What to know about buying holiday wine

Tis the season to eat, drink and be merry. It’s also the season when the most anticipated meals of the year warrant wines that will live up to the hype.

Whether you’ve been invited to dinner and tasked with wine duty, would like to bring a nice bottle as a gift of gratitude for your host, or are hosting a festive dinner and want to serve great wines that’ll pair with what’s on the table: We have you covered.

Pairing wine and food? Go for versatility

When it comes to serving the right vino to complement your holiday spread, it’s key to remember the V word: versatility.

Selecting wines that will play well with several flavors not only keeps things simple for your guests but also spares you from getting overwhelmed by the bevvy of options — and temptation to buy a dozen different varietals without knowing which will be a hit.

Brent Karlicek is a Level 3 Sommelier and beverage director for Upward Projects, which is responsible for five restaurants including Postino.

“When I think about the holiday table, that can take so many different directions and there’s great diversity. Finding wines that can harmonize with those different dishes is key,” Karlicek suggests.

For a white wine that fits the bill, Karlicek is a big fan of chenin blanc, a French varietal that he called one of the great values in the wine world. Quality labels sport price tags in the $15-$20 range.

“It can have quite a bit of richness that can appeal to red wine drinkers but has that fantastic acidity that can pair with so many foods and emphasize the flavors of the dishes,” he said.

On the subject of reds with a lot of range, Karlicek has high praise for gamay, another great value which he personally always has on hand in his home cellar. Oregon’s Willamette Valley is producing some great ones that go for $20-$30 a bottle. But his favorite is French winemaker Nicole Chanrion’s Cote de Brouilly, which goes for about $20 a bottle.

Champagne is the ultimate ‘cheater pairing’

For the ultimate in versatility, Karlicek’s top go-to is bubbles. Whether it’s a sparkler from California, cava from Spain or the real deal from France’s Champagne region, the fresh acidity and effervescence makes it a natural foil for just about anything that’ll end up on the table.

Sommelier Jim Gallen, food and beverage manager for Mountain Shadows Resort, agrees with Champagne’s ability to cast a spell over any meal. The rose genre is his preference.

“I call it the ‘cheater pairing.’ It’s the best bar none,” Gallen said. “Whether it’s olive oil, butter or cream, there’s a lot of fat in a holiday meal and that acidity helps clear the palate so it doesn’t get overwhelmed with the richness.”

Right now, Gallen has two favorites in this category. On the splurge side, the Veuve Clicquot Rosé Champagne, which hovers around the $60 range. Gallen recently purchased a case of a more pricefriendly option for his own at-home sipping pleasure: the J.P. Chenet Sparkling Rosé, which runs $9-$12 a bottle.

Where to shop for the perfect bottle

If you’re stumped about which specific wines to take home, Gallen suggests getting advice from a wine shop. He likes independent shops like Phoenix’s Duck and Decanter, Hidden Track Bottle Shop and

Mark Tarbell’s The Wine Store.

“At smaller shops, you know the people there have tasted the wine, are passionate about it and feel it’s worth sharing,” he said.

Especially this time of year, ODV Wines co-owner Tracy Dempsey is accustomed to customers walking into her boutique Tempe wine shop seeking advice about what wines they should bring to a holiday dinner or as a gift for their hosts.

Her suggestions sound familiar: a nice bottle of bubbles or pinot noir. She loves that a dry sparkling wine will pair well with just about anything. But aim for a bottle in the $30-$40 range, and it can be left behind as a lovely hostess gift if the cork doesn’t end up getting popped during dinner.

“Look for ‘Brut’ on the label. It’s not going to be too sweet or too dry. Regardless of the region, it’s a nice universal term to look for and it applies to cava, crémant and even prosecco,” Dempsey said.

When heading toward the pinot section, Dempsey recommends looking beyond the motherland of Burgundy and exploring the varietal from nearby Loire Valley, farther regions in Oregon, Sonoma County and up and coming regions in Germany and New Zealand for an out-ofthe-box selection.

“You can get a lot more in terms of value when looking at others besides Burgundy,” said Dempsey, with stellar pinots carrying a doable $25-$40 price tag.

These wines are good for gifting

If you’re on the hunt to gift a bottle that’s meant to be enjoyed by its recipient later rather than opened for the dinner crowd, there are lots of options for the wine novice and aficionado.

For the newbie, going for friendly white like an albariño or a dry riesling is a solid and more fun choice than a mainstream Chardonnay.

For the more experienced wine drinker, Dempsey suggests seeking something smaller production that could be a bit of a splurge or not so easily found, like a Grower Champagne – which is produced by the estate that owns the vineyards where the grapes are grown – rather than a big house like Tattinger or Moët & Chandon.

Why you might want to try local wine

And there’s no need to look far when quality wines are being produced in our backyard. More than a hundred Arizona wineries churn out crowd pleasing and award-winning wares that run the gamut from light whites and bold reds. Arizona wines still fly under the radar and gifting a bottle or two is a good way to spread the word.

“Whether it’s a novice or someone who knows a lot about wine, you can always find something killer about Arizona wines that will open their eyes,” Dempsey said.

Like ODV, GenuWine Arizona in downtown Phoenix has found a niche when it comes to carrying a comprehensive Arizona wine selection. When customers seek advice, GenuWine co-owner Emily Rieve almost always recommends a homegrown label.

“A lot of the time, relatives and friends are coming in from out of town and you want to showcase something local,” Rieve said.

Rieve recommends Callaghan Vineyards’ Buena Suerte – a blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and graciano.

“It’s a big and bold red that you would want to drink in the winter. It’s definitely going to be a good food red that stands up to meats and heavy dishes,” she said.

Other Arizona wines that Rieve is sure that will please are the Sand-Reckoner Tempranillo – “It’s a little bit on the spicier end… this would be a good after dinner drink” – and the Rune Wines Viognier.