Right. The countdown is on. Advent calendars are going up and so are stress levels as that glorious Christmas tradition, The Panicked Consumer Frenzy, kicks into gear.

But fear not! The Butler's elves are here to help with a bulging sack of gift-and-giving ideas from the wine-ter wonderland and beyond. We've got Christmas all wrapped up. Read on and get inspired.

Stocking fillers

Delve into the Butler's Pantry

We've had a rummage around the pantry and come up with a few tasty morsels to add a gourmet vibe to grown-up stockings. We've got a couple of drizzlicious extra virgin olive oils. We've got tinned bier nuts that Butler's regulars go, well, nuts for. We've got spectacular canned fish - the unexpected hit of 2021 since our Portugal promotion earlier in the year. Ho ho ho, yum yum yum.

Dinky drinkies

Want to gift a little tipple? Of course you do. Just stop for a second and imagine how chuffed you'd be to pull a small dose of top-notch wine from a Christmas stocking. The fun literally starts right there. Happily, we've got some irresistible wines in half-bottles and eco-friendly cans for you to pick from. Little gems one and all.

Browse half-bottles  |  Browse cans

 

The Spirits of Christmas

Our shelves are overflowing with sensational seasonal spirits to warm the cockles of even the Scroogiest curmudgeon. The great thing about all of these super sippers is they're the gift that keeps on giving, so good they'll be savoured well into the New Year. 

ADELPHI DISTILLERY ARDNAMURCHAN SINGLE MALT BATCH AD/07.21:05 70CL (£53)

We were incredibly lucky to get our hands on a few bottles of this small-batch single malt from one of our favourite Scottish distillers. Anyone you buy a bottle for will see why when they open it. It's ridiculously, joyously complex: it'll be spring before your lucky recipient has figured out the complete flavour profile. Well worth sniffing out if you're buying for a whisky hound.

 

MAXIME TRIJOL COGNAC VSOP CLASSIC 70CL (£47.99)

We must be due a cognac revival soon. It's the ultimate fireside winter warmer, gliding down like greased velvet and spreading an inimitable warm glow as it goes. There aren't many independent producers left in Cognac and here's a big, rich hug in a glass from one of the very best. This brandy snaps.

 

HENRY DE QUERVILLE CALVADOS FINE 40% 70CL (£39.50)

Catch us in the right mood and we'd happily switch our allegiance from Team Butler to Team Calvados (sorry H!). It's so under-appreciated and so enjoyable to drink. This one is sweet and spicy and unmistakably apple-y. If one of the Wise Men had brought this as their offering, they'd have got some weird looks for gifting booze to a newborn but plenty of quiet nods for impeccable taste.

 

 

GRAPPA BARBARESCO TWIST, DISTILLERIA SANTA TERESA DEI MAROLO 50CL (£59.50)

Grappa. More maligned than Herod, more misunderstood than Dr Pepper. We wrote a blog at the start of the year to help counter decades of bad work done by cheap Italian bistros and their paint-stripper digestivos. If you're looking for a curveball present for a spirits lover, this Nebbiolo-based nectar is it. The sculpted statement bottle is made from hand-blown glass, the contents are just mind-blowing. 

 

Hand-delivered delights

Now for a pair of real Christmas crackers. Either of these discounted mixed cases would get maximum gifting points from your special someone... or you could treat yourself to one and spread joy and happiness to whoever happens to be around when you open a bottle.

Fine Christmas Mixed Case 6x75CL (£119)

Here are six Butler's beauties, hand-selected for festive finery. There's a classic champagne to kick off celebrations, a seafood-loving Sancerre, a couple of Burgundies for the Christmas dinner table, a fireside South African red and a Ruby Port to juice up any cheeseboard. 

 

Luxury Christmas Mixed Case 6x75CL (£211) 

One better than five gold rings: six solid-gold wines. This box of deluxe features a signature Sussex sparkler, a seafood-loving coastal Spanish white, a Cali Chardonnay and red Burgundy that might just be too good for turkey, a winter wonder Rhone red, and a vintage Port of unimpeachable pedigree. 

 

For heavenly hosting

CHRISTMAS MIXED PARTY CASE 12x75CL (£90)

We've got you covered for party wines, surprise visitors, sensibly priced gifts or just a night of opening something great without splurging out. Our party case comes in pairs of of everyday Butler's favourites: a Prosecco, two whites and a trio of reds to get any gathering going... without breaking the bank.

 

Just the ticket for choosy types

Gift vouchers - From £5

Wine nerds can be the most infuriating people to buy for, as fussy as a cat eating around a pill in its food. We're fooling nobody with our plastered-on smile as we open a nervously-chosen bottle of Campo Viejo (or even worse, the novelty corkscrew). So actually, if you feel all at sea trying to pick something that will go down well, gift vouchers are a genuinely thoughtful present. Why? Because for tragic bottle jockeys like us, the real gift is in the choosing. Trust us, it's kid in a sweetshop stuff.

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Phew, that's some gift list and we're all out of Christmas puns, so we'll leave it there for this year. Hope this helps you get through your Christmas shopping without any manger mishaps (look at that, turns out there was one left in the barrel after all).

Merry Christmas to you and yours. Here's to a happy, healthy and prosperous festive season!