The Ultimate 2018 Holiday Wine and Spirits Gift Guide
Looking for the perfect present for the wine aficionado or cocktail connoisseur on your holiday shopping list? Our 2018 Holiday Wine and Spirits Gift Guide is packed with exceptional selections that are sure to impress.
When you’re uncertain about the ideal present, a thoughtfully chosen bottle of wine, a premium spirit, or even a sophisticated non-alcoholic beverage is always a reliable and appreciated choice. To simplify your holiday gift-giving experience, we’ve assembled a collection of our favorite wine and spirits gifts, along with a few delightful extras.
Discover the Best Wine and Spirits Gifts for 2018
Exceptional Wine Gifts
When selecting wine as a holiday gift, it’s essential to choose high-quality options. This is not the time for regifting that inexpensive bottle your friend left at your place after game night. Elevate your gifting game with our curated wine recommendations.
Sokol Blosser Bluebird Cuvée Sparkling Wine: A Festive Delight
If you’re unsure about your recipient’s wine preferences, sparkling wine is almost always a safe and well-received choice. Its celebratory nature makes it perfect for the holidays.
The Sokol Blosser Bluebird Cuvée Sparkling Wine ($28) is a dry sparkling wine boasting vibrant flavors of apple and pear. Its beautifully designed bottle makes it an exquisite gift. The name and label pay homage to the winery’s long-standing support of the Prescott Western Bluebird Recovery Project. For over two decades, Sokol Blosser has provided vital shelter and support to preserve the breeding habitat for Western Bluebirds, with 15 bird houses on their organically farmed property.
As a long-time admirer of Sokol Blosser wines, and with a personal connection to bluebirds, this sparkling wine felt like a sign to finally join their wine club, which I promptly did!
2016 Knudsen Vineyard Pinot Noir: An Elegant Wine for Aging
The 2016 Knudsen Vineyards Pinot Noir ($55) is an elegant, medium-bodied wine with refined tannins. It offers a core of cherry and strawberry notes, balanced by classic Oregon earthiness and herbal undertones. This is the fifth vintage Pinot Noir from Knudsen Vineyards, a well-established vineyard founded in 1971.
Every Knudsen Vineyards Chardonnay and Pinot Noir I’ve encountered has been exceptional. The second generation of the Knudsen family has honored the vineyard’s legacy by consistently producing some of the best wines in the region. This Pinot Noir is perfect for serving at your holiday meal or cellaring for 5-10 years.
2017 Hazelfern Winter Rosé: The Quintessential Hostess Gift
The 2017 Hazelfern Cellars Winter Rosé ($24) is a vibrant wine that’s ready to party. Hazelfern Cellars specifically produces this rosé with winter food pairings in mind, making it the perfect hostess gift and a delightful addition to your holiday celebrations. It pairs well with hearty cold-weather dishes like Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Bacon Sauce or Cranberry Pomegranate Sticky Chicken Wings.
Note: Hazelfern Cellars wines tend to sell out quickly. As of November 28th, there were only five cases of the 2017 Winter Rosé remaining!
2015 Maysara Winery Immigrant Pinot Noir: A Gift That Gives Back
This wine holds a special place in my heart. Not only is it an incredibly delicious and well-crafted Oregon Pinot Noir, making it an excellent holiday gift, but its underlying message is truly meaningful.
The 2015 Maysara Immigrant Pinot Noir ($45) is made with estate-grown grapes from their Momtazi Vineyard. In their words: “The 2015 Immigrant Pinot Noir is dedicated to all immigrants, including our own family members who risked their lives to escape and make it to America for the values of freedom and opportunity that this country stands for. Coming from many cultural backgrounds worldwide, immigrants have played an integral part in making America the great nation we call home.” As the daughter of immigrants, I commend Maysara for their initiative.
In this season of giving, gifts that also give back can be especially meaningful. 33% of the proceeds from sales of the 2015 Immigrant Pinot Noir will be donated to Refugee & Immigrant programs that provide permanent residency assistance, family-based visas, low-cost immigration counseling, and more.
Tendril Extrovert Pinot Noir: An Oregon Gem
Winemaker Tony Rynders is, in my opinion, one of the Willamette Valley’s most talented winemakers. His Tendril Wine Cellars wines are crafted with a “low and slow” approach, aged for at least 16 months in barrel and then another 6-18 months in the bottle before release. The result is a collection of exquisite wines that add harmony and grace to any holiday meal.
