Hello wine lovers and happy wine Wednesday! As we get closer to Christmas, I find the need to ‘breathe in and breathe out’ as the flurry and rushing gets almost overwhelming. Enter a phone call from a dear friend, a well-timed joke, a hug from your child or partner or a nice, big glass of red wine…all are lifesavers for me during this time of year.
The majority of people in my life prefer to drink red wine during the colder months. As you very well may know by now – I drink whatever I am in the mood for. Red wine has a ‘cozy’ feeling to it for me – it entices me to relax and let go. Here is my list of five red wines for this Christmas and holiday season. These are great wines to stock up on if you will be entertaining or for hostess gifts when you are out visiting.
Girls Go Grape “Hell Yes” Red Wines for the 2013 Holiday Season
Viña Chela Organic Reserve Malbec 2012 Argentina $14.99 This is, hands down, my favourite ‘value’ red from this year. I can’t say anything wrong about this wine – it is juicy, fruity, interesting and food friendly. On top of all of that – it is organic and tastes great. This is a perfect ‘hostess’ gift wine or a wine to stock up on if you will be entertaining over the holidays. At $14.99 – it does not break the bank AND it is on sale at the B.C. Liquor Stores until Dec. 28th for $13.99.
Ruffino Chianti 2012 Italy $15.99 This is my ‘other’ new BFF in the red wine world. This Chianti is a pleasure to drink and to share. It goes with most everything but my favourite is pizza night and great conversation. It is juicy and full of that wonderful Sangiovese grape flavour that I adore. Again, the B.C. Liquor Stores have it on sale until Dec. 28th for $13.99. Perfect for casual entertaining.
Tinhorn Creek Merlot 2011/12 Oliver, B.C. $18.99 for a limited time at the B.C. liquor stores. This is a great wine for just about any occasion. It is not super complex but it is smooth with silky tannins and is nicely fruit forward and full of red berry flavours and vanilla. For all of you B.C. wine fans – this would be my easy selection as a hostess gift for those B.C. ‘only’ wine drinkers on your list.
Meiomi Pinot Noir 2011/2012 California, USA $24.99 I hope to turn you wine lovers on to this wine the way Terry Stewart did for me! I am not a huge Pinot Noir fan but this gorgeous bottle of red continues to blow my mind every time I take a sip. It is incredible and rich tasting with notes of vanilla, baking spices and red fruit . Oh so wonderful…this is a VERY nice hostess gift.
Le Vieux Pin Syrah 2010 Oliver, B.C. $45 at B.C. liquor stores. OK – I admit it – I have a slight obsession with wines that Severine Pinte-Kosaka makes. This Syrah is an ideal gift for the THE red wine lover on your list. Full of elegant cranberry and pepper aromas, this Syrah is a glorious combination of French and B.C. wine styles. A must have for any collector.
I hope this list helps you with your wine buying decisions. There is so much to choose from and I have had a few readers say that it can be intimidating to purchase wine for wine lovers…
Have a wonderful week and enjoy the lead up to Christmas with a nice glass of one of these great wines. As always – thank you for reading and keep the comments coming!
Enjoy!
XO
C
Girls Go Grape 
Thx for the kudos kiddo!
Meiomi is one of the best ever and fairly priced . I have done a tasting with more expensive Pinots and it was unanimously agreed ….best Pinot for the value bar none! Cheers Terry
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Great recommendations Christine. I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon we spent crusing the wine isles at the West Vancouver liquor store. You should seriously consider being a personal wine shopper for folks, like me, who do not have the incredible knowledge that you have as to what to pair with what. Thank you, and much love xoxoxo