Essential Holiday Wines
The holidays are the busiest time of the year. No one has time to worry about what type of wine will pair best with their holiday meals or what wine is best to bring to the company holiday party. We’ve put together six wines that will solve all of your problems, reduce your stress and get you in the holiday spirit. These wines are from some of the best wine regions of the world, made by fantastic winemakers and pair well with a wide variety of foods. There’s something for every wine lover and occasion in this holiday six!
Whites
La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, California
Chardonnay is a fan favorite and a wonderful wine to pair with a holiday meal. La Crema Winery makes a unique style of California Chardonnay with layers of fruit notes and a hint of lemon meringue pie, creaminess and a long finish. Classic pairings for this wine are shrimp, scallops, roasted chicken and butternut squash risotto. Sonoma Coast’s cool climate inspires the La Crema winemaking team to make this Burgundian-style Chardonnay.
Ruffino Prosecco, Italy
There is no better way to usher in the holidays and celebrate family and friends than with a toast with sparkling wine. Ruffino Winery has been making wine in Italy and celebrating the holidays for hundreds of years. This Prosecco is what the Italians call frizzante, meaning lightly sparkling, with about half the bubbles of a Champagne. It’s made in the Veneto region of Northeast Italy, in the hills overlooking Venice. A great choice to kick off your holiday party!
Relax Riesling, Germany
Riesling is one of the world’s finest grape varieties. This traditional German wine has natural high acidity and depth of flavor making it a wonderful food pairing wine. Relax Riesling has a slight amount of residual sugar for those that might like a wine with some balanced sweetness to it. Mildly sweet wines pair with spicy foods and will pair nicely with a cheese and meat tray. Relax Riesling will make a wonderful addition to your party and will truly be a crowd pleaser.
Reds
Meiomi Pinot Noir, California
Meiomi appeared in stores several years ago and quickly became many people’s favorite wine. From the Wagner family wines, makers of Caymus Cabernet from Napa Valley, this wine is fruit forward with spicy tannins with depth and complexity. Pinot Noir is such a versatile food wine, pairing with almost anything you’re serving. The grapes for Meiomi Pinot Noir are sourced from three coastal regions of California, some of the best vineyards for Pinot Noir in the world.
Coppola Claret, California
Claret is a term coined by British wine lovers around a hundred years ago. It references a Bordeaux style wine blend, typically Cabernet Sauvignon heavy blends. This wine is a similar blend of grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Petit Sirah and Malbec. This is a perfect big, bold wine to pair with your dinners that feature beef as the entrée. It would also make for a nice gift for people on your list who like wines in this category.
Tribute Cabernet Sauvignon, California
Tribute Winery features wines from California’s Central Coast region, a perfect growing area for wine grapes. This Cabernet comes from certified sustainable vineyards from several different quality growing regions. It’s a big, bold wine, with balanced tannins and acidity. It would pair perfectly with the charcuterie tray at a party, especially if there’s smoked cheddar. This wine will also pair with pasta with red sauce and beef dishes for your dinner party.