Looking for a Wine to Bring to Dinner? Don’t Show Up Without One of These Bottles

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Listen to your mother when she tells you: don’t show up to a dinner empty-handed. Flowers could work, as could a gift for the host’s home. But a great dinner party is often fueled by good wine, so nine times out of ten, you can’t go wrong with a nice bottle.

The question of which wine is a different story. You want one that’s food friendly but also excellent on its own—a wine that intrigues and excites everyone at the table, but isn’t overly divisive or out-there.

For every type of dinner party, here are the bottles sommeliers bring along.

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Best White Wines for Traditional Holiday Meals: Aromatic Varietals

The holidays call for indulgent flavors—turkeys drizzled in gravy, gilded and glazed hams, and side dishes kissed with butter. To combat the richer flavors of the food, try leaning on bright, mineral-driven white wines.

“I love a Grüner Veltliner with a turkey dinner,” says Miranda Densford, beverage director for Barn8 Restaurant & Bourbon Bar in Goshen, Kentucky. The mellow notes of pear and the energetic minerality will cut through turkey and all its fixings.

Best Red Wine for Traditional Holiday Meals: Alpine Reds

Or, take inspiration from Alto Adige, an alpine region in the Northern reaches of Italy. The area’s crisp whites and mineral reds pair perfectly with regional dishes, like spätzles, stews and cheesy dumplings (read: rich, cold-weather foods that are essentially like the European predecessors to Thanksgiving dinner).

“For more casual holiday gatherings, my go-to is Lagrein from Alto Adige,” says Angel Prado, the lead sommelier at Sorelle in Charleston, South Carolina. “I love introducing people to the Lagrein grape, which is native to this area. These wines are an amazing value—it has a deep purple color, flavors of black cherry and plums, a smooth tannic structure and a full-bodied finish.” Her personal favorite is Lagrein from Erste Neue.

Best Sparkling Wine for Traditional Holiday Meals: Canadian Sparklers

“Champagne, as well as sparkling wine, is one of the most versatile wines for pairings in the world,” says Caleb Reeves, general manager and sommelier at Armour House in Birmingham, Alabama. Champagne is always a safe bet, or look Northward to the wintery wines of Ontario’s Niagara region for something unusual.

Reeves finds Canadian-made sparkling wine (specifically, Henry of Pelham) “a slam dunk pairing with a traditional turkey and gravy,” he says. “It slices right through the creaminess of the gravy and prepares your palate for the next bite.”

Best Wine for Vegetarian Feasts: Earthy Wines

To go with a garden’s bounty, from crudite platters to savory veggie spreads, look to earthy, organically made wines made with the land in mind. You can apply this knowledge in one of two ways—look for biodynamic producers (like the Loire Valley’s Nicolas Joly) who keep land health top of mind. Or opt for earthy, vegetal wines to pair with bright green veggies. The bright, pepper and mushroom notes of Cabernet Pfeffer will riff off a vegetarian main.

Another option? Stick to sparkling. David Norris, the beverage director of Fancypants in Nashville, says brut Riesling (specifically Peter Lauer's Sekt) is a perfect pairing for the spice and seasonings in his favorite vegetarian dishes. “Sparkling wine also tends to go with literally everything, which makes this option a double-edged sword,” he says. “The high amount of acid is perfect for cutting through rich foods.”

Best Wine for Seafood Dinners: Opulent Whites

Gram Howle, the general manager of The Ordinary in Charleston, South Carolina, knows most people will lean on acid-driven, zippy wines to pair with seafood. Instead, he recommends switching things up with something more luxurious. “I can only handle so much acid until I want a wine with backbone,” he says.

Best Red Wine for Barbecue & Grilling: Tuscan Reds

“For grilling season I love a Sangiovese that’s been barrel aged for a minimum of twelve months, like La Spinetta Sangiovese,” says Densford. There are plenty of options to explore within Chianti Classico. For lighter grilled fare, head to the higher-elevation Lamole region for a lighter elegance. The Sangiovese of Greve offers more generous fruit (open this with burgers), while Panzano brings richness and structure (perfect for steaks).

Best White Wine for Barbecue & Grilling: Rhône Blends

Got the grill fired up? Armour House’s Reeves wants to put a glass of Rhône-style white wine in your hand. “I love a Rhône-style white wine with grilled food,” says Reeves. You can chill a bottle of white from the Rhône Valley—seductive Marsannes and easy-drinking and vibrantly fruity blends of Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Saint-Péray—or try a homegrown bottle with big Rhône energy.

“The Tablas Creek 2021 Esprit Blanc de Tablas White (Adelaida District) is perfection on this front,” says Reeves. “It showcases a beautiful body with enough structure to stand up to the flavor intensity of grilled foods, but it also has elegance that leaves a smile on everyone's face.” (It also comes in a large-format box for large-scale gatherings.)

