Dreaming of a Wine Christmas

Christmas is finally here. For those of you that celebrate this holiday, the gifts are probably by now unwrapped, jammies finally changed out of, and meals are being prepared. And, no doubt, there will be wine. If you’ve been good, lots and lots of wine.

Here in Seattle, it’s not quite a Christmas greeting card scene. The sun is shining, it’s nearly warm enough to leave the jacket at home, and the ground is bare and dry. Merry and bright, for sure. However, though it would appear that we just entered Spring rather than Winter, the nature of this holiday makes me want to hunker down as if I was snowed in with a big meaty red wine.

I asked some folks in the wine biz what they’d be drinking on Christmas, both from their own wineries and from others. Below is what they had planned. Leave a comment, and let us know what you’ve been sipping today.

We at WINO want to wish you and yours a happy (and safe!) holiday. Now go drink up!

Heather Neff
Head Chick/White Winemaker
Nefarious Cellars

What wine of your own will you be serving?
Nefarious 2007 Defiance Vineyard Syrah. It works with so many things on the holiday table and always seems to be a crowd pleaser with the family, plus it’s my favorite.

What wine from another winery will you be serving?
2003 Soter Brut Rosé. I could drink this stuff everyday, but Christmas is an excuse for pulling it out that I can actually get away with.

Randall Hopkins
Proprietor and Winegrower
Corvus Cellars

What wine of your own will you be serving?
Well, Christmas usually means beef, I really enjoy a big prime rib dinner for Christmas, although we’ve been known to do some ethnic Armenian dishes too, given my roots. Of course we will be serving our 2006 Corvus Cellars Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Balance, balance, balance is what this wine is really saying to me. I really love this wine, and think that I love it more now than six months ago. The structure of this wine holds up against a big beef dish like prime rib, the silky tannins just bring it home, and it just finishes it to completion.

What wine from another winery will you be serving?
Likely some wines from my fellow Red Mountain AVA friends. I love Red Mountain wines, so I will likely drink some from Grand Reve, Hightower, Tapteil and Hedges. John Bookwalter and I traded a bottle, so I will likely try his Protagonist as I enjoyed it when we tasting it at the Revelry on Red Mountain this summer. He’s a fan of our ’06 Cab Sauv as well, so hopefully he is doing the same.

Kyra Baerlocher
Winemaker/Owner
Kyra Wines

What wine of your own will you be serving?
Kyra Wines 2007 Pinot Noir – Washington State

What wine from another winery will you be serving?
Latah Creek 2008 Merlot – Pheasant Vineyard

For every party I’m invited to I bring: Kyra Wines 2008 Chenin Blanc

Todd Newhouse
Owner/Manager
Upland Estates Winery/Upland Vineyards

What wine of your own will you be serving?
Upland Estates 2006 Old Vine Cabernet – which would go perfect with a slow-roasted prime rib.

What wine from another winery will you be serving?
A Washington white wine from my cellar and whatever our guests bring!

Leah Waaramaki
Assistant Winemaker
Whidbey Island Winery

What wine of your own will you be serving?
2007 Primitivo, 2007 Cabernet Franc & Island White. The family LOVES the white for pure sipping pleasure, and the Primitivo and Cab Franc are great with the prime rib we always serve.

What wine from another winery will you be serving?
2005 Barbera from Youngs Winery, Shenandoah Valley CA. A family favorite that we love to sip a glass or two of around the tree.

Brennon Leighton
Head Winemaker
Efeste

What wine of your own will you be serving?
I love a more gaming meat at Christmas such as Duck. Think Peking Duck with all troughs of spices and the Jolie Bouche Syrah. Are you kidding me, YUM!

What wine from another winery will you be serving?
You have to white wine, when it comes to sitting with friends and family by the fire, I’m always partial to a beautiful Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre, like the Selix or maybe a Chablis like Ferve.

Allan Williams
Director of Sales and Marketing
Jones of Washington Winery

What wine of your own will you be serving?
2005 Cab Sauv., with a Rib Roast perfectly cooked by my wife, and very close friends.

What wine of your own will you be serving?
White Heron Mariposa Red Blend. (Blend of Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc and Malbec.)