Such as renting a vineyard? Well, not an entire vineyard but a row of vines in a French vineyard.

A British wine club offers selected vineyards in all the French wine regions for rent "by the row." The "tenant" can visit the winery, work on the vines, pick the grapes or just hang out in the cellar without having to do any of the tough jobs in the winery.

After the harvest, wines from the property are available at a reduced price for purchase. Wine Ware offers vines in Champagne, Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Loire and Rhone Valley regions. A one-year rental is $200. Visit www.wineware.co.uk, click on "wine education" and then on "rent a row."

And if you want to bring your wines home with you in your luggage, you will need WineSkin. This is a new product designed to provide safe transport for liquids. In this age of no liquids in carry-on luggage, a WineSkin provides a tough, waterproof container that will allow you to pack bottles of wine in your checked luggage without fear of leakage or breaking.

This British invention is two-layered. The inner layer is a thick bubble wrap insert and the outer layer is a tough vinyl envelope. WineSkins are sold by mail only in packages of five for $9.95 plus shipping. Order from www.ftscontent.com.

Spend a day at Chateau St. Jean -- the Sonoma County Calif. winery that produces Cinq Cepages -- playing the role of winemaker. Experience the challenge of blending the five components that make Cinq Cepages and compete with other participants for the best blend. Cost is $75 per person with a minimum of eight. Contact csjtour@ chateaustjean.com.

Probably the ultimate gift for a confirmed wine geek would be a week studying at the professional wine school that is part of the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, Calif. The wine program offers a one-week course of in-depth study with 35 hours of class. Karen McNeil, author of "The Wine Bible," directs the program. She has attracted an impressive faculty, making this the gold standard for wine education. Get the catalogue of courses from www.ciaprochef.com/- winestudies.

No one loves to hand wash wine glasses and now no one will have to. Thanks to a new product that replaces the lead in traditional crystal with titanium and zirconium, there are now wine glasses that will not turn cloudy or become spotted in the dishwasher. The glasses also resist chipping, scratching and breakage. The product is called Tritan and the manufacturer is Schott Zwiesel. They come in a variety of grape-appropriate shapes. The 21.2-ounce Bordeaux model makes a good all-purpose glass for red or white wines. You can find them at Sur La Table in the South Side Works or at www.surlatable.com, $59.50 for a set of six.

And speaking of glass innovations, there is a new glass that instantly oxygenates wine. A handsome Bordeaux shape with a long stem and a generous bowl, it is made by Eisch Glaskulture, a German company, and is called "Breathable Glass." Wine poured into a Breathable Glass for two to four minutes will show the same mellowed-out qualities as that wine would if it were decanted and aerated for one to two hours. Available at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $19 to $26 each, depending on size.

For a wine novice, there is "Uncorked!" a box set of three DVDs of a show that aired on PBS this summer. It is a sort of introductory wine course that covers essentials ranging from terminology and production to tasting methods. There are tours through the California wine country and some of France's key regions plus interviews with winemakers and wine personalities. The set is sold in bookstores for $49.95.

Wine Wave Cubes are a handsome storage system for folks without space for a separate wine closet. The cubes, finished in chestnut or maple, each hold nine to 12 bottles of wine and can be configured to accept magnum and outsize bottles. They can be hung on the wall or stacked on the floor, making an attractive and practical addition to the room decor. Each cube is $108 including shipping. Order from www.vigilantinc.com. Click on "wine storage."

A number of worthwhile wine books recently have been released. The classic wine reference book, "The World Atlas of Wine," edited by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson, tops the list. This iconic book, published by Mitchell Beazley, first appeared in 1971 and has sold 4 million copies in 14 languages.

The sixth edition, which arrived in stores last month, has been greatly expanded to cover more new-world wine regions. This 400-page tome weighs in at 5 pounds and every page is packed with useful information. The cover price is $50 but I got mine for $31.50 (with free shipping) at Amazon.com.

"I'll Drink to That" by Rudolph Chelminski is first, a good history of the Beaujolais region and second, an interesting biography of Georges Duboeuf, the king of Beaujolais. How the young peasant farmer with a small plot of vines devoted himself to making a good, honest Beaujolais and ended up the richest wine dealer in France is a modern Cinderella tale that will fascinate any wine-lover. Along the way, Mr. Chelminski paints a vivid picture of the land, the inhabitants, the politics and the wines of what is probably France's most beautiful wine region. In local stores for $27.50, published by Gotham.

For an intellectual wino, I suggest "Questions of Taste: The Philosophy of Wine," edited by Barry Smith, Professor of Philosophy at London University.

This compilation of lucid essays by top philosophers, a linguist, a biochemist, a winemaker and wine critic addresses such questions as: Does the experience of wine lie in the glass or in the mind? Does a wine expert enjoy wine more than a novice? How much should we care what experts say about a wine? Published by Oxford University Press, the price is $27.95.

You can create some charming gifts by using a publishing or photo program and designing clever, personalized labels to be glued over the label on a bottle of wine or spirits. Use your imagination to turn an ordinary bottle into a tribute to a friend or to celebrate a special occasion.

And for fun last-minute stocking stuffers, head to Palate Partners at 2013 Penn Ave. in the Strip District. Deb Mortillaro has a spectacular collection of toys for grown-up wine-lovers, as well as a complete selection of useful wine paraphernalia.