Best Sparkling Wine for Barbecue & Grilling: Blush Bubbles

Sparkling wine–be it Champagne or a crémant—can add pizzazz to grill night, but also will stand up surprisingly well to big, bold, barbecue flavors. Bearden is keen on sparkling rosés to go with pulled pork, grilled fish and other char-kissed dishes—the zestiness and subtle fruit notes add depth to dishes, and the minerality and texture elevates a meaty dish.

Italian Night: Italian Wine (Obviously)

Creamy risottos, red wine pasta, primavera noodles and red sauce staples: a Tuscan Bordeaux blend will work with all of the above.

“This wine is bold enough to stand up to proteins, plus the spice and tomato of most sauces while still being balanced and approachable for casual drinking,” says Kent Bearden, general manager and sommelier at Golightly, the private members club at Hôtel Swexan in Dallas, who loves the intensely floral Ca’ Marcanda Magari.

Or, look to the wines of the Italian islands. Melissa Helfand, the general manager and head of wine program at The Duck & The Peach, La Collina, The Wells and Meli in Washington, D.C., loves Sicilian whites.

“The whites—like Planeta’s Etna Bianco—taste like their home, Sicily’s volcanic slopes, where the air smells like citrus groves after a rainstorm,” he says. “The volcanic soils bring out this amazing salty finish. It’s a wine that begs for creamy pasta and all the antipasti, but honestly, it’s so delicious, you could just want to drink it on its own before the food is ready.”

Food-Friendly Red Wine for any Type of Meal: Spanish Reds

For everything and anything, Reeves leans on Tempranillo, like Beronia’s Gran Reserva Tempranillo—a true crowd-pleaser in his experience. “It’s got a very approachable palate and structure, but doesn’t overpower,” he says. “Enjoy this with a great steak or sip it with a Mediterranean-baked chicken dish.”

Food-Friendly White Wine for any Type of Meal: Champagne or High Acid White Wine

Unsure what will be on the table? Champagne is a Swiss Army knife for pairing, able to withstand fat, butter and spice—flavors that are bountiful in the holiday season—and perfect for everything from elegant dinners to fried chicken, chips and dips and chocolate.

Or, opt for a still wine with bright acidity. “High acid wines are my go-to with food,” says Densford. For pairing with big spreads? He brings a crisp, warm, and ripe Alvarinho from Vinho Verde. “I love something that compliments the flavor of food and typically acidic wine makes me want to eat more.”

To Bring as a Gift: Champagne

Champagne’s ebullient bubbles equal celebration, so there are few more joyful gifts than a bottle of bubbles.

Champagne is also an excellent gift for every occasion. Housewarming party? Say congratulations with Champagne. New baby? They’ve earned Champagne. Just celebrating a standard Tuesday night? It’s much better with Champagne.

Best Wine for Intimate Dinners (Four People or Less): Napa Cab

For entertaining (and impressing), go for a cult-classic Napa Cab, from one of the valley’s long standing producers. “It’s a wine you’ll want to sip slowly and savor, yet it’s so smooth you’ll always finish the bottle before you’re ready to be done with the wine.”

She’s keen on Cathy Corison’s take on the grape: “Pure Napa elegance, but with a quiet intensity that sneaks up on you,” says Helfand. “Think of walking into an old library, where the scent of leather-bound books mixes with violets and fresh blackberries.

Best Wine for a Dinner Party (More than Four): Affordable Italian Reds

For a wine that punches well above its price point, Peter Donkonics, the beverage director at The Foundry Rooftop in Dayton, Ohio, looks to the easy going reds of Montalcino.

“I consider a Rosso di Montalcino (like Caparzo’s) a ‘baby Brunello’, meaning it spends less time in wood,” Donkonics says. “Violets, raspberries and pomegranates, with a rich and dry palate—it’s got a nice balance.”

Best Wine for First Dinner With the Parents: Passion Project Wines

What do you bring to a dinner when you’re trying to impress? Justin Parramore, at the newly opened Petit Pomeroy in Chicago, has your solution.

“Find a popular winemaker’s passion project,” he says. “Most popular winemakers make their money on their popular, point-getting, big-label wines produced to please market tastes—often these wines are some of the best in the world, with a price tag to match. We want to find the wine they produce for their family table.”

His go-to is Leviathan from winemaker Andy Erickson. It’s “the perfect approachable, jammy, bold crowd-pleaser sure to over-deliver on a normal weeknight or the most important dinner of your relationship's life,” he says.

You can also look to Heidi Barrett’s (Screaming Eagle, Fantesca) personal label La Sirena, or Melka Estates, the winery Philippe Melka (Lail Vineyards) runs with his wife.

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More Wine Gift Coverage

• For the best advice and top picks of every kind of wine to give, take a look at these expert-curated lists.
• Whether you want to give red wine, a bottle of Champagne or find the perfect white wine gift, we’ve got you covered.
• Or, consider something out of the ordinary: buy someone special one of these sweet wines instead.
• Sober curious or sober sometimes? Either way, these non-alcoholic wine and spirits make for great gifts.
• If you’d prefer to give something that will last longer than an evening, take a look at these great gifts for wine lovers.

Published: October 25, 2024