Great Wines & Spirits for the Holidays

Editor’s note: Catherine Fallis is the ultimate consumer wine advocate. The fifth woman in the world to earn the title of Master Sommelier, she is known as the Grape Goddess®, and is the creator of Planet Grape Wine Review, the first female-led wine review platform in the US. Her most recent book is Ten Grapes to Know, The Ten and Done Wine Guide, it includes over 375 recommended wines, many under $20. Check out her author page to find all her books.

What a year. Though the challenges we continue to face are daunting, it is a good time to take a moment to reflect upon the good things, to be grateful for them, and to be generous with yourself and others. Donate, volunteer, smile and be kind. To make your life easier, we have curated a short list of well-priced, widely available wines and spirits to help you through the gamut of gifting and entertaining with wine, albeit on a much smaller scale this year.

We taste hundreds of wines and spirits each year at Planet Grape Wine Review with the goal of finding the best products on the market. You can rely on us to narrow your shopping window and direct you only to the best products out there.

We do recommend that you stock up on inexpensive wine glasses just in case. Crate & Barrel is our go-to for stemless glasses and Nattie wine glasses.

Casual Sipping & Sharing

Nv Torres Vina Esmeralda Classic Mediterranean Sparkling Brut Spain $21

This sparkling Moscatel is lively and dry with lingering, fine bubbles and notes of lemon bar, peach, dried pineapple, chamomile and hay bale, and it is vegan. I love this as a starter with yellowtail sashimi with black sesame seeds, or with a platter of Manchego Curado (cured) and Marcona almonds.

2018 Terroirs du Vent La Violette Viognier Pays d’Oc France $14

This light-bodied French Viognier is fresh, delicate and dry with notes of apricot, peach, yellow rose and tuberose. Make a bridge to the apricot notes in the wine with apricots in the food – try an apricot compote served with quinoa or a seared pork chop. Viognier tends to be both rare and pricey. This is also an outstanding value.

2019 Portillo Chardonnay Valle de Uco Mendoza Argentina $10

This round, bright and sweet tart South American Chardonnay from Bodegas Salentein has notes of lemon meringue pie, fresh cantaloupe, grilled peach, dried pineapple and toasted coconut. Not only is it a steal at $10 for a ripe, mid-weight Chardonnay, it is delicious with fish tacos.

2017 Bottega Vinaia Pinot Noir Trentino Alto Adige Italy $18

For fans of French Pinot Noir - Red Burgundy, here is a much wallet-friendlier option from northern Italy. This Pinot Nero, Italian for Pinot Noir, is light, lithe, dry and tart with notes of lemon zest, cranberry, raspberry, cherry and pink rose. It is absolutely delicious with grilled portobello mushrooms on pizza or polenta.

2017 Wakefield Cabernet Sauvignon Promised Land Clare Valley South Australia $18

This South Australian Cabernet Sauvignon strikes a beautiful balance between ripeness, body and oak, and is a score under $20! It is full, supple, fresh and dry with notes of blueberry, blackberry, cherry, fig, bay leaf, cedar and maple smoked bacon. Try it with steak kebabs or a plant burger.

2015 Dow’s Late Bottled Vintage Port $24

This rich, full and lightly sweet port with notes of chocolate covered cherry, creme de cassis, espresso and black pepper is a rare find - vintage dated but already exposed to some oxygen giving it shelf stability for weeks after opening. This port is delicious as a reduction over venison or poached pears, with the Fiscalini Farmstead San Joaquin Gold Cheese, or with a Devil’s Food chocolate cake.

Serious Sipping & Savoring

Nv Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Rosé Champagne $87

This blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay is fragrant and elegant with very fine lasting bubbles and notes of raspberry jam, cherry clafoutis, ginger wafer and chalk. Rosé Champagne is rich and pairs beautifully even with gamey meats such as lamb. It is delicate enough though to enjoy with salmon roe caviar with crème fraiche.

