Over the holidays there is more to worry about than just figuring out what wines to serve at your own Christmas parties. Inevitably you will be invited to your friends house or even the boss may be throwing their own Christmas party. How do you figure out what exactly to bring? Let’s face it bringing a bottle of Yellow Tail just isn’t going to cut it around the holiday season.
The biggest faux pas I have witnessed countless times at the LCBO is someone asking the clerk to show them where the “expensive wine” can be found. The thing about wine is that price doesn’t necessarily dictate quality. That being said, amazing bottles of wine under the fifteen dollar price point are few and far between. That doesn’t mean that a great bottle of wine needs to break the bank. I find that you can get great wine right around the twenty dollar price point.
Now that we’ve set a budget, how do we navigate the shelves. Red or White? Argentinian or French? It can be difficult to bring something because everyone has the preferences and many wine lovers can be very picky. It is hard to please everyone but here are a few wines I have up my sleeve that I find to be pretty big crowd pleasers around the table at my home during the holidays.
Red
2012 Trius Red – Vintages 303800 – $20.95 (until Jan 4, then it is $22.95) – 2012 was a killer year for Ontario Red wines. This will make a great hosting gift because you can certainly drink it right now. But if your host decides to keep the bottle for themselves they will be able to keep it on their wine rack for a few years. This wine easily outperforms its price point. Frankly if someone were to bring me this bottle for the holidays it might fast track them for a promotion.
White
2012 Vineland Estates Elevation St. Urban Vineyard Riesling – Vintages 38117 – $19.95 – Riesling is perfect over the holidays because it goes great with Turkey or simple appetizers. This is an off-dry Riesling but you wouldn’t know it after drinking a few sips because of the balance between Sugar and Acid in the glass. This wine is also great to serve on it’s own with no food necessary.
Sparkling
2010 Featherstone Joy Premium Sparkling – Vintages 310334 – $34.95 – A bottle of Veuve Clicquot will set you back $67.95… and that is for entry level Champagne. That being said this wine is easily better than many champagnes on the shelf and at half the price. Don’t let the crown cap on the bottle fool you, it may look unconventional but this is a very serious wine. Sparkling pairs great with literally anything foodwise so it is a slam dunk for holiday entertaining.
Icewine
2013 Henry of Pelham Cabernet Icewine – Vintages 672402 – $39.95 – Icewine should be reserved for hosts that you really like. What many people don’t know is that you can get red Icewine. The flavours are more like Strawberry Rhubarb pie and the heavier flavours make it taste a little less sweet its white counterpart.
