Holiday Box - December 2020

If you’re like me, the joy of getting together over food and good wine throughout the holiday season is something to look forward to all year long. The “most wonderful time of the year”, however, will certainly look and feel differently this December. Celebrations will be small, or at a safe social distance, or even virtual. Whatever form your gatherings take this year, I hope that delicious wine will be part of them, making your spirits bright. And to give you a head start, this month you’ll find a curated selection of holiday favorites, sure to enhance any seasonal occasion.

As longtime Grand Tour members will attest, for me, selecting wine - no matter the occasion - usually comes back to one simple question: What’s on the table? Holiday fare and the festivities around it can be incredibly diverse - from cheese boards to roast beef to extravagant multi-course seafood affairs. Because of this, the team and I wanted to ensure that each wine selected could find a home on any holiday table. More importantly, and as usual, we wanted each of these wines to be tasty in their own right.

A natural starting point for a holiday wine box - or a holiday party, for that matter - is snagging something sparkling. Whether you’re raising a glass for a toast or navigating a raw bar set up, a glass of bubbly wine is never a bad idea. The Col di Luna Prosecco you’ll find in your box this month is a go-to of ours here for exactly these occasions - and more.

Next up, Orso Pinot Grigio. We stayed in Italy for our second selection, looking for a wine that would satisfy everything from simple salads to richer seafood courses. While Pinot Grigio has garnered a bad reputation in wine circles as a “swill” grape - meaning its often produced in very large quantities with very low quality - but in the hands of the right producers, it can be as delicious as it is versatile. The “Orso” bottling found in your box this month - made exclusively for us by our friends at Venica & Venica in Friuli - is no exception. Feast of the Seven Fishes, anyone?

As we turn over to the reds, we make our way to the Loire Valley in France through a bottle of Cabernet Franc made by Catherine & Pierre Breton. Versatility on the table (picking up a theme here?) is what led us to this choice. It’s important, especially around the holidays, to have a red wine in your line up that appeals to both a broad spectrum of palate preferences as well diverse food preparations. This wine does just the trick.

Last but not least – the king of the Northern Rhone, Jean-Louis Chave. My passion for Syrah-based wines from France’s Northern Rhone Valley is no secret and Jean-Louis represents, to me, the cream of the crop. While not as versatile as the other selections in this month’s box, drinking Syrah from Chave can be a holiday unto itself. By the way, if your holiday plans don’t involve crackling fires and snow covered log cabins and warm bowls of cassoulet, well, they should. And you’ll have just the bottle of wine to complete the experience.

I sincerely hope that you enjoy this month’s selection and that your holiday season is filled with as much good cheer as good wine. And, here’s to a happy and healthy new year!

Cheers!

Dustin Wilson, Master Sommelier