Holiday Gift Guide 2024
Last Minute Gifts
By Megha Jandhyala, with notes from Michael Godel, John Szabo MS, Sara d’Amato, and David Lawrason
For many of us, giving presents to our friends and families is the most delightful of holiday traditions (though receiving things can be wonderful too, of course)! I enjoy the process of looking for gifts — reflecting on what a loved one might like involves revisiting the history of our relationship and my recollections of them with fondness. Moreover, if one is lucky, the joy involved in buying or making a present is multiplied manifold when the gift evokes happiness, excitement, or even curiosity in its recipient. That said, deciding what to give everyone on our lists can sometimes be a taxing, time-consuming and bewildering process. With this gift guide, we at WineAlign aim to reduce the stress and increase the enjoyment associated with gift giving for our readers.
This year, we have decided to include not just bottles of wine but also wine-related and even non-wine-related presents in our gift guide. As critics and writers, we are passionate about many things and we think that sharing our perspectives on a wide range of gift ideas might be helpful to our readers, increasing the repertoire of options available to you in your quest for the right present for everyone on your list.
One thing that struck me about what my colleagues and I chose to include in this guide was that we all seem to value and appreciate experiences. While John recommends a wine club, Michael suggests treating family and/or friends to delicious food, and David proposes attending the Niagara Icewine Festival or a culinary championship that showcases Canadian chefs and wines — all opportunities, to learn, share and create memories. Even the “things” we include in the guide are less about possessing an object and more about embarking on a sensory journey. Consider the perfume Sara describes (that I am now tempted to try) or the wine glasses that David and I recommend as ideal vessels through which to taste wine — these gifts add intensity and nuance to our experience of the world.
As for wine itself, as wine lovers, I think most of us believe that it is most properly first experienced as ephemeral beauty and then remembered, rather than owned, as a static object. Wine is also, arguably, something that is meant to be shared — it has a magical ability to bring people together in celebration, helping us forge special connections and bonds.
Before I dive into our recommendations, I should note that the Canadian Government has enacted a new law that waives GST/HST for certain items from December 14, 2024, to February 15, 2025. This exemption applies to beer as well as wine, cider, and sake (provided they contain 22% abv or less). It also applies to food served at restaurants, pubs, and bars and physical books (as in, non-digital copies of books). This is even more reason to stock up on wine and books or to treat yourself or your loved ones to a nice meal at a restaurant this holiday season.
And now for our recommendations! I have divided them into three categories to help you navigate the guide:
We hope you find our recommendations to be helpful and that your holidays are filled with fun, love, good health and, of course, special wines!
Stocking Stuffers (Under $30)
Skouras Cuvée Prestige Agiorgitiko/Moschofilero Rosé 2023, Peloponnese, Greece
$11.50 (with no HST), Kolanaki Group
Sara d’Amato – A rosé over winter — wine not? Don’t let that pun or the colour dissuade you as versatile rosé makes a terrific pairing for festive tables that include a wide array of foods. I don’t go a Christmas without one. Here’s a great value from the reliable house of Skouras, this Peloponnese-born agioritiko-and-moscofilero blend is both notably zesty and floral. It’s dry and pours a bit deeper than pale, with pleasant earthy-organic-stoney undertones and a wealth of cherry and grapefruit on the palate laced with pepper and botanicals.
Podere Montale DOCG Montecucco Sangiovese 2017, Tuscany, Italy
$25.20 (with no HST), Epic Wines & Spirits
Michael Godel – Sangiovese makes for an ideal stocking stuffer and this wine is that ticket to happiness. A Tuscan example that reeks of the local balsamico from the area of Seggiano, località Podere Montale just north of Castel del Piano on the north slope of Monte Amiata. Mediterranean aromatics with a capital “M!” There is still some good stock available in many LCBO stores.
Barón De Ley Gran Reserva 2017, DOCa Rioja
$29.50 (with no HST), Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.
