Drink them yourself. Share them with family and friends. Use them for a nightly meal or holiday gatherings. Give them as gifts. Or all the above. These wines will delight whoever drinks them and make the holidays or just tonight’s dinner more enjoyable. They offer the experience of an enriching diversity of white grapes and flavor profiles. Generally, you should find the wines below are impressively flavorful and especially food friendly.
This is especially true of these Italian wines.
- Pinot Grigio. Collio area of Friuli: tangy 2022 Livio Felluga ($30) peach, orange, apple, fig, velvety texture
- Vermentino. From Sardegna: fresh, lively 2023 Surrau “Limizzani” ($17); reserve style 2022 Surrau “Sciala” ($29) brief skin and must contact yield spicy stone fruit and viscous texture
- Trebbiano. From Tuscany: 2023 Capezzana ($32) barrel aged, flavorful citrus, lush
- Pinot Bianco. From Alto Adige: succulent 2020 Meran “Weissburgunder” Riserva ($39) peach, pear, lime, melon and apple presented with good weight
- Sicily. An amazing variety of distinctive indigenous grapes: 2022 Dardinello Zibibbo ($25); 2021 Feudo Montoni “Fornelli” Inzolia; 2022 Tenuta Regaleali “Buonsenso” Catarratto ($20); 2022 Pelligrino “Gazzerotta Senarìa” Grillo Superiore ($22)
The main Alsatian white wines tend to provide a rich texture and deep flavors.
- Pinot Blanc. graceful 2023 Keuntz-Bas ($19) crisp apple, touch of caramel
- Gewurztraminer. unctuous 2022 Hugel “Classic” ($26) grapefruit, lychee, warm spice, honey, mild sense of sweetness
- Pinot Gris. succulent 2022 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht “Turkheim” ($34) zesty, plush, apricot, nectarine, pear lemon
- Riesling. distinguished 2021 Domaines Schlumberger “Saering” Grand Cru ($42) intensely aromatic, floral, pure ripe green apple, citrus and tropical fruit, mineral notes
As much as I love these Alsatian wines, there are fine examples from the U.S.
White Blend. 2022 WillaKenzie “Tourdion” Estate Cuvée Blanc ($45) fascinating blend of all four pinots: noir, gris, blanc, and meunier; tangy citrus, apple, touch of brown butter
Riesling. 2023 Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley ($14) the entry level wine from arguably America’s best Riesling producer; medium-dry, juicy, crisp apple and peach
Pinot Gris. 2024 Alexana “Hillsides” Willamette Valley ($35) from the owner of Revana Estate in Napa Valley; full bodied, sumptuous stone fruit, melon, and citrus