Holiday wines under $18

‘Tis the season to be jolly! And what makes any event “jolly”? Wine, of course.

The wine shops carry a lot of outstanding wines at sensationally low prices. Most wine shops’ shelves are exploding with international varieties at reasonable prices.

There are many obscure wines produced in small batches and hard to find. The list I have attached are wines produced in larger batches and distributed at most major wine shops in the area.

Whether you are looking for a wine for the fishes on Christmas Eve, a wine for your Christmas dinner or a bottle of sparkling wine for New Year’s Eve, the recommendations below should give you an insight into the many choices.

At our house, we host a New Year’s Day party. Since it is a daytime event, as a host we have a lot of leverage. The foods served are varied and do not follow any rules. I am not a wine drinker who follows the seasonality of wines (meaning white and rose wines for the summer and red for the cooler months of the year).

Often I get overly excited to drink a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in the height of winter. The obvious grapefruit and melon flavors fill my palate and my brain with visions of the summer.

Wine can do that. It can transport you to memories of the past and visions of the future.

My holiday selections

Valdo Prosecco Brut (Sparkling wine, $12.99): This extra-dry sparkling wine is from the top Prosecco grape-growing area, Valdobbiadene, a town in the province of Treviso, Veneto, Italy. Pear and apple dominate your plate paired with crisp acidity.

Ritual 2011 Sauvignon Blanc (White, $17.99): Casablanca Valley in Chile is famous for its Sauvignon Blancs. Nestled between the Pacific coast and the Andes mountains, this grape-growing region produces wines with intense fruit flavors.

I found this wine to be clean, crisp, acidic and full of lime, pineapple and nectarine on the palate. The finish was long, rich and spicy.

Los Vascos 2011 Chardonnay (White, $9.99): Los Vascos is a venture that Domaine Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) manages (since 1988). It is located in the Colchagua Valley in Chile.

This Chardonnay is very characteristic of a stainless-steel Chardonnay, with perfume dominating the nose, followed by hazelnut, banana and pear. It is a wine that has good structure and does not dominate the palate. I believe it is a good food wine, in the same sense that Chianti is a pizza wine.

Cave de Lugny Blanc 2011 Chardonnay (White, $12.99): This fresh and fruity, floral and crisp stainless-steel Chardonnay is full of personality and flavor. The grapes are from Burgundy and represent the grapes from a single vineyard. This wine is lively and fun. It will be a true highlight at any holiday event.

Ritual 2011 Pinot Noir (Red, $17.99): Another winner from Chile. Full-flavor, not jammy, round with soft tannins. Think of raspberry with a hint of oak. The nose is intoxicating. This may be the only red wine to buy for the holidays.

Primus 2011 Malbec (Red, $14.99): This wonderful Malbec from Argentina has a violet and blackberry nose followed by raspberries, plums and blueberries initially on the palate and then by chocolate and tobacco. A long finish with smooth tannins helps make this a great wine, which should air for 30 minutes before being served.

Happy Holidays and thank you for reading my weekly column. Feel free to contact me at: WineFoodTravelArts@yahoo.com.

Posted by Phillip Kampe on December 20, 2012. Filed under Columns,Food,Opinion,Wine and Beyond. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry