You don’t have to spend a bundle to enjoy a great wine to complement a special holiday meal. Plenty of top-quality wines can be bought for less than $25.
"Believe it or not, you can find great wine at all price points," says sommelier Nisha Aher, the retail director of Verve Wine, which just opened a retail shop in Chicago and has retail shops in New York and San Francisco.
A great wine, Aher says, is not determined by price but rather the quality of the producer and the steps it takes in the vineyard and the winery.
Dustin Wilson, the co-founder of wine retailer Verve Wine, pours an expensive bottle from the ... [+]
Verve WineOne wine producer, for example, might carefully cut each grape bunch off the vine to ensure quality, Aher says, while another wine producer might "bring in the good with the bad" by using a machine to shake grapes off the vine.
Even for less than $15, wine drinkers can enjoy a special wine like Aviva Vinho Verde, "a citrusy-refreshing white wine that's light as a feather and chock full of white blossom and orange notes," Aher says. "It costs little to produce and comes from an up-and-coming Portuguese wine region, so, as merchants, we're able to keep the price low."
For under $25, "the world opens up for us!" exclaims Aher. "A great winery can produce a true gem for under $25."
From Portugal's Dao region, Quinta da Pellada's 2017 Quinta de Saes retails for about $22 and is "a gorgeous red wine that spends two years in oak before being released from the winery," Aher says. "From indigenous varieties, this wine is remarkably elegant and crowd-pleasing with spicy red and black fruit, wild herbs and savory yumminess."
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For pairing with particular holiday foods, Aher recommends the following under-$25 wines and provides comments about each.
Turkey or chicken. "Turkey, like chicken, welcomes so many wine options. If you're going the fresh, savory herbs route, consider Clusel-Roch's Traboules, a mesmerizingly fresh Gamay-based wine from the outskirts of Lyon, France.
"Light enough to appease white wine drinkers, this delightful, ethereal Gamay offers savory basil, thyme notes enrobed in strawberry and cherry with a peppery finish. If your meal includes that ooey-gooey marshmallow/sweet potato number, consider something slightly off-dry like Peter Lauer's 2019 Barrel X. Overdelivering, this wine has it all: acidity to cut through richness; texture, tension and minerality to dance with all sorts of mouthfeels, and a bit of sugar to hold up to any sweetness in a dish."
Roast beef. "Reach to northwestern Spain for this one. From the beautiful Galician subregion, Ribeira Sacra, Guimaro's 2018 Mencia is made for a roast beef dinner, complete with various side dishes. So tasty, this Mencía has all the big plummy fruit, substantial structure and prettiest black pepper earthiness to rock the socks off that roast beef."
Ham. "What makes a holiday ham so dang delicious is that yummy sweet glaze which guides our wine-pairing hand. If opting for a red wine, make sure the wine is packed to the hilt with juicy fruit. This means pairing the perception of sugar with sugar. California's Santa Barbara County producer Presqu'ile makes the perfect Pinot Noir for the job. Oozing with dense, ripe raspberry fruit, this wine also boasts plenty of harmonizing savory notes and a silky body."
Vegetarian dinner. "Whether your main dish is roasted, charred, grilled or otherwise, the earthiness of a vegetable-driven meal deserves a wine with earthy elegance, too! Enter Rhône Valley syrah, particularly Aurelien Chatagnier's 2019 Collines Rhodaniennes Syrah. This charming wine is a tangle of red currant and black cherries, steeped in savory forest-floor notes and spice. Clean and concentrated, this syrah is the perfect accompaniment to any vegetarian meal from any type of cuisine."
Holiday desserts. "There are so many to choose, but, of course, there are two important factors: What's the dessert, and what do you actually like to drink?! I talk to a lot of hosts who've decided to pour a port with their bread pudding because a magazine said so. At checkout, they say, 'You know, I despise port!' That's not the way to buy. First, let's have a sip of port together to see if we can change your mind, but, if not, let's drink something you like.
"Either way, I like refreshing tastes after a big meal and can't tell you how many people have huge smiles on their faces when I've shared a glass of Elio Perrone's gorgeous Moscato d'Asti Sourgal. It has the prettiest orange blossom, fresh peach and honey notes you could imagine. It's a great finale to your holiday meal: a glass of Sourgal with a fresh tart, fruit pie or even that bread pudding!"
December 16, 2020 at 10:00PM
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A World Of Great Wines Opens For Your Meal For Less Than $25 - Forbes
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