The holidays are somehow already upon us (and yet, finally). We’ve already pushed past the Thanksgiving pants unbuttoning and into Hanukkah foreplay, but now it’s full force towards Festivus, Christmas, and the ever-disappointing New Years’ Eve. Which can mean only one thing: wine time.
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Where there’s wine, there’s inappropriate banter, anti-vaxxer jokes and the inevitably belligerent ramblings of your uncle who has always slurred a little outside the lines at the holidays for as long as you can remember. If you’re even a hair like us, it’s going to be nothing but over-the-top Christmas movie marathons and rowdy Christmas camaraderie with the boys. And even though whiskey and beer are heavy on our minds, you always have to save a little room for wine. Because nobody really counts wine towards your alcohol abuse, except the police, apparently.
With that said, we’ve picked our 11 favorite wines, perfectly suited to intoxicating your wintry holly days, just before they blow up in your face. They’re all endlessly delicious and highly accessible. And with that in mind, drink responsibly and enjoy the Mandatory Wine Lovers Guide, elegantly made for blowing up your holidays.
Cover Photo: Jay’s photo (Getty Images)
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Holiday Wine Guide 2021
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Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon
This cabernet sauvignon has a vintage of 2018. It’s a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Malbec, and 2% Petit Verdot. Made from grape grown on the steep hills of Veeder Hills Vineyards, it’s known for its notes of bitter chocolate, raspberries, vanilla, and oak.
Photo: Hess Persson
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Ehlers Estate Portrait 2016 Red Blend
This 2016 vintage from grapes grown in St. Helena, Napa Valley is a blend of 38% cabernet sauvignon, 34% cabernet franc, and 28% merlot. This results in a bold wine with notes of dried cherries, blackberries, oak, cinnamon, and just a kiss of smoke.
Photo: Ehlers Estate
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Avaline Rosé
It might seem like summer is rosé season, but we’re here to tell you that you can enjoy this ruby red, sweeter, fruity wine any time of year (especially during the winter). For a surprising $24 per bottle you can sip on a wine that will transport you to the summer days gone by with hints of melon, berries, and summery fruits.
Photo: Avaline
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Château de Nalys Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grand Vin 2017
Let’s just get past the name for a second. Sure, it seems like something you’d walk right by because it seems a little too fancy. But this French wine that was aged for 18 months (30% of the time in wooden barrels and 70% in concrete) is filled with flavors like berries, ripe cherries, woody oak, and slight spices can be yours for around $80 per bottle.
Photo: Vintus
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Hamel Wines Nuns Canyon Vineyard
This 100% cabernet blend has a vintage of 2017. The grapes used where grown during a strange year where the spring was overly wet and the summer was unseasonably hot. This created a wine with notes of ripe berries, sour cherries, stone fruits, oak, and a slight minerality throughout.
Photo: Hamer Family Wines
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Tank Garage 2019 MDNA, Mixed Blacks, Dry Creek Valley
Tank Garage isn’t your average, snooty wine brand. These wines are as delicious as they are whimsical. This winter, we suggest trying its 2019 MDNA, Mixed Blacks, Dry Creek Valley. It’s a mixture of 56% Zinfandel, 25% Petite Syrah, 12% Syrah, 5% Carignan, and 2% Malbec and carries flavors like dried cherries, ripe berries, and slight baking spices.
Photo: Tank Garage Wines
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Napa Valley Lion Tamer Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
This 2018 vintage cabernet sauvignon comes from the wine mecca of Napa Valley. But, unlike some of the bangers from this area, this wine won’t cost you a mortgage payment. For $60, you can snag a bottle of this red wine with notes of rich, woody oak, sour cherries, and stone fruits.
Photo: Hess Persson
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Cakebread Cellars Two Creeks Pinot Noir
Founded in 1973, Cakebread has been crafting award-winning wines in Mendocino County, California ever since. This 2019 vintage pinot noir has a surprisingly pleasant price tag of only $47.99 is highlighted with notes of dark chocolate, plums, and seasonal spices.
Photo: Cakebread Cellars
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The Prisoner Wine 2019 Saldo Red Blend
This wine is bargain priced at $32 so you won’t feel bad about brining it to a holiday gathering. A blend of zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, and petite syrah, it’s known for its flavors of woody oak, blackberries, seasonal spices, and sweet cherries.
Photo: The Prisoner
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19 Crimes Snoop Cali Red
A wine from Snoop Dogg might seem like a gimmicky money grab, but we’re here to assure you it isn’t. 19 Crimes, named for the convicts that were shipped to Australia between 1788 and 1868, is already well known for its high-quality wines. Snoop Cali Red continues this tradition with a bold, rich wine with oak undertones that work well with hints of stone fruit and dried cherries.
Photo: 19 Crimes
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Aperture 2018 Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 86 percent, Cabernet Sauvignon, 7 percent Malbec, 5 percent Merlot and 2 percent Petit Verdot. Because every little bit counts. It has an incredible perfume loaded with floral nuances, its cassis and boysenberry fruit tempered by a mineral streak and accented by notes of dried thyme, fresh tobacco leaves, mint chocolate, coffee and bay leaves. The palate is stunning, powerful but silky and fresh, lushly fruited and nuanced and finishing very long.
