10 Wines to Pick Up for the Holidays

The December holidays are when we enjoy time with family and friends – and don't forget food and wine, too.

"First rule of the eating and drinking game," Richard Mora, owner of said in a recent email to Patch. "Drink something you really enjoy. This supercedes food and wine pairing. If you are having a rare get together with your wine buddies and are dying to try certain bottles you've been saving, drink them."

10 Wines from Local Merchants to Pair with Traditional Holiday Meals

• Domaine de la Madone Beaujolais – Vilages Nouveau (2011). This red wine, available for $12.99 at Mora's, has been described as "hedonistic and compelling."
• Mora calls red zinfandel a "risky" choice, but says the Four Vines Zinfandel "The Biker" Paso Robles (2009) packs a "wow" power wine that you can "drink with the food or on the couch afterwards." Available for $21.24.
• At , Robert Hebert also recommends a red zinfandel. The Four Vines Old Vine Cuvee (2008), which retails for $13 at Hamlet, is his choice.
• You can't go wrong by toasting the holidays with a good champagne. The Heidsieck Monopole Brut Champagne Blue Top NV, available for $26.09 at Mora's, scored an 88 from Wine Spectator in December of 2010.
• Jeffrey Pyun of says holiday wine choices "depend on the personality" of the wine. He recommends the Fire Steed Pinot Noir (2009), available for $15.99, or the Lemelson Willamettte Valley Pinot Noir (2009), available for $31.99.
• Pyun also suggests the Medalla Real Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon, available for $17.99 at De Ma Liquors.
• For fans of Riesling, Pyun recommends the Gewürztraminer Willm (2009) for $16.99.
  
• Hebert suggests the Sean Minor Chardonnay (2009), which he calls "a nice crisp Chardonnay from California." Retails for $15 at Hamlet.
• When it comes to dessert wines, there are some that can pair with dessert or "be the dessert itself," according to Mora. He said the Quinta do Noval Black Porto ($23.99 at Mora's) goes well with chocolate or raspberry desserts.