Take a Trip with Wines from Around the World

BY WILL HOWARD

Whether you’re giving a bottle as a gift, choosing something for a holiday meal, or celebrating with friends and family, wine is a necessity during the holidays. Choosing wine for a holiday meal or gift can be a lot of fun.

As always, rule number one is to drink what you like. There’s no need to overcomplicate your wine choice for a meal because the wine does not necessarily have to be the star of the show, but it should enhance the experience. The wine choices should be balanced (not too sweet, tannic, oaky, or acidic), easily paired with a variety of food, and enjoyed by everyone partaking in the festivities. Here are my choices for wines from around the world this holiday season:

Domaine Serene, Evenstad Reserve, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon

- Evenstad Reserve is a benchmark for American pinot noir. This wine is consistently great from vintage to vintage and easily paired with food. Grace and Ken Evenstad are hands-on in every step of making their wines, with family and philanthropy as cornerstones to their success.

Dal Forno Romano, Valpolicella Superiore, Veneto, Italy

- The tedious method and attention to detail in creating this wine delivers an experience in every bottle. The wine shows bold and concentrated dark cherry, blackberry, and plum that leads into a lengthy and smooth fi nish. It is safe to say that the Dal Forno family has mastered Valpolicella because I don’t think it gets better than this.

Torbreck, The Steading, GSM, Barossa, Australia

- Torbreck is guardian to many of the most important vines in South Australia. Some of the vines producing this wine date back to the 1880s and are still yielding excellent fruit. This wine balances the red fruit aromas of cranberry, pomegranate, and raspberry with an earthy mid-palette and silky smooth finish.

Chateau Ormes de Pez, St. Estephe, Bordeaux France

- Jean-Michel Cazes, owner of Chateau Lynch-Bages, has been able to utilize the skills, technique, and resources from his Grand Cru Pauillac Chateau to offer one of the best values of the left bank of Bordeaux in Ormes de Pez. The blend is nearly equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The wine offers soft tannins, spice, dark fruit, and a savory meaty finish.

Bodega Garzon, Single Vineyard Albarino, Uruguay

- If you love Albarino, then you have to try this one. This is a palate coating, full bodied, white wine with flavors of tropical fruit, nutmeg, and white pepper. The wine is made on a beautiful, state of the art winery on the coast of Uruguay.

Bruno Giacosa, Roero Arneis, Piemonte, Italy

- Bruno Giacosa was one of the world’s greatest winemakers. He is partially credited with saving the Arneis varietal in the 1960s and I’m really glad he did. His daughter, Bruna, now operates the family business. This wine is as clean and precise as they come. There is lemon and peach on the nose and mouth watering minerality through the finish.

Pahlmeyer, Jayson, Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California

- Pahlmeyer is synonymous with great Chardonnay and this is no exception. The wine is dense and creamy with fl avors of pear, tangerine, and baked apple. The fl avors fi nish with a hint of caramel that keeps you coming back for more.

Will Howard is Sommelier at Rococo Steak in St. Petersburg.