Megha Jandhyala – This Rioja makes for a great stocking stuffer for lovers of maturing wine. At more than 7 years old, it is drinking beautifully now, displaying nuances of age alongside vitality and energy. I love how concentrated it is — its perfume so evocative that it seems to transport drinkers in time and space. For me, its sandalwood, dried fruit and floral notes are vividly reminiscent of prayer ceremonies in India. That said, I am sure this is but one of many recollections this wine is likely to trigger, depending on who is tasting it.
Barbadillo Solear Manzanilla, Sanlúcar de Barrameda,(375 ml), Jerez, Spain
$12.10 (with no HST), All the Right Grapes
Sara d’Amato – Here’s a bottle that can literally fit inside your stocking and will bring a smile to any fortified lover (or want-to-be sherry lover) in your house. Like fino sherry, Manzanilla is a dry fortified wine made from the palomino grape and aged under flor yeast, but it differs in that it is made around the coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda instead of in Jerez. Packaged in a very convenient half bottle size (as these wines don’t last long open in the fridge), this richer-than-the-norm style opens with aromas of salty sea breeze followed by an ethereal mouthfeel with notes of fennel, crisp apple and green olives.
Non-Wine Stocking Stuffer
David Lawrason – Bottle Shop Wines and Gift Certificates
Bottle shops that sell wines, beers and ciders not available at the LCBO have come on strongly in 2024. A website called BottleShopTO has a list and map of dozens in the Toronto area, but they are also springing up in Ottawa, Collingwood and elsewhere. They are earnest neighbourhood establishments often doubling as wine bars/small restaurants. They tend to stock alternative/natural wines — and certainly have an organics bent — but mainstream wines are also available. It would be a very neighbourly of you to seek one out and purchase wines or gift certificates for those on your list, especially adult sons, daughters, nephews and nieces who would appreciate something cool. And yes, the HST Holiday applies to bottle shops as well.
Host/Hostess Gifts
Gosset Grande Réserve Brut Champagne, France
$55.00 (with no HST), Le Sommelier Inc.
Michael Godel – Champagne is always the perfect gift and a great way to get more bubbles bang for the buck is to browse the LCBO clearance listings. Ho, ho lo and behold the Gosset Grande Reserve Brut Champagne is on sale for $55.00 (down from $85.55). Plenty of stock is available in stores province wide.
David Lawrason – Zalto Universal Wine Glass
At about $100 a pop, this would seem to be a bit extravagant as a host/hostess gift, especially if you buy two. But I can’t think of a better way to engage someone in the sensory world of wine enjoyment. It has become my most trusted tool when I want to dig deep, appreciate and describe wine aromas and textures. And despite its fragility I have only managed to break one glass in the last four years. One just learns the touch. A Zalto gift will telegraph your love of wine and your willingness to share that with others.
Megha Jandhyala – Glasvin Universal Wine Glass
Like David, I too usually taste professionally with the Zalto universal wine glass. That said, as he points out, $100 is a steep price to pay per glass. For those of our friends and family who throw slightly, shall we say, “lively” parties, or who have young children or cats and dogs, accidents are a part of life (I have a worse track record with Zaltos than David does). At about half the price of a Zalto, the Glasvin Universal glass represents a balance between functionality, elegance, and affordability (a pack of two glasses costs $102). It is hand-blown, light-as-a-feather and dishwasher safe. Most importantly, I find that its shape enhances the nuances of both red and white wines, making it an ideal host/hostess gift.
Bonus Gift – If you are feeling especially generous, Glasvin also makes a decanter (priced at $97) that I find convenient to use. It has a narrow footprint on the table or bar, is also dishwasher safe, and is light and easy to swirl. I also like its simple elegance. You can buy the glass and decanter directly from Glasvin.
Splurge Gifts ($50+)
Guigal Hermitage 2020, Rhône, France
$109.80, Vinexx
Sara d’Amato – Admittedly I have a penchant for the Rhône Valley but here’s a find that any collector would admire. An outstanding vintage of this celebrated wine of Guigal’s grown on the granite hillside of Hermitage. Immersive and engaging, brimming notes of dried mint, anise, black cherry, pepper, tilled earth, graphite with hints of coffee and iron. Clean and distinctive with exceptional concentration and power. Features notable tannic structure with a pleasant degree of angularity. A vintage with great staying power and is just coming into its own. There are only 150 bottles left in stock at the LCBO so best not to wait!
