Sense Ecuador Chocolate Selections….

If you’re like me, buying something for someone special is hard. I always want to go above and beyond to show them how much they mean to me, and how well I know them. Because I am a creative who is also very indecisive, I started making and giving gift baskets for the ones I love, for holidays and special occasions. This is great for people like me who like to give multi-part gifts, gift sets, or simply want to give someone special a lot of little but great gifts!

Even for the person who has everything, you can always find great stuff to stick in a gift basket for them. Below are my top picks to create the best gift basket for the one you love this Valentines Day!

Chocolate Is A Must

Sense Ecuador: This company offers flowers and chocolates that will pair perfectly with anyone’s palate. From rose infused chocolate to citrus, and everything in between, they offer fast shipping, great quality, and an enormous handcrafted selection.  Want to add some extra more special items? They sell coffee and flowers too! $29.99+

Healthy Additions

Bao Organics: Do they like Kombucha, Kimchi, and Fermented Sauces? For the health lover in your life that also enjoys cooking with great organic ingredients, Bao is the perfect and healthy addition to their gift basket. Great for home cooks, healthy snackers, fermented veggie lovers, and adventurous eaters. $24.95+

HUG l’originale Sparkling Wine Cocktail: This low calorie, lower alcohol sparkling wine cocktail is perfect for the someone special in your life that wants something more than the typical sweet sparkling Moscato, but still enjoys the playful sweetness and low alcohol content that their favorite wine offers. HUG is made with elderflower and mint and is the perfect addition to any Valentines Day gift. It’s sexy, luminous, and refreshing!! It’s a unique balance of premium quality Italian Glera and Pinot Grigio Grapes, that is infused with natural elderflower, mint extracts, and pure lemon juice.

Give A Bottle Of…

Moët Imperial Rosé “Love Unconventional”: This unique and new Moët Imperial Rosé bottle is perfect for your fashion-loving wine drinker, or simply anyone who loves a great bottle of Rosé Champagne with a new look! Celebrate love in your own way with this gorgeous bottle for just $58+. 

Tom Gore Vineyards & Wine: Because what is a gift without wine? Tom Gore Vineyards is known for taking pride in their grape growing, and also has a big farm/garden to table influence. These wines pair beautifully with organic foods, including Asian and fermented ingredients (perfect to pair with Bao Organics). $20+ 

St. Francis Sonoma Valley Merlot 2014: This wine is made by Winemaker Chris Louton. It’s a luscious and aromatic Sonoma Valley Merlot has multiple layers of aromatics with flavors of red cherry, plum, dried cranberry, espresso bean and savory spices. This pairs great with aged blue cheeses, lamb, and even tapas. Be creative and try pairing this with some of the chocolates and snacks for the best food and wine gift basket! $20.99

Medici Ermete Concerto Reggiano Lambrusco 2016: Medici Ermete’s flagship wine, Concerto is the world’s first single vineyard vintage Lambrusco. It is a sparkling dry red wine with lively bubbles achieved through natural fermentation. This wine is perfect for your special someone who enjoys a lower alcohol red wine that’s sparkling and slightly sweet. These wines are absolutely beautiful for Valentines Day and any special celebration. $22.99

Medici Ermete Solo Reggiano Rosso 2016: A vivid, brilliant ruby red, the wine shows classic red fruit aromas. Though dry, the palate is fruity, round and exuberant with fine and persistent bubbles. This is a great wine with charcuterie and tapas, so get creative in the kitchen this Valentines Day and whip up some savory or sweet pair-able bites! $19.99

Mullan Road Cellars 2015 Red Blend: Mullan Road Cellars is a journey into Washington winemaking led by established vintner, Dennis Cakebread. Still new to the market and consistently receiving high marks, this Bordeaux-style blend is extremely well-balanced and has notes of ripe berry fruit and licorice, with a hint of smoke and resin, and has a long, elegant finish. $45

Légende Bordeaux Rouge 2016 – Varieties: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot Don’t show up to work empty-handed on Valentine’s Day – bring a little Légende Bordeaux Rouge. With nicely oaked notes, silky tannins, and a long, fresh, and fruity finish, this small token of thoughtfulness will definitely be appreciated. $17.99

Légende Médoc 2015 –  Impress your latest love interest with Légende Médoc. This generous and silky wine has a full-bodied and very rounded structure. The finish is long and spicy, and hopefully, your night ends in a similar way! $26.99

Légende Pauillac 2014 -Varieties: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot This bottle is the epitome of what makes Bordeaux so magical – all through the lens of Lafite (and very apropos that the bottle features an illustration of the gate to Lafite). If you want to go big this year for your forever love, look no further. This is a powerful, structured wine with well-integrated tannins and a long aromatic black pepper, licorice finish. Absolutely divine! $54.99

