If you are hosting one of the upcoming Christmas meals, you must remember that the choice of dishes is as important as the choice of drinks. Here are seven wines for different tastes and budgets that are sure to be a hit with your guests: from a perfect cava to accompany the appetizers, to a light red wine for white meats, or a ros茅 that pairs great with desserts.
Claror Paratge Qualificat Can Prats BN 2016
Cava, Vins el Cep
Grape Varieties: Xarel.lo, Macabeo, Parellada
Price: 48 euros
This is a perfect cava to enjoy with the first appetizers. Its grapes come from old vineyards in a very Mediterranean climate, representing its origin. Its long ageing, a minimum of 84 months, adds many nuances, especially those of bakery, nuts, yeast, and roasted apple. The palate is as crunchy as it is creamy, broad, with good acidity and a long finish, echoing the notes from its aging process.
Terras Mancas Val do Mi帽o 2023
VT Val do Mi帽o-Galicia, Adega Terras Mancas
Grape Varieties: Albari帽o, Treixadura, Godello, Loureira
鈥婸rice:听13 euros
Galician white wine, delicious, fruity, and floral. It would complement the welcome ice bucket for those first appetizers with a white and fresh wine. It is a smooth wine, yet enveloping in the mouthfeel. Peach and apricot stone fruit aromas stand out on the nose. Additionally, hints of apple, citrus like grapefruit, and white flowers can be appreciated.
Lindeiros 2021
R铆as Baixas, Lagar de Fornelos
Grape Varieties: Albari帽o听
Price: 62 euros
To continue with some seafood, Lindeiros would be a great choice. This winery is located in the south of Pontevedra and borders Portugal. Its vineyards are located in Cambados, on granitic soil and using the traditional trellis system. It is designed to be a great white wine for long aging, with aging for 12 months in bocoyes, concrete eggs, and stainless steel with fine lees. On the nose, it is very complex and intense with hints of apple, rose petals, marine notes, and apricot. The palate is very broad, fresh, and long, with a saline and mineral finish.
Roda I Blanco 2021
DOCa Rioja, Roda
Grape Varieties: Viura with a touch of Malvas铆a and White Grenache
Price: 65 euros
Roda is the winery that successfully produces this white wine, which would be perfect for a dish of fish prepared for our celebrations. It has been aged in French oak barrels and spent 18 months in the bottle before hitting the market. It has a yellow color with golden hues. The nose is as intense as it is succulent, highlighting notes of grapefruit, yellow apple, peach, flowers, fresh herbs, and smoky touches. In the mouth, it is very smooth, ample, with impeccable acidity, and a long finish loaded with nuances.
Angelita del Challao 2021
DOCa Rioja, Dominio del Challao
Grape Varieties: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Viura, Garnacha Blanca, Graciano, Malvas铆a
Price: 29 Euros
For white meat lovers and those who appreciate lighter and more subtle wines, this vino de pueblo from Dominio del Challao, a project by Manu Michelini, will be a success. Its vineyards are located in Labastida on clay and quartz soils, where they seek to showcase the essence of Rioja Alavesa. It is a pure perfume on the nose with aromas of blackberries, wild strawberries, violets, aromatic herbs, and balsamic notes. In the mouth, its aging in barrels and large foudres of different origins perfectly respect the juiciness and freshness of the wine.
Garm贸n 2020
Ribera del Duero, Garm贸n Continental Wineries
Grape Varieties: Tempranillo
Price: 39 euros
If it were a tastier meat, I would look for a fuller bodied wine profile. One of the most illustrious winemakers in Spain, Mariano Garc铆a, produces this red wine, with vineyards located in the Burgos riverbank at 900 meters of altitude. The wine has been aged in French oak for 18 months. In its fragrant and intense nose, fresh red and black fruit notes prevail, along with flowers, hints of smoke, memories of fine woods, and sweet spices. Its palate is enveloping, robust, savory, and with good acidity. A long finish and a long life for this wine.
Gramona Gra a Gra Pinot Noir 2012
DO Pened茅s, Gramona
Grape Varieties: Pinot Noir
Price: 19 euros (37.5 cl)
For Christmas desserts and after-dinner drinks, a sweet ros茅 wine from Gramona would be a perfect match. The grapes have overripened in the vineyard until they have shriveled, and the fermentation process has been natural for 6 weeks. It was then aged in French oak barrels for 7 months. Overall, it is sweet and seductive, offering notes of red berries, strawberries, cherries, and flowers. On the palate, it is very gentle and sweet, but not cloying.