The CorkscrewHow to buy the perfect Christmas gift for a wine lover

Gifts of wine – both bottles and gadgets – are usually gratefully received, although buying them can be a nerve-wracking process. Here are some ideas to help get you started.

For the host: an invitation to someone’s home is always an honour, so buy them something that can be enjoyed at a later date (even if “later” is as soon as they close the door on that last, lingering guest).

My go-to gift here is a bottle of champagne, especially quirky grower champagnes that are not available in just any old wine shop. One that’s always a conversation piece is Aubry’s Le Nombre d’Or Campaniae Veteres Vites, which is made from the “lost grapes” of Champagne – petit meslier, arbanne and pinot blanc, as well as chardonnay. It is a rare find, not terribly expensive, and to sip this champagne is to have a taste of something that might not be there in the future, as once these vines reach the end of their natural life, they cannot be replanted because the only grapes allowed now in Champagne are chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier.

For friends from an older generation: a bottle of Bordeaux is always welcome. Go for a second wine, to get more bang for your buck. Always safe – and very Asian – is the second wine of Cos d’Estournel, La Goulee, with its exotic, Asian-influenced label featuring an elephant and a pagoda.