It’s wine’s season to shine—here’s what to serve, what to bring, what to gift!

bring the bubbles

This year’s Champagne Pommery Apanage limited edition World Collection box was inspired by the Kashmir region and makes for a pretty gift (to a favorite host). But the Champagne is so good you might just want to save it all for yourself.

With it’s austere and lean flavor profile, the added bonus is that you could serve this throughout your holiday meal. Lots of Champagnes are more brioche and wouldn’t be as good for food pairing, but this one is excellent. ($55 here)

dream of a white christmas 

Anyone else do Feast of the Seven Fishes? If so, or even if you just want white for your holiday meal, this is the time of year I always splurge on white Burgundy. White Burgundy is all Chardonnay, but is nowhere near the oaky, yellow apple fruit-forward Chardonnay most people might be used to. This is all silk and elegance, it’s one of my favorite wines.

Montagny is a great region to look for your holiday bottle, as it has Premier Cru vineyards but no Grand Cru ones so generally you can find similar quality but without the hyped-up prices. Try 2023 Domaine du Cellier aux Moines Montagny, Premier Cru “Les Charmelottes” Vielles Vignes 1939 – that’s a mouthful, but means the vines are almost 100 years old and impart more depth to the texture and minerality. ($100 here) 

go red like santa’s suit

If you fire up a filet mignon, you’ll want a decently robust red. I like to find ones with fruit that isn’t horribly over-baked, and Paso Robles tends to be a good region for that. This DAOU 2023 Reserve Seventeen Forty is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Cabernet Franc, 16% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, and gives blackberry and black plum with a little baking spice and dark chocolate that break up the fruit. ($80 here)

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