Gifts for wine lovers: wine gift ideas under £40, £60 and £100

The best gifts for wine lovers are the things that make an ordinary bottle feel like an occasion: a decanter, a pair of fine glasses, a board for cheese and good linen for the table. Below are our wine gift ideas grouped under £40, under £60 and under £100, so you can go straight to your budget.

How to choose a gift for someone who loves wine

Buying wine for a wine lover is harder than it looks. People who care about it usually have firm views on what they like, and a bottle is gone in an evening. The things around the bottle are a safer choice, and they get used every time a cork comes out.

Think about how they drink. Someone who opens big reds at the weekend will use a decanter and a large bowled glass. Someone who has friends round for long dinners will notice napkins, a runner and a board for cheese. If they enjoy a whisky after the wine, a pair of tumblers is a good extra.

Glasses are the easiest place to start. Most people own wine glasses; far fewer own a pair they are pleased to put on the table.

Wine gifts under £40

The Ginowan swan glass wine decanter is a single curve of handmade clear glass: a wide, low bowl that rises into a long swan neck, which doubles as the handle when you pour. The maker lists it at 1500 ml, so a full bottle spreads out in the base with plenty of room to breathe. It sits well on a sideboard between meals, and because it is handmade, each one has the small variations of blown glass.

The Izumi fluted wine glasses are tall and slim, with a fine vertical ripple running up the bowl that catches the light. They come as a pair in five sizes, from 230 ml for sparkling wine to 665 ml for a full red, and every size sits in this band. A pair of each of two sizes covers white and red.

For the wine lover who likes a dram afterwards, the Gose mountain whisky glasses are a pair of straight sided tumblers with a sculpted mountain moulded into the thick base, so the peaks catch the light through the drink. They come in 200 ml or 300 ml.

Table linen makes an easy gift that feels generous. Kitsuki linen napkins are a set of four in 100% linen, each 40 x 40 cm, washed soft and meant to be used without ironing, in eight colours. The Tsuruoka linen napkins are another set of four in 100% linen at the same size, in natural, sage, terracotta or charcoal.

A runner dresses a table in seconds. The Gojo linen table runner is woven linen with fine stripes and knotted tassels at both ends, in ivory or coffee, 33 cm wide in three lengths. The Echigo hemstitched table runner has a slubby linen look weave, a row of hemstitch openwork near each end and a single tassel at each point, in oatmeal, grey, forest green or brick red. Our table runner size guide will help you pick the length.

Two smaller pieces finish the set. Chichibu wooden coasters are six round coasters with a shallow raised rim that catches drips, kept in their own wooden holder, in walnut or beech, and the beech set sits in this band. The Iwanuma glass water carafe is a plain cylinder of borosilicate glass with a slim metal lid, in 1 or 1.5 litres, for the jug of water that should always be on the table alongside the wine. The 1 litre size sits in this band.

Wine gifts under £60

The Susono wine glasses are the gift for someone who takes their red seriously. They are a pair of very thin clear glasses with a wide, rounded bowl on a slim stem, so you notice the wine rather than the glass. Choose 650 ml for everyday reds and whites, or 800 ml for a Burgundy style glass. Both sizes sit in this band.

Gubbio travertine coasters are a set of four cut from natural stone, each about 10 cm across, in round, hexagon or square. Travertine is porous, so wipe up red wine soon after a spill. Our guide to caring for travertine is worth passing on with them.

The Iwate linen table runner is 100% linen, stonewashed so it arrives soft and relaxed, 40 cm wide in 180, 220 or 280 cm, in natural, white, sage, olive or rust. For a host who seats six, Kaga linen blend napkins are a set of six in a linen and cotton blend, each 45 x 45 cm, in natural or white. Add a set of six Kitami wooden napkin rings, turned in dark wood with a gentle waist so the cloth fans out on the plate.

The Kamakura raised wooden tray is a shallow tray in a dark walnut tone, lifted on two block feet. On a sideboard it gathers a decanter and glasses into one tidy group between courses. It comes in a medium and a large size.

Wine gifts under £100

A good board is the natural partner to a good bottle. The Yoshino end grain acacia board is 39.5 x 24.9 cm and 2.5 cm thick, in a mosaic of deep brown and honey toned blocks, with rubber feet underneath and a stainless steel loop for hanging. It works as a chopping board in the kitchen and as a cheese board at the table.

The Mikawa teak end grain chopping board is heavier again, with recessed grips along the sides and small non slip feet. It comes large, 42 x 30 cm, or small, 34 x 24 cm, both 2.5 cm thick, and the small size sits in this band. Send our guide to caring for a wooden board with either.

The Naoshima crinkled ceramic plate is pressed into soft folds, like paper crumpled and smoothed flat, on a raised foot with a shallow well. Olives, cured meats or a wedge of cheese look arranged on it without any effort. It comes in white or black, at about 23 or 28 cm across.

For cheese, figs or a small loaf, the Tsumago pedestal stand is a round wooden plate with a shallow rim on a wide turned foot, 21.7 cm across and 8.5 cm high.

Putting a gift together

Two pieces that belong together make a gift feel considered. The Ginowan decanter with a pair of Izumi glasses covers a whole evening. A pair of Susono glasses with a set of Kitsuki napkins suits a couple who cook. A board with a linen runner is a good present for someone who hosts.

For a larger present, the Echizen linen tablecloth is plain 100% linen with the natural slub of flax, 135 cm wide in lengths up to 300 cm, in five quiet colours. Check the size of their table first with our guide What size tablecloth do I need?

Wrapping and timing

Glass travels best in its own box, so keep the packaging and wrap around it in plain brown paper and string. If you are sending a gift to someone else's address, check the lead times listed under Shipping and Delivery on each product page and leave yourself plenty of time. Every order comes with free delivery.

For more ideas, see our Christmas gift ideas for the home, gifts for coffee lovers and gifts for tea lovers, or browse glassware and carafes and table linen.

Questions

What do you buy a wine lover who has everything?

Buy a better version of something they use every week. A pair of very thin glasses or a handmade decanter replaces something they already own with something they will enjoy more each time they open a bottle.

What is a good wine gift under £40?

A decanter, a pair of good wine glasses or a set of linen napkins all come in under £40. They are useful from the first evening and suit almost any kitchen or dining room.

Is a decanter a good gift?

Yes, for anyone who drinks red wine. Most young reds taste softer after half an hour in a decanter, and a good one looks handsome on a sideboard between meals. Choose one with a wide base, which gives the wine more surface to breathe.

What wine glasses are best for red wine?

A large glass with a wide, rounded bowl, ideally 500 ml or more, so you can fill it to about a third and still have room to swirl. Thin glass and a fine rim make the wine more pleasant to drink.