So much goes into finding the perfect holiday gift for your friends and loved ones. Of course, a bottle of wine or a favorite liquor is well received by any wine and spirits lover, however, even finding that perfect bottle can be challenging when you really want the gift to be special. We have been tasting our way through high-end selections and everyday options, finding the perfect gifts for those who love to imbibe in your life. We will have a great selection of tasty items for your foodie friends posted this week as well. Cheers to the holidays!

For the connoisseur of quality: Lail Vineyards J. Daniel Cuvee
We have been a fan of the wines of Lail Vineyards for years. The wine is made of premium Napa Valley fruit from one of the valley’s finest producers, expertly crafted by one of the region’s leading winemakers, Philippe Melka. Lail’s small production, J. Daniel Cuvee, honors the work of one of Napa’s founding fathers, John Daniel, Jr., a gift from a daughter, Robin Lail, to her father. Daniel and his Inglenook winery transformed how the wines of Napa Valley were perceived in the years after the repeal of Prohibition. His Cabernet Sauvignon wines are still considered some of the best ever made in California.

Lail’s selection comes close as the highly rated wine reveals an authenticity, proving exactly why Napa Valley is so ideal for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is a blend of fruit from Mole Hill Vineyard on Howell Mountain, Heimark in Calistoga, Steltzner in Stags Leap, and Vine Hill Ranch in Oakville. Though the wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, each area provides a different expression of the fruit, showcasing the terroir. Some sites are warmer than others, others being of a higher elevation, and all have different soil types so each brings a different character and flavor to the wine. When blended, the result is a complete wine that is elegant, expressive, and completely alluring. This is the wine you should give yourself this Christmas.

The ideal hostess gift: Rias Baixas Albarino & Tiny Fish Company
A nice bottle of wine is often expected, but I remember one time a friend brought me a whole pineapple, another time a bottle of vodka, and another time a packet of tamales. The most important thing your friends will want you to bring is yourself. However, this year, enhance that with an unusual hostess gift that will create a memory, surprising and delighting your favorite holiday hostess.

The Albarino wines from Rias Baixas, Spain, pair perfectly with seafood and shellfish, like mussels, oysters, and octopus. Gift your holiday host with a bottle of the floral, citrus, slightly salty, and sunshine-filled wine, like a sparkling Paco & Lola Albarino, or a luscious, zesty, and refreshing La Val Albarino, with a few Tiny Fish Company selections, like canned octopus with lemon and dill or chorizo spiced mussels.

For the fan of a blend: Leviathan Red Wine
Well-regarded Napa Valley winemaker Andy Erickson began Leviathan in 2004 with the goal of producing a wine that showcased the best that California vineyards have to offer, blending Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Petite Verdot, and Cabernet Franc to produce a single wine that reflects the diversity of the state. The wine shows how various regions and grapes can become one harmonious wine that tells a story today and, over the years, will continue to evolve into telling another story. It’s the beauty of wine; even after it has been bottled, it will continue to mature, develop, and change.

For your friends who really love the holidays: Flora Springs Limited-Release Holiday Collection
Each year, Napa Valley’s Flora Springs Winery produces its charming etched holiday bottle collection. Each festively adorned bottle announces the season’s greetings and happy holidays and includes either the winery’s premium, sustainably-farmed Cabernet Sauvignon from fruit grown throughout the valley, a holiday Bordeaux-style blend of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon or a New Year’s blend of Petite Verdot and Malbec. If you are having trouble getting into the holiday spirit, these bottles will help.

For the Port & cheese lover: Sandeman Founder’s Reserve and Jasper Farms Harbison port-washed bloomy rind cheese
I have long been a fan of enjoying a cheese plate for dessert rather than having a syrupy, sweet piece of cake, pie, or pastry. If anything, I prefer to sip my sweets rather than eat them. This year, Sandeman Port is fulfilling all after-dinner needs by teaming with Jasper Farms Creamery to create a port-washed bloomy rind, brie-style cheese that is delicious paired with the winery’s Sandeman Rudy Port.

