Looking for the perfect wine to give as a gift this year? When it comes to wine, one (bottle) size fits all, doubles of the same wine are just fine, and it's easy for the recipient to re-gift.Ideally you know the person's taste preferences: full-bodied or light, dry or sweet, New World or Old World? However, if you don't have any of that information, here are 10 great no-fail gift wines that you can give. Wolf Blass Sparkling Wine Gold Label 2011Adelaide Hills, South Australia, AustraliaThe Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes for this Australian sparkling wine were sourced from the cool climate of the Adelaide Hills. Aromas of green apple, lemon zest and stonefruit on the nose and palate. Pair with fried chicken. Drink: 2013‐2017 Benjamin Bridge Sparkling Reserve Brut 2009This east coast bubbly was aged for three years on its lees, adding richness and creaminess to the wine, and was disgorged in August 2014 using the Méthode Classique. This wine will cellar well, but I challenge you to wait.

Pair with fresh seafood, from Nova Scotia, of course. Food pairings: stuffed roast turkey, battered seafood. Drink: 2013‐2018 Cave Spring Estate Bottled Chardonnay 2012Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario V.Q.A., CanadaA fresh and mouth-filling Niagara Chardonnay that is not heavy, but rather, completely balanced. The 2012 vintage of this Chardonnay from Cave Spring has great depth and persistence of flavours such as green apple and fresh peach. Chardonnay food pairings: planked salmon. Drink: 2013‐2018Featherstone Black Sheep Riesling 2013Niagara Peninsula, Ontario V.Q.A., CanadaThis is one of my favourite Niagara Rieslings: delightful every vintage. The 2013 vintage is no exceptional with lovely bright notes of lime blossom, lemon zest and flint. Pair with fresh seafood and vegetarian dishes. Drink: 2013‐2018Remy Pannier Rosé D'anjou 2013Bone-dry, delicate rose with aromas of tine wild field strawberries, the kind that melt deliciously in your hand from the warmth of your palm.

Perfect aperitif served slightly chilled or for a treat, pair it with smoked salmon. Alcohol: 10% Sweetness: Dry 750 ml Drink: 2013‐2015 Yalumba Barossa Patchwork Shiraz 2011A generous, full-bodied, supple red with attractive aromas of black plum, blackberries and black raspberries. Incredible concentration and depth. Great for dinner parties. Shiraz food pairings: steak, lamb, pork, cheese, chicken.91/100 Drink: 2013‐2020 Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina 2010A dry, full-bodied, mouth-watering Italian red wine from the heart of Tuscany. Aromas of tart cherry, earth and sun-dried tomatoes. Made from the iconic Sangiovese grape, this wine is a perfect pairing for pasta in tomato sauce or pizza. Drink: 2013‐2018 RavensWood Old Vine Zinfandel 2011Sonoma County, California, United StatesSavoury, meaty, juicy and mouth-watering. A surprisingly great Californian Zinfandel that borrows some Cab-like majesty, elegance and complexity. Ravenswood is your go-to Zin. Pair with inviting me over to dinner please.

Drink: 2013‐2018 Oyster Bay Pinot Noir 2013Toasty oak on the nose wraps around fleshy ripe black cherries. Full-bodied, mouth-watering juicy and smooth with a great finish. Pinot Noir food pairings: planked salmon, barbecued duck, veggie mushroom burger, frittata. Drink: 2014‐2018 La Face Cachée de la Pomme Neige Première Ice Cider 2011Fun! Essence of apple in the glass. A delicious cider of mingled and various types of apples that go into the blend, and finishing with fresh, crisp green apples. best red wine amazonThink homemade apple bite with a pleasing and refreshing bite. top wine regions united statesPair with fruit cobbler. how much beer and wine to buy for a party of 30

Ice Cider food pairings: nuts, blue-veined cheese. 375 ml (half bottle)Last-minute present buying can get a bit panicky. There’s the, “Have I bought enough for so-and-so,” fear; the, “Should I get something for the vicar/woman who looks after the dog?” question; and the avalanche of slightly teary seasonal emotion that has you over-catering, over-shopping and breaching your overdraft limit. best food with dry white wineThis is why I suggest that a bottle of wine is the perfect emergency buy: you can drink it yourself if you later realise the present is extraneous, or if the recipient misbehaves on Christmas Day and you decide they’ve forfeited it. top wine distributors in the worldChoosing wine to give is so straightforward I hardly dare to offer advice for fear of sounding like Pippa Middleton. best value wine list london

So, in brief: Do find a bottle that looks the part. A wine colleague remarked that he’d often given Yalumba’s The Signature as a present. It’s a fabulous wine – sumptuous yet defined, a great example of the classic South Australian cabernet sauvignon-shiraz blend. At £26.99 (in selected branches of Waitrose, plus various Google-able independents), it’s well-priced, but not cheap. He was quietly furious that instead of handing it over to a, “Wow, that looks nice,” he usually got a casually dismissive, “Oh, thanks,” as the bottle was shoved carelessly onto the kitchen work surface. good food and wine guide 2014It’s the label: no clue that it might be nearly £30. wine on tap benefitsDon’t buy the cheapest big name (say, rioja or chablis) you can find and expect it to be any good. good food and wine guide 2014

