No-Brainer Holiday Wine Ideas: from What to Pour, to Boss & Co-Worker Gifts

Wine is both an entirely festive way to celebrate the holiday season and a winning approach for gift-giving. The trouble is knowing what to pour - when - and what to gift - to whom. Are we right?

This holiday season we're giving the gift that keeps on giving - easy answers. Below, you'll find wine solutions for your party planning conundrums as well as ideas for gift giving - from stemware to great reads.

Remember, there's naturally some overlap - often wine itself is a wonderful solution in and of itself. So take these ideas and run with them. You're sure to hit the nail on the head with a touch of your own personalization.

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Sparkling Wines

From hosting to gifting, sparkling wine is a foolproof way to bring a natural, festive flare to bear. If you don't know your recipient (or his/her tastes) well, they are also a great answer to The Personalization Problem. No matter what, they add levity - and New Year's is a built-in opportunity to open and enjoy.

Here is our own Guide for Selecting the Right Sparkling Wine for the Occasion.

Need specific ideas?  Some of our favorite sparkling wines this year can be found below, beginning with the most affordable styles (e.g. Prosecco + Cava) to the most baller (Champagne). (Note: These specific wines are available to those of us shopping in the Greater Boston area. You can ask your local retailer to order any wine they don't stock.)
 

Marsuret Prosecco  |  Veneto, Italy (Valdobbiane)
Deliciously quaffable and festive, Prosecco wines have taken the world by storm. Here the Marsura family stays true to their 80-year tradition to produce a particularly winning option: zesty, delicately pear-nuanced with a touch more pizzazz than its counterparts.

When/For Whom? Cost-effective, basic bubbly that delivers a festive element/gesture. Ideal for any and everyday - from a holiday brunch to topping-off a "champagne" cocktail.

Dibon Cava  |  Penedes, Spain
Cava drinkers have gotten the memo for a footloose and fancy free sparkling beverage that’s closer to proper Champagne for its toasty notes and fleshier texture – at a fraction of the price. Frothy and fruit forward, Dibon delivers memorable peach and orange notes, backed by hazelnuts and citrus zest.

When/For Whom? Casually festive and versatile, but with a bit more to it. Appropriate to serve during cocktail hour, offer for a festive toast, or even segway into the first course. An affordable way to thank/appreciate colleagues, or supply a casual host/ess gift.


Cave de Saumur Crémant de Loire "49M"   |  Loire, France
Crémant wines come from elite regions of France - outside of Champagne - and are goldmines for exceptional sparklers. This hidden gem from one of our favorite CO-Ops is both charming and dry - and bursting with familiar fruit nuance. You can't go wrong with 49 Million, tiny, crowd-pleasing bubbles!

When/For Whom? Crémant wines are our Go-Tos because they are perfect for dialing things up a notch, without anyone knowing how much you spent. You'll be winning with a ~$20 budget.

Taittinger 2008 Brut Champagne  |  Champagne, France
This is the real deal, and then some. Featuring the 2008 vintage alone, this blend of all 3 legally-permitted Champagne grapes delivers tell-tale orchard fruits, a hint of stone fruits and mouthwatering citrus. Better still, its decadent brioche side makes you wonder if you just stepped into a Parisian bakery. . .

When/For Whom? To make an impression - this is brilliant, baller bubbly! Gift to your boss or open with really, really good friends.


Westport Rivers "RJR" Brut Sparkling Wine   |  Westport, Massachusetts
Massachusetts' own Westport Rivers Winery kills it when it comes to sparkling wine. And the RJR is their flagship - separating itself with a frothy, creamy mousse and giving you flashbacks to an autumnal New England picnic. (Bonus - this wine has been on the White House's go-to list!)

When/For Whom? Whenever you need a secret weapon or a local treat to gift/serve. Typically c. $37/bottle, we saw it recently for just c. $20!

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choosing wines: Gifting + Celebrating

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1.    Looking to make a BIG splash? Whether throwing a party or looking to impress your gift-recipient, this trick never fails.
 

2.    You can also boost your party vibe with a creative approach to wine selection that mitigates fussiness for you - and ensures guests stay engaged in the fun otherwise. Here's How.
 

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beyond the bottle: the Essentials

STEMWARE.   There's no need to geek-out on this one. Simply give a great glass that works perfectly well for wines of ALL colors. Our pick is the Vinum Riedel Extreme Series. We use the (white) Sauvignon Blanc option for ALL of the wines we taste/evaluate - red, white or pink. We love the sleekness of the glass as much as its versatility. (If you specifically know your recipient is a red wine fan, you could opt for their Bordeaux/Cabernet/Merlot glass instead. Don't overthink it beyond that!)
 