Michael Godel – Give the gift of #BBQ from Roncesvalles Village’s Barque Smokehouse with $50 off $250 gift cards via the website barque.ca. A perfect gift for meat lovers and everyone who needs to discover Barque’s Southern Ontario BBQ.
John Szabo – Unsure what to gift the epicurean in your life (which could include yourself)? Open the door to a whole new world of experience and opportunity. The Barrel Hunter Club is more than just a wine or spirits club — it’s a lifestyle, connecting passionate and curious individuals with rare, curated products, and providing an inclusive and diverse space for both connoisseurs and curious beginners to explore and enjoy the world of wine, spirits, food and travel. Membership unlocks a world of premium perks, from unlimited concierge and sommelier consultations, to quarterly, limited collection wine and spirit launches, monthly themed tastings, fine and rare wine tastings, mix and mingle networking events, curated travel itineraries, and more. It’s a gift that lasts a lifetime. Learn more about the benefits included in each membership tier and sign up at https://barrelhunterclub.com/.
Barrel Hunter Club Memberships:
- The Explorer: $169/month
- The Epicurean
$399$320/month (special 20% WineAlign subscriber promo! Use code: 20epicurean at check out) - The Executive (for businesses; includes threee members under one account): $839/month
(Full disclosure: I am the Curator-in-Chief of the club, so I can personally speak to the quality of the products and experiences.)
Sara d’Amato – Diptyque Tempo, Holt Renfrew, 75 ml, $310
I can’t wear perfume to tastings nor can I wear it to most places these days yet I am a fan of complex scents. The restriction on wearing perfume in many public spaces makes this gift of scent even more intimate, to be cherished in the privacy of one’s home. The Parisian house of Diptyque was founded in the early 1960s by free-thinking, bohemian artists Desmond Knox-Leet, Christiane Montadre-Gautrot and Yves Coueslan on 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain where they established themselves of “purveyors of trifles” they sourced throughout from their journeys and interactions, curating the shelves of their innovative concept store. Shortly thereafter the house with a flair for aesthetics began to craft fragrances. Many of these fragrances are gender-neutral including “Tempo” which, like many exquisitely crafted scents smells distinctly different on everyone, influenced by pH and temperature. Patchouli in the most sophisticated expression, sage, mate, and violet aromas akin to a fine cabernet franc make for a timeless fragrance. Available at Holt Renfrew.
David Lawrason – Tickets to the Niagara Icewine Festival
Consider purchasing tickets for yourself, friends or loved ones to all or part of the Niagara Icewine Festival. Of course there is icewine in its many permutations but wineries pour wine of all kinds, especially at the Cool as Ice Gala at Niagara Parks Power Station in Niagara Falls. It’s a fabulous night of glam and glitter on Saturday, January 18. And you can purchase a Discovery Pass that admits you to several days of winery events over three weekends: January 10–12, 17–19, and 24–26. Get all the info at Niagara Wine Festival.
David Lawrason – Tickets to The Canadian Culinary Championship, Ottawa
For two days and nights in the dead of an Ottawa winter, 10 gold medal chefs from 10 cities across Canada gather for a three-leg culinary competition to crown Canada’s Best Chef of 2024. The first leg is the Mystery Wine Competition, wherein chefs must create a dish to match a wine served to them blind, then also served blind to the guests in attendance. The second leg is a black-box race against the clock to make two dishes from seven ingredients revealed at the opening bell. And finally, on Saturday night they pull out all the stops to create their signature dish at a glittering gala in the Shaw Centre. Top-notch Canadian wine, of my curation, flows throughout. You can purchase the package of individual event tickets at Great Kitchen Party – Culinary Championship . And bring your skates.