) For a collector with an old collection, this is an added luxury.

Books

Dozens of books on wine are published every year and most of them (nearly all of them, actually) are for the wine curious, and not someone with a few years of experience.

And yet even the books written for those new to wine have their pleasures. All come at the subject from a point of view that’s not yours, and are likely to jar you out of your own bubble of complacency and into a direction you’d not otherwise take, whether it’s regions, food pairings, or whole swaths of history you may not have thought about.

Kelli A. White, Wine Confident: There’s no Wrong Way to Enjoy Wine
(Academie du Vin Library, $35)

We explored White’s thoughts on aging wine earlier this year. Her book would seem as informal as the title suggests, but then it veers in unexpected directions, whether it’s brushing up on fermentation science, exploring retro-nasal capacities, or practicing descriptive skills. It’s the sort of practical wisdom that keeps even the most seasoned wine lover on their toes.

Jordan Salcito, Smart Mouth: Wine Essentials for You, Me, and Everyone We Know
(Ten Speed Press, $35)

Salcito’s book is cut from the same cloth as White’s, but it’s slightly more skewed to depictions of the business, which Salcito is still involved in (she’s the founder of the canned wine phenom Ramona). The writing is comprehensive and wide-ranging, and I particularly admire her varietal descriptions which are conveyed with a sommelier’s sense of precision and breadth. Told in a smart, straightforward style, the book comes with charming illustrations by Jenny Bowers.

Cha McCoy, Wine Pairing for the People: The Communion of Wine, Food and Culture from Africa and Beyond
(Harvest Press, $35)

Anyone who’s met Cha McCoy can’t help but get swept up in her enthusiasm for everything, including and especially wine. This book is equally infectious, taking McCoy’s experience as a sommelier and transposing it onto food cultures that don’t often get this level of attention. That includes Asian and African nations, Latin American and Caribbean cuisines, and the rich culinary heritage of the American South. It comes complete with recipes as well as ideal pairings for dishes well outside the usual fare.

And Don’t Forget Magnums

What do they say about magnums? That they show you care? Sure, I’m down with that. After all, nothing is more festive on the holiday table than an extra-sized bottle of wine. Also, most experts will tell you that the wine aged in magnum tastes better and feels more textural because of how it ages—specifically, regarding the ratio between oxygen and wine. Who am I to argue?

Ridge 2023 Dry Creek Valley Lytton Springs Red Blend ($105)

This perennial favorite from one of Sonoma’s oldest vineyards is composed mostly of Zinfandel, with Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouchet, Carignane, and Mataro, and is an absolute stunner in 2023.

Billecart-Salmon 2015 Le Rosé Brut ($250)

A step up from Billecart’s otherwise superb NV Rosé, this wine is composed entirely of fruit from Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards and aged 108 months on lees. This is a wine of exceptional grandeur and elegance.

Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou 2022 Saint-Julien ($450)

Delicious, succulent Bordeaux from my favorite Left Bank appellation, a region embodying maritime cool and continental warmth. This wine is profoundly deep in color and quite lush in its middle, only to regain its structural composure at the close. Decant and lose yourself in its sumptuousness.