As we approach the holiday season, planning becomes more important.
We all get insanely busy and it’s necessary – for me at least – to have a play book.
My calendars are coordinated (work and personal), “to make” items are noted, grocery lists are written (in excel, if you’re a dork like me).  Lastly, drink pairings are solidified.
Drink pairings are important. In order to get a good deal you need to shop NOW.  Wine “specials” wane (at least on the stuff you’d actually want to drink) as Christmas nears and the price of champagne/sparkling wine increases just in time for New Year’s Eve.
What should you buy now?
- Beaujolais – This wine has been overlooked for years.  The French red is not overly complex; it’s a fruit-forward, drinkable wine is what I think is nice about it for parties.  2009 was a great year for Beaujolais-Villages, and you should be able to pick up a satisfying bottle for under $15.  You can even find a Cru (Cru is a designation meaning it came from one of the 10 best Beaujolais-Villages) for less than $20.  Plus, it sounds fancy when you say it.
- Champagne/Sparkling Wine – The wine that was made for celebrations! Â Significant discounts will end about 2 weeks before Christmas. Â Plan ahead for NYE and pick up a few bottles of bubbly this weekend.
- Wines from up-and-coming regions – You know how you can get clothes or art for great prices if you catch the creator before they really hit it big? Â It’s no different with wines – you can find some wonderful bottles on the cheap if you branch outside of the norm.
A Few Specific Suggestions:
Beaujolais
As I said above, 2009 was a great year for Beaujolais.  The 2009 Marcel Lapierre Morgon is a great choice for a holiday meal.  it is light in structure, with lots of red fruit and a slight earthiness.  You can drink it with your pre-dinner charcuterie, a roast chicken or pork dinner, and a chocolate tart.
Also good is the  2009 George Debouf Beaujolais-Villages.  I picked up a bottle for just $10!  This wine is a well-balanced red with subtle berry notes (think currents and raspberries) and little herbiness that is perfect with a variety of foods or on its own.
Interesting side note: It is against French law for Beaujolais producers to release the wine before midnight on the 3rd Thursday of November.  No one remembers why.
Champagne/Sparkling
My latest affordable find is a 2009 Argentinean Sparkling Malbec from Ernesto Catena’s Alma Negra(translation = black soul) line.  It’s a beautiful salmon color with notes of rose petal and strawberry.  Not too sweet, the finish is smooth and elegant.  The price for this bottle is about $16… not as cheap as Cooks, but your head won’t be pounding in the morning. 😉
Side note: Catena also makes one of my favorite, affordable Malbecs.
Up-and-Coming
This recent article picked up by Reuters lists the Top 10 Up-and-Coming Wine Regions. Â I remembered reading this article when I picked up this bottle from Portugal:
Portugal has long been known for sweeter whites, but it’s the dry reds that are gaining notoriety.  This 2005 Alentejo Roquevale Redondo is one of the regions successes.  Smooth in the mouth without compromising structure.  It’s a figgy, a little dark, and perfect for red meats or game.  It is a blend largely comprised of Tempranillo (Aragonez in Portuguese) and it was a steal at $12.
If nothing else, remember this helpful piece of advice:
Or you could always buy some of wine in a can.
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Christmas came early – I made the FoodBuzz Top 9Â with my Sweet Potato Pie Oatmeal!!! Â Thank you everyone and welcome new readers!
What is your favorite wine to serve/bring to parties?
Do you ever buy bottles because they are “pretty?” Â No shame – we’re ALL guilty.
Umm, that’s pretty much my sole criteria for buying wine!
We have SO much sparkling wine at our house right now, I need to have a sparkling wine drinking party – I can’t fit any more in the wine fridge until we drink some! I know – what a terrible problem to have, right?! =)
Congrats on your Top 9!!
I’ll volunteer to help with that party. (By help I mean drink your bubbly… but I always come with snacks!) 😉
I’m actually have the same problem with my wine fridge, except I am overflowing with Italian reds. We should join forces!
congrats girl! that’s awesome.
Congrats on the top 9 girl!! I just love that first pic of you in the wine glass =)
Great vino tips too! I have to admit I love it but don’t know much about it!
Thank you! I geek out on it… but I actually don’t know a lot about wines outside of Italy. This post was a stretch assignment for me. 🙂
Love sparkling wine. Great tips on buying wines!! And I absolutely love that pic of you through the wine glass. Pretty cool. Does it sum up your likings? It would mine! lol
Yep – my likings are pretty much being trapped inside a wine glass. LOL!
Congratulations on the top 9 pick!
I am seriously so happy you wrote this post. I’ve been wanting to pick your wine brain so badly but didn’t want to be annoying hahaha! Congrats on the top 9 again!! You are in the foodbuzz champions league!
Ask any time! We should do a tasting one day! Maybe another mini-meet up for interested parties?
Erm always!! Ha! And I judge books by their covers as well! 😀 Love this post, will definitely be taking notes for when we do our christmas wine shop! Congrats on foodbuzz love! 🙂
Thank you! Let me know if you try any or find another tasty bottle!
That picture of you “in” the wine glass is kind of the best thing ever. Just sayin’.
I wish there was a “like” button for comments. Thank you!
Thanks so much for this post! Wine connaisseuse I am not. Very helpful and informative…!
I love that picture of you through the wine glass. So neat! And I see more arm buffness. 🙂
I love, love, love sparkling wines and champagnes. I never thought I was too much of a wine fan, but I am liking it more and more (Pinot Noir and Riesling mostly), but the bubbly ones are awesome!
Have you tried Rieslings from Alsace? The area is famous for them. They are my favorite – they are typically not as sweet as most.
I’m getting into wine so much more lately too and I loved reading this! I made a holiday sangria to bring to a party last weekend that I was seriously pleased with 🙂
I love red sangria in the winter. Especially if it has hints of cinnamon or clove with cranberries!
Some day I am going to learn to love wine haha
LOL! You just haven’t tried the right one yet. 😉
I didn’t realize you were so little, you fit in a wine glass! OK seriously, such a cool informative post.
Haha! I wish! 🙂
That means a lot – I could talk about wine forever.
I am looking for a new Riesling to try for the holidays. Do you have any suggtions?
Congrats on top 9, it looks amazing. Who is doing your photography? The lighting is perfect.
I don’t drink a lot of white, a pretty safe bet is to go with something from Alsace.
The photography is mine – thank you!
Great! I will see if I can find it up here in North Georgia.
Thank you Laura! I love all that you are doing… and great job with your pics.
Thanks!
Yes…you’ve passed phase one of my wine respect test by plugging Catena. 😉 Phenomenal wines and I do appreciate the Sparkling Malbec.
Have a great weekend!
Have you tried their sparkling? I love that whole region – it may have to be my next wine trip!
Yup I have. I was one of the first to try their sparkling when it was first brought into Virginia./