‘Tis the season to celebrate. But you certainly don’t want to arrive empty handed to this year’s Friendsgiving, office pot luck, Hanukkah party, ugly sweater soirée or holiday brunch. These edible and drinkable gifts are surefire crowd-pleasers and available from local shops and restaurants.
Screwtop Wine Bar (1025 N. Fillmore St., Arlington) has a retail section with plenty of bubbly, including Virginia-grown-and-bottled sparkler Thibaut-Janisson Blanc de Chardonnay. Also great for special dinners and hostess gifts are two selections from Early Mountain Vineyard in Madison, Virginia: the 2017 “Five Forks” White Blend, which shows lots of acidity and ripe flavors, and the Merlot-heavy 2016 “Foothills” Red Blend. Screwtop also curates and delivers (to local addresses) custom wine gift baskets, and is hosting a Christmas Wine Jamboree and ugly sweater contest on Dec. 22.