We are officially in the holiday season. And what is better during the holidays than bubbles! Popping open a bottle of sparkling wine signifies a celebration, even if all you are celebrating is Tuesday night. One of the tastiest I have tried recently is from Russian River Valley’s Benovia Winery. Benovia Blanc de Blancs Brut Sparkling Wine is a 100% Chardonnay selection using grapes grown in the winery’s sustainably certified estate Martaella vineyard. Crafted using the traditional method of champagne, with the second fermentation to create bubbles in the bottle, the expressive bubbly has remarkable exuberance and energy. Layers of honeycomb, ripe pear, and stone fruit meld with freshly baked bread, citrus blossom, and cream. The wine has lovely approachability while delivering a thoughtful, complex palate that opens the doors to great conversations. Enjoy with shellfish, fresh cheeses, light pasta, or white meat, or simply pop a bottle and toast with your sweetheart. 

For a non-sparkling white wine option, consider a bottle of Chardonnay as the medium-bodied white wine that can pair with a medley of holiday dishes, or you can enjoy it easily on its own as you prepare the meal. The option I want in my glass this holiday is Paul Hobbs Russian River Valley Chardonnay. A part of Hobb’s appellation tier of wines, with fruit coming from the cooler Russian River Valley AVA of Sonoma County with an array of microclimates and soil types helping fruit ripen while maintaining acidity. The region’s mineral-rich, nutrient-poor soils produce wines with structure, character, and refinement. This Chardonnay opens with citrus and apple blossom aromas, fragrant white flowers, and honeydew, leading to a plate rich with ripe apple, pear, and melon, with a hint of crushed stone and creamy honey.

Pinot Noir is the classic go-to wine for holiday meals. The food-friendly variety’s flavors match well with the flavors of the feast, while the grape’s medium body, lovely acidity, and lower alcohol meld well with the hearty meal’s dishes, ensuring the wine won’t weigh down the palate. Kosta Browne is one of Sonoma County’s premier producers of the variety. Its appellation series of wines highlights some of the finest regions producing Pinot Noir on the West Coast, including its Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.

The wine hails from five vineyards within the Sonoma Coast region, including Gap’s Crown, Marshall, Pratt-Sexton, Balletto, and the historic Bacigalupi, each known for producing premium-quality fruit. The area is next to the Pacific Ocean, where cool breezes blow through the vineyards, keeping grapes healthy and acidity high. Kosta Browne’s Pinot Noir opens with juicy fruit flavors of ripe berries, cherry, and pomegranate that meld with soft herbs and earthy forest floor. The blend ages 16 months in a combination of new and neutral French oak and large oak casks, allowing the flavors to marry and meld while imparting a touch of spicy, toasty notes into the fruit-forward wine.

If you are looking for a unique option to bring to your holiday dinner, consider the Copain P2 blend. Notice I did not call this wine a “red blend,” as the two selections featured within the blend are Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. The California winery brings the two varieties together in equal amounts, though the color is dark as the skin contact in the Pinot Noir grape contributes to the color. Though the color is dark, don’t think of this as any other red wine, as you can easily pop it into the fridge to give it a light chill before enjoying it. The Sonoma County appellation wine has energy, vibrancy, and juicy, fruity flavors thanks to the light-bodied Pinot Gris and light to medium-bodied Pinot Noir, both of which have lively acidity. Coming together in a blend, the fresh wine shows layers of wild berry, cherry, orange citrus, and Herbs de Provence, with a hint of earthiness, making it a tasty, savory option with roasted white meats, like your Thanksgiving turkey, grilled vegetables or salmon, or wild mushroom risotto.