By David Setley
Ah, December…when jingle bells aren’t the only bells ringing. Ding dong! You answer your door to find unexpected guests on your doorstep saying “Surprise – Happy Holidays!” Sound familiar? But what do you do? A bottle of wine on hand as a quick gift or a means of entertaining unanticipated company would surely keep things festive. This week, allow me to offer suggestions for maintaining an emergency holiday stash of wines from around the world. Just dub me “Santa Somm”!
To add to your holiday décor and/or provide a last-minute gift or refreshment, Germany offers two wines in bottles shaped like Christmas trees. Decorated with beautiful holiday images, the two wines are classic Rheinhessen varietals: the white is a Riesling and the red is a Dornfelder. Both wines are semi-sweet and perfect as a welcome wine or as a gift for those who prefer a less dry wine.
Italy offers a collection of wines that have become a holiday tradition on many tables with labels that showcase attractive holiday images. The Italian Christmas Wine collection includes a white wine (Pinot Grigio, from Venezie), a red wine (Sangiovese, from Puglia), and a sparkling wine (Asti, from the Piedmont). Don’t let the idea of a gimmick or the fact that these are reasonably priced make you think they are mediocre, however. They are incredibly good and perfect for gift-giving or serving to guests.
You may recall that I’ve written about Georgia and Greece being among the first countries to make wine from grapes in previous articles. As Santa Somm, I encourage you to look at these regions for some very unique wines. From Georgia, the Rosha Winery-Timothée Rkatsiteli is a rich, amber white wine or the Dila-o-Saperavi is an excellent dry, medium-bodied and food-friendly red wine. Saperavi is the most planted red wine grape in the region. Both wines are fermented in large clay pots called “qvevri.” Both are delicious and noteworthy wines that are sure to spark conversation. From Greece, the Denthis-Eklektikon-Stamnaki Assyrtiko is a dry, light white wine from the Peloponnese region. In Greece, a stamnaki is a clay vessel used to store wine. The label of this wine showcases the vessel. Impress your friends and family with this unique wine that is likely new to them!
Spain and Portugal also offer outstanding wines to treat your friends and family (or yourself) with this holiday season. Santa Somm recommends the Ladera Sagrada-Castelo do Papa Godello, from the northern region of Valdeorras in Spain. An intensely flavorful dry white wine, this is a great alternative to Chardonnay without the oaky notes. I’m confident this will be your new winter white. Or, for a delicious, bold red wine, try the Cartuxa-Evora Tinto from the Alentejo region. This wine has gathered high ratings from wine critics around the world and gets three “hos” (the highest rating) from Santa Somm.
French wine is often on every wine enthusiast’s wish list. Most are familiar with the wine regions of Champagne, Burgundy, and Bordeaux, but fewer know much about Loire Valley or the Languedoc Roussillon. From the Loire Valley subregion of Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine, try the wonderful Domaine de la Bregeonnette Muscadet. Now, you may assume a Muscadet will be a sweet white wine due to its similarity in name to sweet Moscato; au contraire! The aroma of this wine is light and floral and is among the driest of white wines. It’s a recommendation that Santa Somm is confident will impress. Or, from the Languedoc Roussillon region in the south of France, try the Domaine Massiac – ‘les Sentelles’. This is a complex, dry red wine blend of Syrah and Carignan that is more earthy than fruity. It pairs well with almost anything and will not disappoint.
As you may know, California is famous for Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. However, there are two lesser-known wines that Santa Somm believes California does better than anywhere else: Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. The Et Cetera Zinfandel is produced by Weinhorn Estates, a collaboration between first cousins and notable winemakers: David Duckhorn and Ryan Weinert. The aroma and flavor characteristics of the Et Cetera Zin include cherries, plums, dark chocolate and cardamom. It’s good enough to even be left out for Santa alongside those Christmas Eve cookies. Or for perhaps my all-time favorite Petite Sirah, reach for the J. Lohr-Tower Road Petite Sirah. J. Lohr is in Paso Robles and is one of California’s most well-known wineries. You can’t go wrong with this one.
So there you have it. Hopefully, the holiday disaster of being caught unprepared is averted! Make the holiday season an opportunity to explore some of these recommendations with your family and friends. As always, contact me with any questions at dsetley@passionvines.com. Until next time, happy wining! Santa Somm, out.
David Setley is enjoying his retirement from higher education as a wine educator and certified sommelier at Passion Vines in Somers Point, New Jersey.