For the whiskey fan: Balcones Cataleja Texas Single Malt 
Earlier this year, Waco, Texas’ Balcones Distilling, raised a glass to its 15th anniversary of crafting artisanal whiskey in the Lone Star State.  To mark the occasion the distillery released Cataleja, a premium single malt whiskey made with 100% Golden Promise malted barley that went through a long fermentation before distilling in small batches in copper pot stills. The whiskey ages for three years in American oak bourbon barrels and finishes in former sherry casks, lending sweet notes of dried orange peel, toasted spice, and toffee to the whiskey’s fig, cacao, and brown butter notes.

For the one that sparkles: Bricoleur Vineyards “Flying by the Seat of our Pants” Sparkling Wine
One of the things we love most about Sonoma’s Bricoleur Vineyards is that the winery crafts quality, highly delicious wines without taking themselves too seriously. Of course, producing Bricoleur’s Russian River Valley wines takes great skill, premium fruit, and dedication. But it also requires enjoyment, passion, and a whole lot of fun. You can taste these attributes in Bricoleur’s wines. With a name that makes you smile when saying it, Flying by the Seat of our Pants Brut Sparkling Wine blends Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fruit grown in California’s North Coast. The traditional method sparkler ages for 12 months en tirage giving weight, texture, and complexity to the vibrant, dry sparkler. The aging adds toasty, yeasty, brioche flavors to the layers of apricot, Meyer lemon, red apple, and mango flavors.

For the agave lover: Mezcalum
Tequila and mezcal continue to be one of the fastest-growing spirits categories as Americans embrace their love of agave. While tequila is generally understood by cocktail enthusiasts, thanks to the popularity of drinks like a margarita, mezcal is still a bit of a mystery. To clarify, all tequila is a type of mezcal. Though you can find mezcal options with the worm at the bottom of the bottle, we are not recommending those. Instead, we celebrate the line of new producers showcasing subtlety, refinement, and the sweet, smoky flavor of agave-based mezcal.

A new product from the Real Housewives of New York star Erin Lichy and her husband, Abe, fits this bill. The couple’s Mezcalum bottles the vibe of a Mexican beach while also providing a pure, organic, Oaxacan-made liquor sans carbs, sugars, or additional additives. We like that though there is a hint of smoke often attributed to the spirit, it is not overwhelming. Rather, the product offers floral, pepper, and slightly grassy characteristics that meld perfectly into a cocktail, like a mezcal mule or margarita. Many of the Real Housewives have developed a liquor or wine line, of which many lack authenticity. We like that this one delivers on what it is promising.

For the chocolate lover: Mozart Chocolate Liqueur
Earn extra points this year with the chocoholics in your life when you gift them a bottle of Mozart Chocolate Liqueur. Hailing from Austria, the 60-year-old distillery uses all-natural ingredients to craft its silky, creamy, sweet liqueur, including cocoa, Belgian chocolate, sugar beet, sweet cream, and Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar. Each gluten-free bottle is foil-wrapped, giving the impression of a chocolate truffle, and features flavors like Chocolate Coffee, White Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice, and our favorite, Dark Chocolate with layers of vanilla, toasted caramel, and dark chocolate. You can thank us later.

For the adventure seeker: Exploring Wine Regions – California Central Coast
I often say that you can take an adventure through every glass of wine you drink as every wine tells the story of the land and terroir where it has grown. California’s Central Coast offers multitudes of diversity, from coastal and inland wine trails from Santa Barbara to SLO Coast to Monterey and Carmel. Author and photographer Michael C. Higgins takes readers on a journey through these wine regions, exploring the lesser-known areas of California wine in his new book, Exploring Wine Regions – California Central Coast. Higgins dives into the history of the area, highlighting growers and producers, reviewing restaurants, and giving tips on what to do when visiting the region. It is an informative, entertaining read that will be loved by any wine lover.

For the cocktail enthusiast: Cutwater Peppermint White Russian
Cutwater ready-to-drink cocktails just added a new limited-release cocktail to its extensive lineup of pre-mixed drinks, Cutwater Peppermint White Russian. The canned cocktail producer is known for its high quality, authentic flavored cocktails, including favorites like a Vodka Mule, Tequila Paloma, and our personal favorite (until now), the Prickly Pear Ranch Water. Cutwater’s Peppermint White Russian includes a mix of Cutwater vodka, coffee cream liqueur, and peppermint, adding a minty holiday zing to the classic cocktail. Its the sweet treat you didn’t know you wanted, and now always will.