12 Reds of Christmas

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During the Christmas season, we are often wondering what kind of wine should be served at Christmas parties, with meals or even what to buy as a gift.

Last Christmas I created an advent calendar using all red wine and oh my goodness…it was so much fun! We started on December 14th and tried a bottle a day leading up to Christmas but you could also start on December 1st and try a bottle every second day…or, just use this list to help you purchase wine for the holidays.

While I purposely selected finer wines for Christmas eve and Christmas dinner, the wine on this list is affordable, accessible, and totally drinkable.

How to Create a Wine Advent Calendar

First, select your 12 wines. You can use the list below or choose your own. I personally think this is a great opportunity to try wine you’ve never had before. Do your research. We use the Vivino app when purchasing new wine and it rarely steers us in the wrong direction.

You can wrap a 12 bottle wine box like a present for your 12 wines of Christmas if you are giving it as a gift or a 12 bottle wine rack will do the trick.

Add tags to your wine and arrange them in the box or on the rack. Enjoy a delicious bottle of wine each evening to unWINEd during the holiday season.

12 Reds of Christmas

The 1st Red Wine of Christmas

The 1st Red Wine of Christmas I am sharing with you is a Tom Gore 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon. This California red is a great value and pairs well with a steak or ribs. It is medium-bodied and quite fruity but still dry. It’s a classic California Cab. that I think most would find appealing. Try decanting it before drinking.
You can find this wine at Costco at a really good price. It’s a great wine to bring to a dinner party.

The 2nd Red Wine of Christmas

The 2nd Red Wine of Christmas we are sharing with you is a Pierre Andre Bourgogne Pinot Noir “Veilles Vignes”. This French Pinot from the Bourgogne region is delightful. It is medium-bodied and totally approachable. It’s a bit spicy and not as fruity as a typical American Pinot Noir. Drink this wine with savoury dishes that aren’t too spicy.
You can find it at most government and independent stores.

The 3rd Red Wine of Christmas

The 3rd Red Wine of Christmas we are sharing with you is EGO Gorú red wine from Spain. This blend of Monastrell, Syrah, and Petit Verdot is dry, smooth, and delicious. It’s a spectacular value for a nice bottle of wine.
Consider letting this guy breathe for 30 minutes to an hour to enjoy its full potential. Spain is definitely a country, we have discovered, that produces some excellent wine.

The 4th Red Wine of Christmas

The 4th Red Wine of Christmas is from one of our favourite wine regions, the Columbia Valley. The Merf Cabernet Sauvignon is bold and packed with flavour.

It’s fruit-forward but quite dry with a smoky finish. Merf is a classic Washington Cab and the price is going to make you want to buy a case!

The 5th Red Wine of Christmas

The 5th Red Wine of Christmas is the velvety smooth Meiomi Pinot Noir from California.
This wine makes a regular appearance in our home. It’s the perfect wine to enjoy with a wide range of food like tomato-based pasta dishes, thin-crust pizza or turkey. The Meiomi Pinot Noir would be a great choice for red wine lovers to pair with Christmas dinner…especially if some of your guests are novice wine drinkers.

The 6th Red Wine of Christmas

The 6th Red Wine of Christmas is the only Canadian wine on our list. A couple of summers ago we dedicated all of our wine drinking to Canada and discovered some excellent wine. Read about the Canadian wine we tried here.
This is the Tinhorn Creek Merlot from the Okanagan Valley. It is a nice, smooth Merlot with hints of berry and oak undertones. We also just discovered you can get this wine at Costco for a decent price.
We first discovered Tinhorn Creek at our favourite restaurant BarWillow this summer when we had the Oldfield Series Rosé. It is probably one of our favourite Rosés.

The 7th Red Wine of Christmas

The 7th Red Wine of Christmas is the Louis Jadot Bourgogne Pinot Noir from Burgundy, France.
This French Pinot is crisp and dry, fruity and smooth. It would be another great option as a red wine to pair with turkey dinner. Open it up about 30 minutes before dinner and allow it to mellow a bit.

The 8th Red Wine of Christmas

The 8th Red Wine of Christmas is the Josh Cabernet Sauvignon from California.
This is a good everyday wine. It’s a classic dry California cab sauv that is smooth, bold, dark and juicy. It’s going to pair well with the strong cheeses on your holiday charcuterie board.

The 9th Red Wine of Christmas

We may be sharing quite a few Pinot Noir on this list and yet, I can think of so many more we loved that didn’t make the cut!
The 9th Red Wine of Christmas is the Bread & Butter Pinot Noir from the Napa Valley.
This Pinot will be co-starring with the turkey on Christmas Day in our house. It’s smooth, fruity and bursting with flavour. It’s wonderful with food but is also excellent on its own.

The 10th Red Wine of Christmas

The 10th Red Wine of Christmas is Nunan Scruffy’s Shiraz from Australia.
Don’t let the creepy label deter you. This is a nice bottle of Shiraz at a great price point. It’s bold, smooth and full-bodied. A great wine to enjoy with food or on its own.
Be sure to read Scruffy’s interesting story on the back label!

The 11th Red Wine of Christmas

The 11th Red Wine of Christmas we will be enjoying while celebrating our anniversary is the 2018 Gramercy Cellars Columbia Valley Syrah. The wine club tasting notes indicate this wine is aged 15 months in neutral French barrels and is one you can pop and pour today or cellar it.
Nose of pepper, smoked meat, salami, black olive. Bloody. Raspberry and blackberry. Red currant. Firm acid, tightly wound, more open than the 2010 at this time.~ 93 points Robert Parker, 538 cases produced, Drink 2019-2030 13.3% alcohol.

You can find Gramercy wine, along with so many other delightful bottles unique to Saskatchewan at BarWillow. Please consider supporting local when purchasing your wine. You won’t find the wine on their list anywhere else in Saskatchewan.

The 12th Red Wine of Christmas

The 12th Red Wine(s) of Christmas come from our favourite vineyard, Mollydooker in South Australia. The Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz is probably one of our favourite wines although we haven’t met a Mollydooker wine we haven’t loved! This is a big and bold Shiraz with high acidity but is smooth like velvet. Drinking this wine is a total experience. It’s a killer wine so prepare yourself! The price is a killer in Saskatchewan also but if you can find this wine in Alberta or the U.S., it will be worth it. We try to pick up a bottle of this delightful wine for special occasions.
Another Mollydooker Shiraz we have come across more often and is slightly more affordable is The Boxer Shiraz. This shiraz holds a powerful punch! Deep dark fruit with plenty of spice. Wowza! We find it opens up nicely if you give it an hour. This is such a great wine!
Both of these wines are high in alcohol content so a couple of water shooters in between glasses is probably a good idea.

Oh! And, you cannot drink these wines without doing the Mollydooker shake! Read why and how here.

eat…drink…be merry