11 Gourmet Gifts For Valentine's Day (Slideshow)

Almost everyone will be happy to receive chocolate as a Valentine's Day gift, after all who doesn't like chocolate? At Tradestone Confections you will find a unique selection of artisanal, handcrafted chocolates and gourmet confections brought to you by  restaurateur Chip Roman and Chocolatier Fred Ortega. "We both prize freshness and use local fruits, herbs, and dairy for as many items as possible," says Chip. "Savory ingredients inspire us and we combine elements that draw flavors out in unexpected ways.". For their full product, chocolate assortments and specialty seasonal packages – including the Valentine's Day Assortment visit their site!

Most of us know a die-hard food lover. So, why not get them something they'll really utilize? Check out SavorX where you'll be able to pick from over 100 different whole and ground fresh spices. "It's handcrafted, it's sexy, it's filled with gourmet spices, and it's truly unique." says spiceologist and founder, Pete Taylor. "If you're going to spend $100+ on roses, why not get them the ultimate food-lover gift instead?" According  to Taylor, , focus on spices that have 'great aphrodisiac qualities' including ― cinnamon, chili, ginger and vanilla to spice up your love life.

The Daily Meal readers will get free shipping if they use 'spicelover' as a promo code.

Sweetdragon Baking Company's handmade brittle make the perfect gift for anyone who likes nutty foods, prefer's their candies a little less sweet and are looking for something as an alternative to chocolate. Owner Hway-ling Hsu recommends either the 4-piece (containing their most popular flavors, Burnt Almond, Day at the Ballpark, Coconut Cashew, and Black Sesame) or 8-piece (containing the 4 brittles above plus four others)) sampler packs specifically for Valentine's Day.  She says "Samplers are good for hungry people who like to have a choice, curious people who like to try new foods, generous people who like to share, guests who want to bring an excellent hostess gift, and everyone else!' Sweetdragon invite you to pick out your own specific requests too. 

Chances are that you've stood at the wine store before, faced with a wall of wine and wondered what to buy. Tasting Room by Lot18 solves this problem by creating the most personalized wine buying experience on the market, as it is the first wine club that allows customers to taste and rate mini bottles of various wines before they blindly commit to a full case. Gifting Tasting Room by Lot18 ensures the lucky recipient is given the exact wines they want, even if they don't know what that is yet.  As an added bonus, if you purchase the kit in advance of Valentine's Day, you get a two in one―a wine tasting for the special night and then wines that will arrive in the mail as a gift as a reminder of your love!

The team at Tasting Room by Lot18 is extending a discount to The Daily Meal readers! Follow this link to buy your tasting kit for just $6.95 (instead of $9.95)!

Call us crazy, but beer and beer making can be pretty romantic. How, you ask? Because if you love cooking with your loved ones, you'll love making beer. Brooklyn Brew Shop is built  on the principles that making beer – real beer, from real ingredients – could be simple, tasty, and more importantly, fun. They have created stylish brewing kits especially for stove-top brewing and ingredient mixes for seasonally-inspired beers. Each kit comes complete with  all of the equipment and ingredients you need to make your first 1-gallon batch of beer; a fermenter, racking cane, thermometer, airlock, screwtop stopper, tubing clamp, and sanitizer, plus the grains, hops, and yeast that make up your beer.  

If you're bewildered by beer kit choices, their best seller is "the Everyday IPA (a very well-balanced beer that is drinkable year-round and if you're looking for something for the season, we now sell Warrior Double IPA (just an explosion of hops, for those who love hoppy IPAs) and Oatmeal Stout (think a creamy, rich stout)," explains Marcy Franklin of Brooklyn Brew Shop.  