Yes, these both make great presents because they do have the ooh factor, but the liquid inside isn’t always up to scratch. Go to your local wine merchants and ask them a question. (S)he will be ecstatic. And you will get to leave with a thoughtful, non-mass-produced bottle in a swingy, smart paper bag or box that looks special, as a present should. Don’t get all improving and obscure. If the recipient likes sweet, cheap and pink – give it to them. Ideally in a six-pack. Finally, the danger of giving a bottle of wine is that it might wink at you so endearingly from under the tree that you find yourself ripping off the wrapping and going in with a corkscrew, a bit like the time I bought the father of my au pair family a box of handmade chocolate truffles for Christmas, ate them all overnight and had to make the emergency substitution of a box of Ferrero Rocher. If that happens, never mind. At least someone enjoyed it. The classic red 1 Cune Imperial Rioja Reserva 2004 Spain (13.5%, Co-op, £14.99) Easeful rioja that smells of well-worn leather, hay bales and ripe red fruit.

Made with French and American oak, it has a silky texture but it’s the age and burgeoning complexity that makes it such a seductive drink. Good with slow-roasted lamb rubbed with Mediterranean herbs. Give to Fathers-in-law and brothers, or anyone with a tapas complex. The sweet tooth 2 Rare Pedro Ximenez NV Spain (17%, M & S, £7.49 for 37.5cl) Technically, this is sherry. But it’s less a sherry and more a gorgeous, alcohol-raisin-like liquid to pour over ice cream. Goes down well in stockings. Give to Ice cream lovers and elderly aunts. The delicious, clever red 3 Yalumba Bush Vine Grenache 2011 Barossa Valley, Australia (14%, £9.99 down from £12.49 when you buy two, Majestic) Why clever? Because this is a red with enough mass and might to satisfy those who like big antipodean reds. But as it’s made with very high-quality, old-vine grenache and aged in French oak, it will also appeal to those whose tastes veer towards Europe. Beautifully perfumed, reminiscent of spice and damsons, with richness but also the powdery, grainy texture that’s one of the things I love about grenache.

Give to Red drinkers whose taste you don’t know. Smart casual 4 Taste the Difference Priorat 2009 Spain (14.5%, Sainsbury’s, £7.86 down from £10.49 until January 1) Usually I’d think twice before giving an obviously own-label bottle as a gift but when the wine’s this good, and you don’t want to be ostentatious, it really works. Not sure I’d snag this as a priorat on blind tasting – it’s firmer and more upright than I’d expect – but that doesn’t stop it being a super drink. A blend of grenache, syrah and carignan. The kind of thing you’d be very pleased indeed to accidentally drink yourself. Give to Those you want to thank without being over the top. Proper chablis 5 Domaine Vocoret Chablis Premier Cru Montmains 2010 France (13%, Majestic, £13.99 down from £14.99 when you buy two until February 4) Proper chablis? Yes, the stuff that tastes of damp limestone, old bones, oyster shells and cold ground. It’s 2010, a chablis vintage I adore. Give to True chablis lovers.

The easy-but-classy white 6 Martín Códax Caixas Albariño 2011 Spain (12.5%, Majestic, £7.99 down from £9.99 when you buy two) A bold, modern label and a clean, oak-free, modern wine that tastes like a bolt of peaches and clean river water. Give to White wine drinkers whose taste you don’t know. A drop of the hard stuff: liqueurs and cocktail ingredients • Carpano Antica Formula Red Vermouth (D Byrne, Clitheroe, £32.29; Gerry’s Wines & Spirits, Soho, London, £33.75; Field & Fawcett, York, £29.40; Corks of Cotham, Bristol, £32.99; all for a one-litre bottle) A must-have for negroni demons. Perhaps the finest of all red vermouths; richly fragrant, herbal and layered. The River Café uses it in its negroni. Gerry’s Wines & Spirits, Soho, London, £17.95 for 50cl) This elixir is a stalwart of my cocktail cabinet. A triple sec (orange liqueur) sweetened with agave syrup, which may just be the nectar of the gods. Sounds esoteric but with a bottle to hand it is hard to stop making margaritas.

• Védrenne Supercassis Crème de Cassis de Bourgogne (15%, Waitrose, £8.50 for 50cl) Nose-tingling, rich blackcurrants, super-pure, with sugary depth. Buy some cheap muscadet or white macon and say hello again to kir. • El Jimador Reposado Tequila (Waitrose, £15.50 down from £18.85 for 70cl until January 2) Here’s the tequila for your margarita — this has a lovely, spicy, open texture, like cologne. None of that salt, lemon and shot nonsense, this one’s to savour or mix with lime juice and triple sec. • Aperol (11%, Sainsbury’s, £12.15 for 70cl) Dolomite skiers and Venice-lovers may already know this pale, coral-red Italian bitter, infused with herbs and rhubarb. At its best in un spritz — a light, refreshing aperitif in which it’s mixed with white wine or prosecco and soda and served with a slice of orange. • El Dorado 15 Year Old Demerara Rum, Guyana (43%, Aldi, £29.99 for 70cl) Rum is on-trend and this prize-winning example — all heady brown sugar, coffee and caramel — can be sipped neat as a digestif or mixed into a superior daiquiri.