Power Shopper

But the secret to a yearlong social life in Naples is in learning to relax into the off-season, to appreciate the opportunity to spend time with friends we don’t see enough of during the winter months. Invitations are extended, not for dinner, but for a weekend, and the perfect hostess gift can ensure that those invitations continue to roll in.

I’ll be spending a long weekend in Sarasota, taking advantage of the sparse crowds to visit museums and restaurants usually too crowded to properly enjoy, and I need some gifting inspiration.

A Horse of a Different Color in The Village on Venetian Bay is one of my regular go-to spots for unique gifts. Store manager Julie Lawson always seems to know exactly the right thing for any event, and I rely on her to find new and exciting products. She doesn’t let me down today.

Pay attention, because everyone is going to have one of these soon, and we’ll wonder how we lived without it: The Winesceptre. This nifty stainless-steel rod keeps your wine at the perfect temperature without a sweating wine bucket. Simply place the rod in your freezer and after you open your chilled wine insert the rod down into the bottle, securing the top into the neck. To pour, just twist the adorable crown, golf ball or grape bunch to the side and, voila, you’ve got your handy pour spout. You must see this little marvel to appreciate it.

Horse also carries fabulous steel and copper wine caddies made in Germany. Fabricated to wrap around a wine bottle and create a sculpture, the caddies are designed to represent any number of professions and hobbies, from the frustrated golfer to a scuba diver and, my personal favorite, the shopaholic.

If the wine’s all dressed up with a caddy and Winesceptre, you’d better make sure you provide beautiful hardware for the appetizers, too. Table Jewelry by MiMi & Mammy has fabulous crudité sets of cheese knives and spatulas embellished with crystals and stones. The tiger-striped set will work beautifully with my hostess’ personality, though I eye the jade set for myself.

Julie boxes and wraps my selections, and I’m off to the new Collection at Vanderbilt for a visit to a Naples institution, The Good Life. Recently relocated from their Third Street South location, The Good Life’s new digs still boast a mind-boggling selection of kitchen and entertainment staples. And the familiar faces of owner Debbie Schwarz and her son, Scott, make me feel at home immediately.

We’ve found a way to make our wine pretty and to keep it cold, but how can we most easily open the darn thing? No fear, the Screwpull is here. I’ve had one for some time, but there’s a new, sleek one on the block: the LM-400. With its satin chrome finish and slim, ergonomic fit, it’s guaranteed to pull corks, even the synthetic ones, quickly and with minimal effort. Because when you’re visiting dear friends you’ve not seen for a while, well, you just don’t want to wait more than 2.7 seconds for wine!

Of course eventually you need food to counteract the wine, and, if you’re like me, you often crave a little extra kick of freshly ground pepper. But who has the strength to turn those tiresome pepper mills? The rechargeable "A Touch of Pepper" mill is just the thing. It comes in black or white and satisfies my need for a super-fine grind as well as others’ needs for extra-coarse and all the grinds in between. My favorite feature? An automatic grinder door that eliminates all the pepper bits left on your table or countertop.

And for the morning after? Consider gracing your kind hosts with a beautiful French press coffee set. The La Cafetière "Wave" comes in an eight-cup size, perfect for hosts and guests. Throw in the Wave latte glasses and stirrers as well as the milk-and-sugar set, and your future invitations are practically guaranteed.

I’m feeling pretty confident in my purchases, but sometimes you don’t have the time to spend wandering through Southwest Florida’s marvelous selection of gift shops. Want a sure-fire, no-hassle, available-in-two-locations-and-online tip? Show up with a 36-piece box of Norman Love chocolates, and your hosts will weep with gratitude. If they’re particularly stout of emotion, they might just invite their neighbors over to admire them rather than mist up, but you’ll know you’re a hit.

I like to cover all bases, so I’ll be showing up in Sarasota with a Winesceptre and a Screwpull (I couldn’t help myself), but I’m saving a 10-piece box of Norman Love as a surprise on the dresser of the guest room when I leave. Overkill? Not when the friends are friends like these. I hope you have a few of those, too, and don’t forget, the most effective way of assuring a return visit is a genuine and heartfelt "thank you."

The Mission

Be A Great House Guest.

The Contenders

A Horse of a Different Color, The Village on Venetian Bay, (239) 261-1252

Winesceptre, $140

Wine caddy sculpture, $90

Table Jewelry crudité servers, $22 each

Table Jewelry large server set, $125

The Good Life, The Collection at Vanderbilt (239) 514-4663

Screwpull LM-400, $150

"A Touch of Pepper" mill, $170

La Cafetière "Wave" French press, $28

Wave latte glasses, set of two, $23

Wave milk-and-sugar set, $17.50

Norman Love Confections, Fort Myers and Naples (866) 515-2121

36-piece assortment, $70

18-piece assortment, $40

10-piece assortment, $22