2015 San Marzano Talò Negroamaro- This is a rich and intense wine made with the Negromaro grape varietal. This wine is different and earthy with a lot of complexity and bold black fruit notes. There’s an attractive freshness to this wine which is balanced by spice and acidity. It’s a great winter wine and to me, romantic and should be enjoyed with your favorite Italian take out. “Spend the evening in Southern Italy” with this great wine and company! $17

 

 

 

Mixology Mix & Match  

Half-Seas Canned Sparkling Cocktails: Half-Seas offers elevated versions of the canned cocktail. These made the ideal addition to a gift basket because they’re convenient and a great price. They also come in great cocktail flavors such as Daiquiri, Paloma, and Bramble. These all-natural, effervescent cans are as stylish as they are delicious. $16-20/4 pack.

Liquor Lab Cocktail Class: Whether he or she thinks they are the best at whipping up cocktails at home, there’s always room for improvement. Adding in experience to your gift basket with one of a kind cocktail class will seal the deal and make this one of the best gift baskets you could give the cocktail lover in your life! Liquor Lab offers a wide range of classes to choose from daily, making it the perfect excuse to have another date night! Continue the romantic, loving Valentines Day celebrations anytime!

Whiskey & Brown Spirits… Because, Why Not?

Crown Royal Deluxe: This Canadian whisky has won my heart several times and is absolutely delicious for someone who enjoys a smooth, alluring, and seductive whisky. This one packs a punch, so don’t let its elegance fool you. Enjoy this one on the rocks or neat for best tasting! $55+

Templeton Rye Whiskey: Templeton Rye is smooth, spicy, and clean. It’s also Iowa’s most notorious whiskey that’s rye you will want to sip on all night long. On the palate, you will notice hints of caramel, butterscotch, and toffee with balanced spice and a smooth finish.  $36+

Compass Box “Hedonism” Whisky: ” The inspiration behind our whisky HEDONISM is just that – pleasure, enjoyment, a celebration of that ideal marriage between distilled spirit and high-quality oak maturation. The aromas and flavors hint of vanilla, caramel, a delicate fruitiness, accented by flashes of coconut in the finish. This is a whisky that will appeal to both the ardent whisky enthusiast and newcomers to whisky alike.” – Compassboxwhisky.com $99+

Trails End Bourbon: This Kentucky Bourbon is playful, sexy, and exceptional. This bottle is great for your bourbon loving history buff because Trails End is an ultra-premium, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished with Oregon Oak. It’s crafted using premium barrels of Kentucky straight bourbon. Trail’s End traveled along the treacherous terrain from Kentucky to Oregon, following the path that Lewis and Clark once blazed. $39+

CAMUS Borderies Xo: This beautiful cognac is great for those with a larger budget. The Borderies cru, which “ is not just the smallest, but it is above all, the most sought-after of all the Cognac AOC growth areas. Home to the CAMUS family and very close to its heart, the Borderies cru provides the vines with the perfect amount of water, thanks to the chalky soil and ideal exposure. As a tribute to the CAMUS family’s chosen land, the Borderies cru is expressed through magnificently balanced grapes, capturing the characteristic aroma of violets that denote Eaux-de-vie from the area. “ -Camus.fr. Thinking about giving this bottle, it’s SO worth the spend at $170. 

Snacks on Snacks

Meat Crafters Skinny Salami: Think this is weird? You won’t when you taste the Lamb Schwarma with Crown Royal and the Spicy Chorizo Sticks with Templeton Rye! These delicious low in calorie meat sticks are made with quality meat and beef, taste great, and pair with your favorite whiskey’s in cocktails and neat. $7.00/bag

Mrs. Thinsters Cookie Thins: One of the best additions to a gift basket are these addicting thin cookies that come in a variety of delicious flavors such as Chocolate Chip, Key Lime, Coconut, Cake Batter, and more! $2.99/bag

Parm Crisps: Perfect to pair with some wine and a set of wine glasses in a gift basket. These parm crisps will please your wine or brown spirits fan with their pairing abilities and delicious tastes. These are perfect for anyone who enjoys having tapas on the table or dinner parties because they make great appetizer options! Also for your healthier eater, these are high in protein and low in calorie!

For Those Who Can’t Make Their Own Basket…

Gourmet Gift Baskets: Gourmetgiftbaskets.com is the ideal site for fast shipping, quality gift baskets, and arrangements that will please everyone and every budget! This is my go-to site when I’m seeking something fun and exciting to give as a gift, but it’s already curated for me. Whether you’re on a time crunch or simply are not the creative basket making type, I promise you will find something delicious to give your special someone for Valentines Day! My top picks are the: Happy Valentines Day Cookie Cake and the “Beer” my Valentine Beer Bucket! $30-$69+