What to give a sommelier?

Yesterday, talking to a former high school friend of mine, the fateful question came up at one point: "But what can I give a sommelier?" I replied that it depends first of all on your relationship with the sommelier in question and the spending budget you have because then... finding a nice sommelier gift it's really easy!

So Elena gave me the inspiration to write this article! Maybe by reading it she will find inspiration for the perfect gift for her new boyfriend... and maybe I will inspire you too. And then... if you don't have a boyfriend/girlfriend, friend or relative who can give you one of these gifts, you can always do it yourself 😀

• WINE JOURNAL - MOLESKINE Raise your hand if you don't have a non-technological sommelier for a friend! Or yes, even technological but... do you want to put in the beauty of paper? I am a huge fan of Moleskine, the legendary notebook that has accompanied illustrious personalities of all times! And its version dedicated to sommeliers is really gorgeous! Beware though that it is in English, so don't be too nationalistic! Imagine transferring your ideal wine cellar onto paper. Fully punched cover, 3 ribbon bookmarks and double expandable inner pocket. 6 themed sections to complete: Sparkling Wines, Whites, Rosés, Reds, Fortified/Sweet, Liqueurs, 6 notched sections to customise and 10 blank pages to insert notes and comments. 40 labels to use on the white notches, 150 with coloured icons and 12 to customise the cover. 13×21 cm, 5 x 8 ¼, 240 pages of chlorine-free paper. Beautiful! I saw it the other day at Buffetti's but then decided to wait to buy it because on Amazon it costs €3 less including shipping! Here's the link: Passion book - wines  coast about 16 €

• BOOK TEA SOMMELIER the sommelier must also be an expert in all drinks... so why not take him on a journey through the rituals and culture of tea? A beautiful book that I had the good fortune to leaf through recently at a friend's house... with photos and graphics very much to my liking! There you will find aromas and combinations described with knowledge and professionalism! For the quality of the book and the finish, the price is more than reasonable! Here is the link where to buy it: Tea sommelier. Journey through tea culture and rituals – costs about 25 €

• PARROT SOMMELIER CORKSCREW Here, this is my favourite gift! Designed by Alessandro Mendini for Alessi, it is available in 4 versions: blue, green, black and the hand-decorated Proust! Personally, I recommend the Proust... it is the most original and definitely stands out... as well as being the most precious (and costs the same as the others!)... but they are all beautiful! (For me, I'm also re-evaluating the light blue...) Speaking of price... I had a look on the net: prices vary from 30 to 60 € for the exact same product (Crazy!) and the cheapest seller (as almost always happens) is Amazon! It costs even 6 € less than the official Alessi shop (but how do they do it???) Here's the direct link to buy it, so I'll save you the trouble of searching (if I were you here I would love me... but I hope you tend to be less lazy than me): Parrot by Alessi, Hand-decorated die-cast aluminium sommelier corkscrew costs about 32 €

• BARREL CELLAR This wine cellar is really delicious... and I stress all made in Italy by professional craftsmen! The quality-price ratio is really excellent! It can hold 24 bottles and has small dimensions: about 60×90 cm! I have seen several of them on the Internet and it seems to me to be the one with the best value for money. Here is the link: Wooden wine barrel cabinet 24 places – costs about 69 €

• WINE AND CHESS, WHEREVER YOU ARE! If, like me, you love the combination of wine and chess, I propose a variation of the usual picnic basket... the sommelier box! A sommelier set with 5 pieces to open your favourite wine wherever you are, space for two bottles... and chess! There are certainly lots of variations... but I only found this model on Amazon! (If you are also looking for it and find it identical on some other site at a cheaper price, would you do me the favour of linking it to me in a comment? Thanks!) Please note: bottles are not included 😉 Here's the link: The Case of the Grand Master Wine and Chess Set – costs about 75 €

• SOMMELIER SABRE A sabre for opening sparkling wine and champagne cannot be missing from your wish list! On the net you can find all prices and all types... I really like the Claude Dozorme line, a historic French company founded in 1902 by Blaise Dozorme, which has been awarded the current Heritage Society logo, the recognition of ancestral knowledge for cutlery techniques. I stress that in a world where 99% of products are made in China and the like, this sabre is entirely made in France. It has theame made of steel (0.50% carbon, 15% chromium, 1% molybdenum, 1% Vandium) that are easily reliable and have a hardness of 53 to 55 HRC. The manico is made of brown foil, while the guard is gilded with 22 carat pure gold. Here is the link: Claude Dozorme - Champagne sabre, colour wood and gold For those who, like me, have more, shall we say, modern tastes, there is a cheaper version by the same manufacturer, totally in black. You don't expect the same quality as the first, but in general if you compare it to the price, the ratio is still very good! And on a white background it looks really good (I would have painted the wooden base black too, though!). You can check it out at Claude Dozorme - Champagne sabre on oak base, colour: Black – costs approximately 75 to 160 € depending on the model

• MASTER AROMAS OF WINE there... that's a real F I G A T! Pardon the not-so-fine language... but when I saw it, I couldn't resist! So many of us sommeliers ask 'But how do I recognise hawthorn? And the honeysuckle? And the lychee?" The answer is this kit that boasts the most comprehensive collection of aromas in the world (88 aromas including: lemon, lime, grapefruit, gooseberry, pear, apple, green apple, peach, melon, guava, pineapple, passion fruit, lychee, dried apricot, orange peel, banana, raspberry, blackcurrant, strawberry, blackberry, cherry, plum, prune, honeysuckle, hawthorn, orange blossom, lime, jasmine, acacia, rose, lavender, violet, pepper, fennel, tomato, cut grass, dill, thyme, fern, mint, hay, black tea, tobacco, blackcurrant leaf, bay leaf, eucalyptus, iodine, flint paraffin, bread, butter, caramel, chocolate, toast, coffee, bacon, smoke, tar, vanilla, pepper, cinnamon, liquorice, nutmeg, cloves, coconut, hazelnut, almond, oak, sandalwood, cedar, pine, quince, honey soy sauce, leather, meat sauce, mushroom, truffle, moss tree, cork flavour, sherry, madeira, vinegar, nail polish remover, rubber, onion, corn, horse sweat) and a fun board game for all wine lovers! It also includes the book with the wine aroma wheel! Now, here the price is the real sore point: it starts at 310 € on the official Aromaster website and goes up to 345 € on Amazon! And I'll tell you more... apparently you can see the convenience on the official site, but that's not the case: Fedex shipping costs €35 (alas), so Amazon is once again worth it: it sells directly from the same manufacturer and at the same price as the official site you get much better and safer service and customer support. Here's the link: Wine Aroma Master Kit - 88 Aromas – costs approximately 345 € including shipping

Well, my search for sommelier gifts is over. I'd like to take this opportunity to remind you that I'm turning 30 on 8 May... and that if you'd like to give me a little present of these, I'd welcome it 😀 I'll be waiting!

And remember...

"The greatest gift you can give him is not to share your wealth but to let him discover his own."

A hug,

Chiara

All my notes on wine and food in one book.