Sparkling Holidays

The Pilgrims were a grim lot, partly from their outlook and partly from their situation. Too bad they didn’t know about Champagne.

Santa, on the other hand, probably does, and, with their red noses, he and Rudolph may have to enroll in Sober January.

Yes, we’re at that time again to celebrate the winter holidays, and, as my friend and wine merchant Linda Collier is fond of saying, “You can’t have an event without starting with bubbly.”

We have almost a dozen of them below from sekt to Champagne as well as a very nice Port and several American reds to enjoy – the first installment of holiday wines.

NV Famille Perrin “La Vielle Ferme” Vin de France Sparkling Blanc ($9). Good bubbles with tart apple flavors and some minerality. Bargain price.

NV Alma Negra Mendoza Brut Nature ($11). Nice tart orange flavor, with light tannins and good bubble intensity.

NV Famille Perrin “La Vielle Ferme” Vin de France Sparkling Rosé ($13). Good everyday drinking with refreshing rosewater and red cherry flavors.

NV Amirault Crémant de Loire Brut ($22). Full-bodied with intense bubbles, lots of apple flavors, a few savory notes.

NV Miguel Torres “Estelado” Chile Brut Rosé ($22). Good bubble intensity with mild apple fruitiness. A little light in the finish.

NV Uspallata Mendoza Brut Nature Sparkling Wine ($29). Not a very intense bubbly, but with good flavors of strawberries and raspberries.

NV Amirault “Les Quarterons” Crémant de Loire Brut ($39). Lots of rich bubbles with quince and apple fruits and brioche savories, some yeasty notes, hints of cooperage – very enjoyable.

NV Loimer Austrian Sekt Extra Brut Reserve ($39). Charming blend of apple fruitiness and a pleasant touch of brioche and earthiness – fruity but savory as well.

NV Loimer Austrian Sekt Brut Rosé Reserve ($45). Flavors of light cherries and Asian pears with a rich texture – very satisfying.

NV Loimer Langenlois Grosse Reserve Blanc de Blancs Sekt ($77). Rich and full-bodied with notes of tangy apple and pear, with some toastiness and a hint of eau-de-vie flavors.

NV Delamotte Blanc de Blanc Champagne ($89). Light gamey aromas with mellow fruitiness and notes of brioche and cracked grains with good bubble intensity, especially up front.

2023 Stag’s Leap Winery Napa Valley Chardonnay ($30). A good combo of mellow apple and light toastiness with a hint of citrus.

2022 Dossier Wine Collective Columbia Valley Viognier ($58). Viognier is a difficult grape to get right, and it’s done right in this one – voluptuous, fragrant fruit without being sweet, even with a hint of candied fruit in the finish. Great sippin’.

2020 Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($40). Full-bodied but delightfully lean in structure, a classic and bargain Napa old-style Cab with black cherry and blackberry flavors and some savory notes.

2022 J Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($47). Lovely, rounded, light and savory dark cherry flavors, well-balanced, clean and satisfying.

2022 Bledsoe Family Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon ($53). Nice blend of cherry and savory herb flavors, well-balanced with good texture – and a note of chewy cherry stems at the finish. Very satisfying.

2021 Stag’s Leap Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($70). Straightforward smooth berry flavors with medium weight and a little light on apparent tannins.

2022 Bledsoe-McDaniels Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($80). Very nice – lean in the Burgundy style with nice structure and lovely dark cherry fruit in the finish.

2021 Rombauer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($80). Cherry and blackberry flavors of medium intensity, a touch on the rough side, with lots of dusty tannins.

2022 Domaine Curry “Founders Blend” Napa Valley Red Wine ($85). Mellow with lightly creamy blackberry fruit and nice dusty tannins – a good food wine, if not an overly complex one.

2022 Domaine Curry Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($100). Dark blackberry flavors with a hint of chocolate and perhaps a little butterscotch with tones of fresh oak and lots of dusty tannins.

2021 Dossier Wine Collective “Index” Columbia Valley Red Wine ($110). This one takes a while to wake up after opening. When it does, it’s a good mix of red and black fruits – some cherries, some blackberry, some elderberry – and a little tart in the finish.

2021 Paul Hobbs “Nathan Combs Estate” Coombsville Cabernet Franc ($210). Smooth, concentrated flavors of blackberry, dark chocolate and walnut-flavored tannins along with other savory notes – just a gorgeous and complex wine.

Graham’s 20-Year Old Tawny Port ($68). Lovely mature fruit aromas followed by delicious combo of rich dark fruits and roasted nuts – like an adult fruit cake.

Prices listed are generally SRP or from wine-searcher.com. As more wineries are now shipping direct-to-consumer, check the winery website if you can’t find a bottle in your retail store.