Wine Gifting at the Holidays
When you need to give a gift during the holidays, most especially when heading out to a gathering or party, wine is a great go-to.
Sometimes you pick the bottle because you heard it was good, sometimes it has a label that just seems right for the occasion, sometimes it comes with a memory that you want to share, a bottle with a memory, or a place with a memory.
We spent this past year working with L’Ecole No. 41. Each month tasting and pairing a wine from their portfolio. You can revisit those posts below! Click thru to the articles on each wine and pairing!
*These wines were all received as media samples. No other compensation was received and all opinions remain our own.
A Year with L’Ecole No. 41
January
Steak and chocolate – The best way to enjoy a L’Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon
February
March
Cabernet Franc-Merlot a limited rare gem from L’Ecole No. 41 in Walla Walla Washington
April
Syrah and Aloha – Doing Earth Month Island Style with L’Ecole No. 41
May
Chenin Blanc from L’Ecole No. 41 – Old Vines and breakfast for dinner
June
Rosé season is here but don’t take that for granted!
July
Going to school with a sister city-inspired pairing – L’Ecole No. 41 Luminesce and Temaki
August
The Scenic Route 2021 – The Overview
(this month we didn’t do a pairing, but traveling through the Northwest on our annual Scenic Route trip, we visited Walla Walla and L’Ecole No. 41 in person!)
September
Frenchtown Fun – a Blend of Bordeaux and Rhône Grapes Paired with Tacos with a Rhône Inspired Salsa
October
Washington Merlots from L’Ecole No. 41 paired with Fig and Shallot stuffed pork loin
November
Across the board, the wines are delicious. They are available in multiple styles and price ranges.
I am lucky in that I have personal memories now of this winery and many of their vineyards, not only from visiting this past August but also from each month having an opportunity to speak with people from the winery each month via Zoom to dig deeper into each of the wines, to discuss the vintage and the winemaking.
I got to feel like a part of the L’Ecole extended family. (Honestly, I Zoomed with them more than relatives this past year!)
Gifts from L’Ecole No. 41
So with that, I give you a personal recommendation on these wines, you really can’t go wrong with them. They have a variety of holiday gift packs available that you can find here!
We received (as a sample) one of their Wine & Merchandise sets. The Walla Walla Rise, Shine & Wine set includes a bottle of 2020 Luminesce Estate wine, 2018 Estate Merlot, a L’Ecole corkscrew (really high quality!), a 12 oz package of Walla Walla Roastery “Old School” whole bean coffee (how appropriate is that for the Old Schoolhouse tasting room!?). and a L’Ecole/Washington Wine Country Tumbler. I love that this is such a great bit of Walla Walla!
The tumbler is great with a map of the Walla Walla Valley sketched in with a map of Washington State from the Puget Sound to Walla Walla with mountains and wine regions major highways and L’Ecole No. 41.
The coffee Ben told us comes from the Walla Walla Roastery out by the airport in Walla Walla. The “Old School” Blend is a Vienna Roast (in the med to dark range, but lighter than a French Roast).
More wine gifts from L’Ecole No. 41
They do have another merchandise set that some of the other writers received. The Wine and Chocolate Lovers Collection includes the 2018 Estate Seven Hills Syrah and the 2020 Chenin Blanc “Old Vines” from the Yakima Valley, with a corkscrew and Petits Noirs Red and White Chocolate Sets.
The Red Wine collection includes chocolates in Dark Cherry & Star Anise, Rosemary & Pink Peppercorn, Fig Pistachio & Fennel, & Blueberry Cardamom.
The White Wine Collection includes Almond Sea Salt, Coconut Coriander, Pear Bergamot Biscuit, and Apricot Lavender.
All the chocolates are made in the traditional French technique with ingredients sourced from the North West.
Of course, they have other gifts available also! Their Cellar Explorers Gift Set has a bottle of each of their Perigee and Apogee wines (these are their highest-end wines that are age-worthy and so delicious), with flannel wine gift bags to protect your wine and a rugged tote to carry them in. Oh, and a corkscrew!
There are gift boxes of wines beginning at $85, large format bottles that you can have etched, half bottle stocking stuffers, and even memberships you can gift! (check out all the links here)
Time to order your holiday wine gifts from L’Ecole No. 41!
As I said, you can’t go wrong with these wines. You might want to gift some to yourself too!
If you want these delivered before the holidays, you might want to order quickly! They include ground shipping on many of their gift sets, but deadlines for delivery by December 25th are quickly approaching.
For Delivery within the Northwest, you need to place your order by December 20th, outside the Northwest is December 13th! But never fear, 2-day air shipping outside the Northwest is available for an extra charge with a deadline of December 20th to have it arrive by Christmas!
Maybe one of the pairings we dove into this past year will inspire you for your holiday giving!
Visit Walla Walla
Walla Walla is not really on the way to much of anywhere. It is a destination in itself. The town is charming, the wines spectacular and the people friendly. Maybe you might want to plan a trip! I’ll leave you with some photos to inspire you!
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
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