Tonight at dinner, my parents were discussing the best gift options for my dad to give his company employees for Christmas. Sees candy? No, too generic. Christmas bark? Nah, too cliche. Prepackaged goodies? No…too “feminine,” according to my dad (don’t ask me). After considerable discussion, they wound up deciding on Dad’s go-to every year: a bottle of wine. Not the most original, but, as my dad said, “You can’t go wrong with wine.”

And really….you can’t. I’ve never known anyone to turn down a bottle of wine. Ever. Even my non-wine drinking friends don’t turn it down. I mean can you blame them? I like to think of wine as the liquid Christmas cookie…for adults. Ok, maybe a stretch, but around this time of year, a good, robust wine is just as important to our family dinners as the prime rib! Every Christmas we open some vintage (and I mean vintage…circa 2002) reds that generally blow our socks off. So if you’re even a little like we are, or you just plain like wine, here’s your guide to wine this holiday season, at various price ranges and flavor profiles!

In general (and this is strictly my own opinion here), I like to pair the lighter wines, both red and white, with some lighter meals, like pasta and fish. I generally like to start with a white during appetizers, and continue down the spectrum as I make my way through the night. I save the big boys (i.e. anything bigger than a pinot) for my heartier dishes, like steak and prime rib. I find that I thoroughly enjoy the robust-ness that happens when a juicy steak and a bold, full-bodied Cab Sauvignon join forces. As for champagne…one rule: that goes with everything 🙂

Cheers!