CustoCookie is a create-your-own cookie company – essentially the 'Build-a- Bear Workshop' of the cookie world. Customers are given full control to mix and match their favorite cookie combinations. First you start with the cookie base (chocolate, butter, or classic)before you choose from a variety of ingredients to get baked in. The company will then individually wrap and ship them to your doorstep. There are several holiday-themed ingredients to add to the cookies or you can just select their Valentine's Day offering. "A CustoCookie gift shows someone that you spent the time to create something to their taste," explains cofounder Ray Hastings. "Other gifts look nice, but this gift also tastes great too!"

Vegan Divas, the gluten-free and vegan bakery located on New York's Upper East Sidehas come up with a gluten-free Valentine's chocolate cake with a twist. Each cake comes packaged in a bright red recyclable heart-shaped tin  with a unique surprise quote from Shakespeare or Osho inside, when you open it up. "I would describe this cake as "elegant" because it's very light yet rich because of the intense flavor of the chocolate and almond flour and the light layer of chocolate filling," says owner and chef Fernanda Capobianco.  

The cake costs $52 and is available for shipping anywhere in the country.

For the haters, cynical or anyone who may have recently been dumped and would rather pretend Valentine's Day isn't actually happening, here's an alternative gift idea that might actually put a semi-smile on their miserable faces. E-Creamery is offering an Anti-Valentine's Day package featuring 4 different flavors – "Glad I Didn't Send Flowers?"-Chocolate with Chocolate Chunks, "Cupid's Comfort"-Strawberry Ice Cream, "Love Bites"-Cookies & Cream and "Single is Sweeter"-Mint Chip.

"The Anti-Valentine's Day Package is meant to bring a laugh and some delicious comfort to anyone who may have a reason not to be thrilled about the upcoming holiday," says eCreamery founder Becky App "There are a lot of very high expectations centered on Valentine's Day. So it makes sense that it may be met with mixed emotions. We like to think ice cream makes any situation better and the best medicine for a breakup/fight with a significant other/no date on Valentine's Day is to curl up on the couch with a pint of ice cream."

Do you know someone of a certain age who love to cook and bake but finds it a challenge to read the recipes without resorting to reading glasses? Allow us to introduce ChefSpecs. "This is a perfect gift for anyone who needs glasses to read recipes or labels, and even more perfect if the "giftee" often loses their glasses," says creator Paula Forberg Beritzhoff. "With ChefSpecs' clever features – magnetic caddy, dishwasher safe glasses and antifog lens cleaner – these readers will stay in the kitchen where cooks want them, when they need them."

Alternatively,  a pair of NiteSpecs, with their tiny LED lights that can be turned on when needed, would be a beneficial gift for people who find themselves holding up their cell phones or votive candles to be able to read the menu in a romantic, dimly lit restaurant. There are 5 colors to choose from, but red would make the perfect choice for a Valentine's Day gift. 

Tea time? DesignaTea.com makes the ideal present for those individuals for whom a china cup of English Breakfast (or Earl Grey) is a matter of life or death.  This artisanal tea-blending company, allows you to customize the flavor for your loved one. Additionally, you can specifically create a personal message or picture on the front of the label. "How unique would it be if you received a tea packet that said  "I Love You Rosy Lee or even a simple message such as "Thinking of you," explains founder Brian Pfeiffer. If you're not familiar with tea blends and don't know your Rooibos from your Oolong, the company suggest emailing them directly for help.  "Together with some questioning, we both can come up with the "most unique" label out there," says Pfeiffer. "A one of a kind gift for a one of a kind person/relationship!"

The Daily Meal Readers will get $2 off each order when they use coupon code 'ILIKEYOU'.

Show your pet just how much you appreciate all the unconditional love they give you everyday with their own Valentine's Day box filled with delicious organic treats.This 6-and-a-half inch, velvet heart-shaped box has a satin bow and gift tag to personalize this special gift with your pet's name on. It contains 15 treats: 8 assorted cookies, 6 assorted truffles and 1 bon bon. Still looking for more ideas to show your special furry friend how much you love them? There's also Valentine Bon Bons, Snickerdoodles, or a box of Pupcakes to pick from. All treats are safe for pets to consume!