If you know they enjoy a modest chardonnay, buy them an upgrade. For example, instead of de Bortoli's Sacred Hill Chardonnay, give them the Yarra Valley Chardonnay. If they drink Wolf Blass Red Label, buy them a Gold Label. Or move up from a Jacob's Creek Cabernet Sauvignon to their Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon or Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz to a Bin 28 or 128.

There are many accessories, such as corkscrews, stoppers, coolers and glasses, but they can be personal and hard to get right. A perfect gift is a book. There are goodies that come out each year, including Quaff by Peter Forrestal (Hardie Grant Publishing, $19.95), The Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide by Huon Hooke (Penguin Books, $26.95) and Don't Buy Wine Without Me by Stuart Gregor (Text Publishing, $24.95). And finally, there's the bible - the essential guide - James Halliday's Australian Wine Companion (HarperCollins Publishers, $29.95).