Above all, make your season fabulous with stellar holiday wines. To help you out, 20 sparkling, rosé and white wines, plus 20 red wines, comprise our top 40 recommendations of wine for the holidays. Certainly, many of these holiday wines are special because of their high quality (and high price point). On the other hand, others are simply special good-value wines. Moreover, their prices range from an unbelievable $11 to $162. Most importantly, we suggest opening them during a quiet evening at home, pouring them for dinner guests, taking them to small holiday parties, or giving them as gifts. To sum up, read on for details. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Merlot
Luxury Brand
CheckMate Artisanal Winery, a luxury brand in British Columbia, crafts gorgeous, super-premium Chardonnay and Merlot in the Okanagan Valley. Regular readers know that neither of those two grapes is our first choice of wine. But wow, CheckMate had us hooked from the minute we walked into their beautiful Oliver tasting room last month. Their wines can proudly stand side-by-side with any world-class Chardonnay and Merlot. Read on for details of the spectacular wines, the winery, winemaker Phil McGahan, and our excellent visit. Continue reading
Trothe
Trothe will release its 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, the winery‘s second vintage, on Sept. 9. But we are very fortunate to receive a sneak peek. In a word, this wine is magnificent. It has the WOW factor. The key players in Trothe explain that the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is stunning because the harvest yielded grapes with luxuriously elegant tannins, ripe flavors and vibrant acidity. We couldn’t agree more. Read on for details about the wine, their story and Horse Heaven Hills AVA.
Lauren Ashton
We always look forward to June releases from Lauren Ashton Cellars for one simple reason — co-owner/winemaker Kit Singh makes great wine. Certainly, his recent releases of 2021 Rosé and 2017 Cuvée Arlette are solid proof. We have enjoyed Kit’s impressive wines since the day he and his wife and co-owner Riinu opened their Woodinville winery in 2012. And these two releases continue in the tradition we respect: extraordinary wines for an enduring value. If you are looking for a Washington winery that produces consistently great wine at a decent price point, look no further than Lauren Ashton Cellars.