With tomorrow being the single most important day of the U.S. calendar year (yes, I’m talking about Thanksgiving… also, please take down your prematurely, poorly-timed Christmas decorations you noob), I thought it decent timing to train your attention on some potential holiday shopping recommendations, as culled from my cache of mostly-inedible product samples. By the way, if you came here looking for Turkey Day wine pairing ideas, you absolutely do not know me very well, as my advice for that particular chestnut of a problem hasn’t changed one iota over the last several years.

Eravino’s sure-thing (image: Amazon)

Anyway…. in this round-up case, I write “mostly-inedible” because one of them actually involves (eventually) wine that you can drink. Anyway, it’ll all make sense in a couple of minutes.

First up is the quick-hit, almost-surefire-slam-dunk gift option for wine lovers: Eravino’s simple and stylish wine decanter (about $30). There’s not much to say about this full-bottle sized beauty, apart from the fact that it’s mouth-blown crystal glass; and that simplicity is what makes this almost certainly a sure bet as a gift. The classic look and fair price combo in this case is just pretty difficult to beat…

Next, we have an interesting option for those with larger bank accounts who are looking to indulge their favorite person’s passion for higher-end Chardonnay and Pinot Noir: Elden Selections, an online wine shop dedicated solely to small-ish production Burgundy. I received several sample bottles from Elden, and can confirm that they have a knack for picking out some damned good selections from the Burg, which come with the added perk of mostly being made by producers that your friends don’t know about yet. They have a gifts section that’s worth checking out if you need a shortcut, just be forewarned that there aren’t really any bargains when Burgundy is involved, so the good stuff isn’t going to come too cheap.

Kelvin’s K2 (image: Amazon)

Finally, there’s an item that you’ll only find in the for-someone-who-already-has-everything category: the Kelvin K2 Smart Wine Thermometer (about $23). The premise here is an interesting one – a USB-rechargeable, Bluetooth-enabled wine thermometer that fits around a single bottle, and interacts with a mobile app to give you information on the temperature of your wine, and notify you when it’s ready to drink (and/or has reached whatever temp you like to serve your vino). If you’re not the details type, then you can select a wine style from a couple of hundred presets and it will alert you when your wine is at the proper temperature according to its database. In summary, it works, but the applications are just as limited as you’d imagine for anyone not serving by-the-glass pours at a high-end bar. Still, I can’t say it wouldn’t be a fun one to play around with for a special Christmas dinner drinking selection.

Cheers – and Happy Turkey Day!