The recently released 2015 Tendril Extrovert Pinot Noir embodies everything an amazing Oregon Pinot Noir should be: an elegant blend of ripe raspberries and blackberries, smooth vanilla, and a hint of herbs. Gift this to the true Oregon wine lover in your life who will appreciate this beautifully crafted Pinot Noir.
Free Public Canned Wine: Trendy and Convenient
For wine drinkers who love to stay ahead of the curve, consider gifting a few bottles or a set of canned wine. Cans are perfect holiday gifts for friends who enjoy outdoor adventures and camping. They’re fun, convenient, and easy to bring along for hiking, golfing, or outdoor concerts (where permitted, of course). There are numerous options to choose from these days – including Canned Oregon, Underwood Wine in a Can, Joe to Go, and Free Public.
While I enjoy all of these canned wines, my 2018 canned wine pick for this holiday wine gift guide is Free Public wines ($14.99/3-pack). These sleek, slim 250 ml cans are sold in packs of three and are beautifully packaged, making them ideal for gifting! Free Public Wines launched in Oregon in 2017 and are available in white wine, rosé, and red blend. The red blend is particularly enjoyable on chilly fall nights, sitting outside by the fire pit, wrapped in warm blankets, and gazing at the stars.
Spirits and More: Beyond Wine
Do you have a cocktail enthusiast on your gift list this year? I have a top-notch liquor recommendation, as well as a selection of syrups and non-alcoholic mocktail mixes.
Laphroaig Select Single Malt Scotch Whisky: For the Whisky Connoisseur
If you follow my Instagram Stories, you may know that I recently attended a whisky pairing dinner with Laphroaig. Based in Islay, Scotland, Laphroaig produces a fantastic line of single malt scotch whisky. The Laphroaig Select ($45/750 ml) makes an excellent gift for the whisky lover in your life. It’s crafted with Laphroaig Quarter Cask, PX Cask, Triple Wood, and 10-Year-Old whiskies, creating a subtle blend of peat, oak, and sweetness.
Raft Syrups: Elevate the Home Bar
In addition to liquor, every home bar needs quality syrups and bitters to create the most delicious cocktails. Portland-based Raft Syrups offers a line of small-batch syrups made with 100% organic cane sugar paired with natural, sustainable, and fair-trade produced ingredients. These can be mixed with soda water to create natural sodas or used to craft delicious cocktails.
I recently tried the Raft Botanicals Cranberry Five Spice syrup with soda water and cranberry vodka. It was festive, refreshing, and delicious! Prices range from $12-$15 for syrups and $11 for bitters. Select a couple of syrups and bitters to create your own customized holiday gift pack!
Mingle Mocktails: Sophisticated Non-Alcoholic Options
For those on your holiday list who prefer not to drink alcohol, Mingle Mocktails are a fantastic choice. I have to admit that I am typically not a fan of mocktail mixes because I find them overly sweet and sugary. However, I was thrilled to discover that this is not the case with Mingle Mocktails!
Mingle Mocktails are made with natural and organic ingredients, organic cane sugar, and botanical blends to create flavorful, refreshing mocktails. They can be enjoyed on their own or paired with your favorite liquors, syrups, and bitters to create amazing cocktails!
Mingle Mocktails are currently available in four delicious flavors (I’ve tried them all and they are truly delicious!):
- Blackberry Hibiscus Bellini
- Cranberry Cosmo
- Melon Mojito
- Moscow Mule
I genuinely love these mocktails and believe they make beautiful, thoughtful holiday gifts. I brought a few to Thanksgiving, as most of my family doesn’t drink (I’m the wine enthusiast!), and my mom especially loved them!
Mingle Mocktails is generously offering a discount code so you can try them for yourself and gift them to friends and family!
There you have it! My 2018 Holiday Wine and Spirits Gift Guide features some of my top beverage gift picks for the year.
Which of these gifts would you be most interested in giving – or receiving! – this holiday season?
More Gift Ideas: For the Foodie in Your Life
Don’t forget to explore my 2018 Holiday Gift Guide for Foodies for even more inspiration!
Disclosure: I received some of the beverages featured in this post as samples, and purchased others. As always, all opinions and photos are my own.