2018 Wrath Chardonnay San Saba Chalone Monterey California $49

San Saba, one of several sites winemaker Sabrine Rodems works with, is just south of the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation about 25 miles south of downtown Monterey. Like the other elegant Wrath wines, this Chardonnay is light, fresh, creamy and dry with notes of lemon curd, bosc pear, wheat cracker and unsalted butter. Prepare some fresh cracked crab with drawn butter and enjoy

Dutton Goldfield Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley Sonoma California $45

Partners Steve Dutton (farmer) and Dan Goldfield (vintner) specialize in single site Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from across northern California. Dan’s style is to let the vineyard’s personality shine through, rather than a signature winemaking style. The classic Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir is lightly chewy, fresh, dry and tart with notes of cherry, blackberry, black licorice, mushroom and tea leaf. Pick up on the mushroom in the wine and pair with a creamy mushroom risotto, or with a festive spiral cut glazed ham.

2006 Florio Targa Marsala Superiore Riserva Semisecco Sicily Italy 500ml $20

This is not your grandmother’s cooking marsala, a fortified wine found in kitchens on land and sea around the world. Florio, founded by Vincenzo Florio in 1833, is one of the top producers in Sicily, the largest isle in the Mediterranean. This 100% Grillo fortified wine is rich, silky and lightly sweet with notes of mushroom broth, golden raisin, almond sliver and creme brûlée. Not sweet enough for desserts beyond pastries/cookies, it is ideal with earthy cheese such as the Cypress Grove Bermuda Triangle, a triangular shaped goat cheese from foggy Humboldt County.

For the Cellar

2018 Merisi Petite Sirah Diener Vineyard Lake County California $40

Petite Sirah is that all-American wine known for a robust, spicy bite and lavish sweet American oak notes. Winemaker and owner Mandy Donavan named the winery in a nod to Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Her non-interventionist style allows the healthy fruit from this steep, hillside Lake County vineyard to show its color and personality rather than winemaking. The wine is rich, supple, ripe and dry with notes of blueberry, mulberry, fig, plum, spearmint, dill, maple and clove. It is excellent with grilled sausages, bavette or ribeye steak

2016 Mastroberardino Radici Taurasi Campania Italy $60

From the family who put Campania, and Aglianico on the map, this iconic wine, one of the best reds of the south, is savory, gripping and fresh with notes of raspberry, black cherry, brie, mushroom, foie gras, cedar and nutmeg. 10-20 years of aging will reward you with a smooth, supple texture and a more finely knitted expression, but with aeration in an oversized decanter, it will open sooner, especially when paired with rich, meaty dishes or a lusty ragu Napoletano (no garlic).

Spirited Selections

Broken Shed Vodka New Zealand $30

Lake Wanaka in New Zealand’s South Island is pristine, and one of the most highly photographed lakes in the world. Two American ex-pats came up with the idea of creating an earth-friendly gluten free vodka while sitting in a lake side broken shed there. Made of whey distillate, mineral and spring waters, and triple distilled, this unique, smooth vodka is crisp, clean, full and complex with notes of macaroon, lemongrass and pepper. Gluten free, additive free and sugar free.

Partida Tequila Blanco Jalisco Mexico $38

Named after local agave grower Enrique Partida, this highly rated unaged Tequila originates from 7-10 year old, 100 pound agave plants harvested from red volcanic soil in the Tequila valley/lowlands area of Jalisco. It is smooth and spicy with notes of white pepper, grilled bell pepper, charred mushroom and cigar box.

Dos Maderas 5 + 5 PX Aged Rum Guyana/Barbados/Jerez de la Frontera $42

Williams and Humbert, producers of Dry Sack Sherry and Gran Duque de Alba brandy in Spain, source both robust Guyana and sweet, delicate Barbardos rums, both aged 5 years in cask, then bring them to Jerez de la Frontera for aging 3 years in ex-Palo Cortado casks, and then another 2 years in ex-Pedro Ximenez casks, which lends a sweet, oxidative note. PX or Pedro Ximenez is an intensely sweet style of sherry. This is one of the most unique rums in the world.