Best Wine for the Holidays – 2021

These guys are delicious, probably too delicious for their price tag.  We’ve selected wines that will pair with every stage of the party, from the first greeting to the first course to the main event. Rest easy knowing that they’ll get along with everyone.

This six pack includes: 

• 2x AT Roca Penedes 2018
• 2x Quenard Savoie Chignin Gamay 2020
• 2x Kuentz Bas Alsace Blanc 2020

A selection of big-name wines that demand irreverent occasions. These bottles are made by rebels and tastemakers who redefined how we make great wine. They are for here and now, for joy and beauty, for reveling in abundance and appreciating the good things in life.

This six pack includes: 

• 2 x Thévenet Morgon Tradition 2020
• 2 x Rougeot Bourgogne Blanc 'Les Grandes Gouttes' 2019
• 2 x Kante Spumante Dosaggio Zero NV

A guardian. That’s how we like to think of this person. A lover not just of wine, but art, music, and food. Someone who treasures where those things come from and how they carry the past into the present, someone who propels them into the future through sheer appreciation. And what better gift for them than wines made by the adventurous Giulia Negri and Serge Férigoule, winemakers who became stewards of their vines by choice, not inheritance. People who dedicated themselves to creating immensely beautiful wines that speak to the past and future of the tradition. Giulia was just 24 when she made her first Barolo, and took over her family estate shortly after. Serge apprenticed with the previous owner of his vineyard, and eventually took over the operation completely. We’ve also selected Kermit Lynch’s iconic compendium detailing his travels and tastings throughout France, “Adventures on the Wine Route.” Because wine should always be and adventure.

This set includes: 

• Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras 2019
• Giulia Negri Barolo Tartufaia 2017
• Adventures on the Wine Route by Kermit Lynch

They’re not afraid to break the rules, color outside the lines, and look at the world through a new set of eyes. They’re as likely to drink out of a Zalto as they are a mason jar, or even from the bottle, because they know that the most important thing is the juice, and how it’s made. Give them a gift that defies limitations, just like them: exceptional natural wines that demonstrate just how good it is to let grapes do their thing. We’ve selected Lorenzo di Meo’s Controvento Bianco Moby Dick, a citrusy white made from Trebbiano, in Abruzzo. And then there’s Texier’s La Boutanche Rouge, a liter bottle of Grenache and Cinsault made by Martin Texier for la Boutanche, a collaborative project between natural winemakers and California-based importer Seleccion Massale that strives to open the doors to natural wine by creating incredible, affordable bottles. Plus, an issue of Noble Rot, one of our favorite wine magazines, that will portal them deeper into the world of wine, and a Dedalus wine key to aid them on their journey.

This set includes: 

• Controvento Bianco Moby Dick NV
• Texier La Boutanche Rouge 2020
• Noble Rot Magazine
• Dedalus branded wine key

For some, the immensity of the world is a thing to be defined. For others, it’s more open-ended: a blank page in an old book that begs you to write your own chapter. This is for them — wines made by Jean-Charles Abbatucci, a man who wrote a new story about his island, Corsica, and in doing so, reclaimed a rich history at risk of sinking among shifting cultural tides. In the early 1960s, Jean Charles’ father, Antoine, rescued indigenous grapes from farms in the island’s mountainous interior. He planted them in his Ajaccio vineyard, and those 18 varieties are what Jean Charles uses in his wines today. He continues his father’s efforts to make uniquely Corsican wines and protect their terroir by using biodynamic practices in the vineyard and encouraging biodiversity around it. We’ve also chosen an issue of Yolo magazine, an inspiration travelog, and a wine tumbler so that they can always be prepared to sip the good stuff, wherever they are. Because you know they can’t sit still for too long.

This set includes: 

• Abbatucci VdF Faustine Rouge 2020
• Abbatucci VdF Faustine Blanc 2020
• Miir Wine Tumbler
• Yolo Magazine