A bottle for all the special people in your life

By far the best gift to give your accountant, dog walker or anyone else worthy of your gratitude is wine. Assuming they drink the stuff, of course. Wine doesn’t go bad (quickly, anyway). It’s seldom re-gifted. And when they open it, they usually share it — creating that rippling effect of good karma. So here’s a list of bottles for key people in your life.

The accountant 2015 Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Calif. (Vintages Essential 710426, $124.95 in stores and online)

Thank your accountant for snagging you that handsome tax return with this smart blue chip bottle. Not only does its name allude to money, but the wine itself is a superb expression of Napa Cabernet from a very good year. Deep aromas of homemade blueberry pie lead to a saturated swirl of fruitcake, toasted nut and mixed berries. Then the eruption of fruit soon shifts to suggest dark chocolate and wet stones. Give this long, sinuous, sumptuous red with confidence. Score: 90

The good neighbour 2017 Porta 6, Lisboa, Portugal (LCBO 427377, $11.95 till March 30, reg. $13.95 in stores and online)

When your neighbour shovels your driveway, collects your mail or lends you that crowbar or cup of sugar for the fifth time, a token of appreciation might be in order. So consider this delicious bottle with the neighbourhood scene on the label. The wine offers a jammy-juicy crush of blackberry and raspberry fruit threaded with leather, black olive, crushed chalk and peppercorn. And a bit of grip on the finish holds the flavour in place a tad longer. Grab a bottle to have on hand for next time you borrow that crowbar or cup of sugar. Score: 92+

The interior designer 2017 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand (Vintages Essential 304469, $35.95 in stores and online)

I wasn’t surprised when my fabulous interior designer, Susan Calhoun of Collage Designs, told me her favourite wine was this bottle right here. Not only does the label hold calm appeal with its understated, smoky-hued landscape, but the wine itself is lovely — fresh, sunlit and seamless. It soars with bright gooseberry, lime and damp herb flavours dappled with delicate notes of sea salt, lemongrass, aniseed and white pepper. Then the wine recedes, leaving a long lime oil finish behind. Score: 90

The heroic helper NV Monmarthe Secret de Famille Cru Brut Premier Cru Champagne (Vintages 624775, $47.95 in stores and online)

Heroic helpers take many forms — nanny, masseuse, therapist, personal trainer, esthetician and so forth. So when the time comes to acknowledge that “secret de famille,” do it in style with this bottle of Champagne. It’s sure to impress with its creamy, pronounced aroma of marzipan, its powerful attack and its cascading complexity. Spiralling flavours flow from lemon curd to crisp apple, candied citrus peel to buttered toast, almond paste to dry, cool slate. Delicate, elegant and long. Score: 95

The dog walker 2017 Collavini Pinot Grigio, Veneto, Italy (LCBO 33340, $14.95 in stores and online)

When it’s time to thank the dog walker for being fabulous to Fido, do so with this friendly white. It’s a dry, crisp, energetic wine that sprints across the palate with lively flavours that call to mind green apple and feathery strokes of clementine, citrus zest and honeydew melon. Then, a chalky minerality lingers on the finish. Smart buy. Just remember — it’s the bottle with the dog on the label. Score: 90