Wine for the holidays

Best values in Chardonnay & Pinot Noir, from Consumer Reports

Here are some of our favorite holiday Cocktail recipes that we have Chosen for you to enjoy. 

CLICK HERE FOR OUR CHRISTMAS SPECIALS PAGE - WITH OUR HOLIDAY PICKS

CLICK HERE FOR OUR WINE PAGE - WITH OUR HOLIDAY PICKS

CLICK HERE FOR OUR BEER PAGE - WITH OUR HOLIDAY PICKS

CLICK HERE FOR A FINE LIVING CHRISTMAS PAGE - WITH OUR HOLIDAY PICKS

CHECK OUT OUR CHAMPAGNES - LARGEST IN THE AREA -CLICK HERE

Chardonnay

This best-selling wine is diversifying. It was once synonymous with wine that's woody and buttery. Yet many of the ones in this roundup are crisper, fruitier chardonnays. 

We tested 27 wines and recommend seven for their combination of quality and price. Except as noted, all are very good and from the vintage. Three hail from California, three from Chile, and one each from Australia and Washington state. 

Consider what you’ll be eating with the wine. Powerful wood-and-butter chardonnays typically pair well only with rich foods, such as fettuccine alfredo or salmon in a cream sauce. Fruitier chards tend to be more versatile; good pairings include grilled fish and seafood, cheeses, and spicy Thai food. 

Recommended Chardonnay

Frei Brothers Reserve Russian River Valley: Excellent. Full-flavored, complex, and well-balanced blend. Fruit, woody, and buttery notes, with a nice, firm structure.

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Columbia Valley: Off-dry, complex combination of intense oak, butterscotch, and ripe-fruit notes.

Newman's Own CR Best Buy:  Dry, light-bodied, and food-friendly, with a lean, fruity style and bright acidity.

Frontera, CR Best Buy : Fruity, with attractive citrus notes and a firm structure.

Rosemount Diamond Label, CR Best Buy : Lighter and on the simple side, but nicely balances fruit, wood, and acidity. Off-dry.


Pinot Noir

If there’s one wine that might pair well with all the dishes on your holiday table, it’s pinot noir. At its best, this medium-bodied red is subtle, typically dry, and at least moderately complex. 

With flavors that can include raspberry, strawberry, red cherry, and spicy notes, pinot noir is a classic pairing with roast beef, turkey and grilled salmon. It also suits other broiled, roasted, or grilled meats, fish, and poultry, along with other savory, rich herbed foods, including roasted vegetables. 

Recommended Pinot noir 

We taste tested new vintages of three  pinots noir that scored well in our December report. While two of the three wines had slipped a little in quality in the current vintage, all are worthy choices that are very good overall. 

They’re shown in order of overall quality, from left to right. The Meridian and Artesa are from California; the Argyle is from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. 

Meridian Vineyards CR Best Buy : Balances very ripe fruit with tartness, tannin, and some wood notes.

Argyle Willamette Valley:  Simpler than the previous vintage but still fairly complex and balanced, with typical pinot noir flavors.

Artesa Carneros: Lacks the nuances of the excellent previous vintage but offers rich pinot noir flavors and a dry, medium finish. 

Chilling your wine
To get the most out of wine, serve it at the recommended temperature. Red wines are often served at too high a temperature, and white wines are often overchilled. 

Chardonnay and pinot noir should be in the mid-50s Fahrenheit when served; assuming the bottle is about 70°F to begin with, 75 minutes in the refrigerator should do. Shiraz is best served in the low 60s, which it should reach after 45 minutes or so in the fridge. (If you're using the freezer, chill a chardonnay or pinot for about 15 minutes, a shiraz for about 10 minutes.) 

A pricier alternative: Buy a wine refrigerator that holds bottles at or close to the recommended serving temperatures (see Worthy wine chillers).