Traveling with Wine....
 

I need to choose a Red Zin to give as a gift for my niece who will be hosting 12 relatives in her home over Christmas. (i'm one of them). I enjoy Ravenswood, The 7 Deadly Zins, and Rancho Zabaco, - any other favorites out there? I don't know alot of people who drink Red Zin and I like to get feedback from real people when it comes to Wine....

You can't go wrong with 7 Deadly Zins, or Zins from the Lodi area. Also, if you can find Segioso Old Vine Zin, or Stryker Old Vine Zin, they are wonderful.

I've never had a bottle from Ridge that I didn't like.

Cardinal Zin by Bonny Doone is not bad.

T-Vine makes a couple of amazing zins. They are very hard to come by but its worth the search.

You didn't set any price parameters so it is hard to make a suggestion since Zin's like most wines can run from about $10 to more than $50 per btl.
At the lower end I think Castle Rock is a very good value--around $9-10. Also Cline makes a good $10 (+-) Zin.
If price is not a concern Ridge, especially Geyserville would be a good choice ($30-$35). In between, Rosenblum makes very good wines in the mid teens to over $20 price range.