Canadian Gift Guide

I don’t know why, but something has made me interested in monograms in the last week. There’s definitely a difference between tacky monograms and tasteful ones, and although it might conjure up the image of luxury that is a little dated, there’s something kind of sweet, kitschy, and special about it as well.

My gift suggestion today *can* be monogrammed, but that’s not really what it’s all about. To take a totally different tack, today’s suggestion is perfect for the wine lover in your life, because really, wine lovers are tres passionate about their vino, making them oh so easy to buy for. I’m not recommending this for the friend who has turned that storage room in their basement into a wine cellar, but moreso the pal that is always game to crack open a bottle over dinner, buys chic artsy stemware, and knows their pinot grigio from their pinot noir.

The Vynebar is a storage solution to display those increasingly artfully designed bottles without taking up tons of space. Although we’d all love to have those custom-built kitchens with a wine rack tucked away in a granite-topped island, a good majority of wine lovers that I know of out there tend to favour either big airy loft-type spaces or alternatively, suffer from being packed-to-the-gills with foodstuffs. With the Vynebar, you can make your friend’s favoured flavours a work of art and a sensible storage solution at a pretty affordable price.

Obviously this is a sweet gift for a happy couple that has just moved into a new home, a unique wedding gift to pair with a bottle of the Okanagan’s finest, or even a sensible gift  for your in-laws or parents over the holidays or as a thank you. The Vynebar is super customizable – you can choose whether you want a rack that displays 4 bottles or 8, plus it comes in a huge range of finishes – from bold and bright polished rainbow colours to ever so sleek and modern stainless steel or mirrored. Plus, as mentioned, it can be monogrammed if you want to make it extra customized for whoever you’re gifting it with. The base product price sits happily in a mid-range, at $40 for the mini version and $60 for the big versions.

The company is based in the US but the do offer easy online etailing via Paypal, and it didn’t appear to tack on any shipping costs when I did a trial purchase, so bonus points if that’s actually the case. Now go ahead, have a drink on me, it’s Monday after all!