DECANTER.   Did you know, there are 5 Good Reasons to Use a Decanter Everyday? And this essential tool isn't in everyone's at-home wine supplies repertoire - yet. You can use the holidays to change that with a lovely gift.

Here's one suggestion - a half bottle size. It won't break the bank - and offers a sweet alternative to decanting an entire bottle (not to mention delivering a user-friendly nudge toward that ideal everyday use).
 

GREAT READS, BY INTEREST. 

for Fans of History, Villains + Heroes, or Fiction/Non-Fiction Crossover Reads:  American Wine: A Coming of Age Story

for the Seasoned:  The World Atlas of Wine

for the Novice:  Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine

for the Foodie: What to Drink with What You Eat

2 Easter Wines That Out-Do Them All

EasterWines

The best part about Easter is that no matter when it actually falls on the calendar, it beckons and embraces Spring. It is a time to open the windows, set your table with bright colors, and pull the gang out of hibernation for a festive get-together. The wines you choose, naturally, must rise to this occasion; they must meet their match and over-deliver on the fresh and delight-ing scale! If you choose to serve the "traditional" Easter Ham, leg of Lamb, Sunday brunch, or none of the above - we have the answer for both a red and white selection. In fact, these two slam-dunk wines out do them all - and not just on a 'normal' assessment scale either (read: bouquet, flavor, and texture). Oh, no. The best part is that these wines are virtually unknown entities. Your guests (or your host and their guests) will simply be left to sip and enjoy a serious Ah-ha! sample, likely interrupting all other conversation with their delighted revelation and subsequent inquiries about what magic could possibly be before them. Here we go!

Verus Dry Furmint ~ Slovenia

A guest at a recent Pour Favor tasting said that he is more "judgmental" of whites than reds - for him they have a greater risk of disappointment and need to offer something particularly intriguing on the nose to capture his interest and then follow through on the palate. While our own team can agree or disagree with such sentiment, the point is very well taken. This is not an uncommon feeling. Fortunately we have the remedy this Easter: the Verus Dry Furmint will get you fully on board the white wine bandwagon - or absolutely blow you away, if you are already a white wine aficionado!

Here was our play-by-play reaction during our last encounter with this gorgeous, expressive wine:

A touch of smokey petrol leads way to chalk and talc, clean earth - wow, like spring rain on gravel; kind of ocean-spray minerality; no - it's the aftermath of a monsoon! Fresh rain and wet earth, stones and cut grass - and that's just the nose! [Insert Taste...] Wow, the palate is just as bright - I'm getting white peach and a kiwi note with a lot of mouthwatering Granny Smith apple; but all of the dimension from the nose is playing out, too. And, nice, the finish has a really great bite of scallion, too."

And those, friend, are the notes of a woman in love! Such complexity, freshness and familiar notes are more rare than they are regular (good news/bad). Generally speaking, this extraordinary dry white sets a very high bar; but the acidity, weight and dynamic flavor composition are just what we're looking for when it comes time to gather friends for a meal - and in this case, are the makings for a fabulous springtime Easter fest!

Of course, don't get distracted - remember we also promised you lesser-known finds for this great feast... so note that this white takes you to Slovenia! Arguably the only reason the world doesn't yet know Slovenian wines is political. They have, however, been making wines there since before the Romans even got a whiff of the idea. Exploring the Verus Dry Furmint is both a wine lover's and a nature lover's dream. Enjoy!

Domaine Skouras Aghiorgitiko ~ Peloponese

While great white wines (clearly) more than just tickle our fancy, there are equally great reds to behold! And we believe every good host should offer both a "House White" and a "House Red" selection for all to explore at any given meal, let alone a feast. As such, we take you and your guests next to another historic producing region: Peloponese, Greece!

Here Aghiorgitiko (Eye-Oh-Reet-EeK-O (say it fast)) is the flagship red varietal - and Skouras makes a charming, yet enjoyably complex example. An oh-so-slightly lighter-bodied red wine, St. George (aka Aghiorgitiko) wines can deliver a subtle, Old World earthy twist on the more familiar. Skouras respects and nurses this natural tendency, gingerly oaking the wine simply to add texture, and not to detract from the red fruits and other nuances therein. Yes, this is a wine that easily reminds the palate of the incredible, French Pinot Noirs hailing from Burgundy.  Subtle herbs and dried earth notes glide across the palate in a smooth, sultry rush of flavor. Incredibly versatile, this is a wine that just gets started at Easter, but will consistently impress and delight you through Thanksgiving!

It's just too fun to get back on the swing set, kick your legs up in the air and take a ride down the slide. Our sandbox is your sandbox! Embrace this opportunity to out do them all. Cheers!