With Christmas less than a week away, the 2012 holiday season is coming to a close. No holiday party would be complete without wine bottles with festive holiday wine labels. Here are our top wines for Christmas dinner, a holiday holiday party or simply to just to fill your wine glass! Whether your big celebration falls on Christmas Eve, Christmas day or anywhere in between, being around family and those who matter most to you is what it is all about. But, don’t forget to celebrate with some great tasting food and wine! Luckily there are some great Christmas themed bottles to make any table complete! We recommend a few fabulous bottles of wine and beer, as well as a traditional holiday cocktail recipe that are pure Christmas cheer!
Electric Reindeer Wine
A value brand wine that can be found in most major grocery store wine aisles is available in single varieties like Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Merlot. The shiny Christmas label with a reindeer leaping around snowflakes, with Christmas-light adorned antlers will brighten up any scrooges out there!
Santa Julia Vineyards, Malbec
Right at the base of the Andes Mountains sits the Familia Zuccardi Winery, Argentina’s largest family- winery who is also the largest exporters of Argentinian wines. One of its brands, Santa Julia, makes estate wines with a variety of single varietal wines. This year they made a special “Season’s Greetings” Malbec found at stores like Cost Plus. The simple white label depicts a snowy white Christmas tree with bright red ornaments. Sip this Malbec with some turkey and cranberry sauce for a rare Christmas treat!
Chocolate Shop Wines
Love it or hate it, this chocolate lover’s dream wine comes in very merry bottles of brightly colored labels with gold embossed designs and lettering. The snazzy gold and silver foils on the tops of these bottles complements any table decoration and will pair well with a little late night nosh on Christmas cookies. These wines begin with a blend of red wine and different flavorings like chocolate, strawberry, and mint are infused with the base wine to create something very decadent.
Glühwein- German Mulled Wine
Baby, it’s cold outside! So, why not warm up with a traditional German warm winter drink of hot, spicy wine on Christmas Eve? Try this recipe below:
- 1 bottle of inexpensive or old red wine
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 16 whole cloves
- 1 orange, sliced into 8 pieces
- 2 TBSP honey
- 1 tsp allspice, nutmeg, and coriander mixed together
- 2 cups water
Push cloves into the orange pieces. Place all ingredients in a slow cooker for about an hour. Adjust the flavor by adding sugar or water.
There are many variations to the recipe. Try adding brandy or port. If you can’t pull off the recipe, Glühwein is bottled and sold in many retail wine stores!
We also couldn’t resist these cute alternatives to wine. For those that simply want to sit by the fire, waiting for Santa with a cold bottle of beer in hand, try from Oxfordshire, England:
Bad Elf, Winter’s Ale
Lump of Coal, Dark Holiday Stout
