Category Friends and family ($30-$100)
Best for Relatives with a sense of humor; wine collectors.

I was just reading the December issue of Food & Wine; the magazine calls out Kirkland-based Northwest Cellars as a good option for custom-labelled bottles.

I couldn’t agree more and urge you, even if you’re not in the market for individualized vinos, to go meet winemaker Bob Delf at the tiny tasting room. It’s $5 to taste all five of his wines, which are all pretty good, especially when you consider the price. Here’s my gift idea: procure the silliest, drunkiest photos of your nearest and dearest and have Delf stick them on a few bottles of merlot. Stuff into stockings and watch hilarity ensue. It should go without saying that this only works for loved ones who can laugh at themselves. To put a finer point on it: Do not use as passive aggressive strategy against surly in-laws.

If you’re aiming for a higher-end gift, it’s always nice to offer up an ageworthy Washington bottle with a note attached, so your hosts can remember who gave it to them, how long they should keep it, etc. However, let me offer you a cautionary tale: I brought my Dad a bottle of Betz 2006 Pere de Famille cabernet sauvignon this Thanksgiving, thinking he could cellar it for five or six years and we could break it out at some post-aught occassion. I forgot to tell my pops the plan, however, and about a quarter of the bottle ended up in the service of the (admittedly delicious) gravy. I discovered his mistake post-feast, and we halfheartedly sipped what remained, our stomachs gorged and our palates exhausted from the fruity pinot noir we’d paired with dinner.

Holidays are chaos, plan accordingly.
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What potables make the best presents? Please send me your best boozy gift ideas for future Sauced posts. (You’ll be credited, of course.) Email [email protected] or post in comments below.