Las Vegas Weekly

Weekly’s holiday wine guide

8 wines to help make your holiday a little more jolly

Flickr via TenSafeFrogs

The holidays are a time for cheer, and nothing helps put a smile on your face like adding a little kick to your cocoa. How do you think Santa stays so jolly year after year?

If you're looking for something more age-appropriate to serve at your holiday dinner party, look no further. The Weekly gave Green Valley Trader Joe's Wine Consultant Jason Watkins a jingle to find out what bottles he recommends to ring in the holidays.

• To greet guests at your holiday party, Watkins recommends passing around a platter of strawberries paired with glasses of Zonin "Brut" Prosecco from Italy, priced at $6.99 a bottle. "It's a big crowd pleaser and one of our top sellers," says Watkins of the sparkling wine. "Unlike a champagne, it's just a little bit lighter." He describes the flavor as, "earthy and sweet" with "subtle lilac" on the nose. As an added perk, you can use the leftovers to make Bellinis, an extra incentive to wake-up early on Christmas morning.

• For a toast at the table, try the Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Réserve from Burgundy, France, which goes for $9.99. It's both celebratory and a great bang for your buck. "Having a light sparkling wine is very holiday, and this is so sophisticated for the money," Watkins says. "It reads like a $40 champagne."

• For the entree pairing, white wine lovers have a couple different options. "People kind of go a little over the top for the holidays," says Watkins. "They do more presentational salmon and things that are really big. If I was going to do a salmon, I would serve a lovely Chardonnay or Pinot Gris." His Chardonnay of choice is the 2008 Edna Valley Vineyard Paragon Chardonnay from San Louis Obispo County in California, sold at $10.99 a bottle. "I love this. It has a little bit of citrus notes, and it's very light. The palate is sort of a buttered oak, which is what people are always looking for," he says. Watkins recommends serving this with a traditional herb chicken.

• If you're a white wine drinker who plans on serving a main course that is a little richer in flavor, Watkins says going with the 2007 King Estate Oregon Pinot Gris — $15.99 a bottle — is a good move. He describes it as being "like Christmas, with evergreen and a hint of mint" that won't overpower the food. Picture this wine paired with a leg of lamb with mint jelly.

• Red wine drinkers have a few options to bring to the table, as well. One of Watkins' favorite bottles to uncork for the holidays is the 2008 Caretaker Pinot Noir from Central Coast Wine Warehouse in Santa Barbara, sold at $9.99 a bottle. "I love this because it's totally unique. It's a little more full bodied for a Pinot Noir." Getting technical, Watkins adds, "The finish is buttered spice and the nose has notes of rich cassis." Yum. As for an entree choice, he recommends the wine for a pork tenderloin. "It has enough fruit to lend itself to a rich dish, but it has enough spice to accompany a peppery or savory dish."

• "This is for your London broil and your filet mignons," explains Watkins, in reference to his red choice, the 2007 B.R. Cohn Silver Label Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County, priced at $16.99. The flavors of "rich cherry and aged-oak" found in this wine, he says, are complimentary to both red meat and sweeter selections, such as ham. "I just think it's amazing; it's smooth and full-bodied with an incredible finish that lingers on the tongue."

• For the most important part of a holiday meal — dessert — Watkins suggests the 2006 Zinfandel Evenus Port from Paso Robles sold at $9.99. Well-suited to treats that contain rich chocolate, "the taste has such a depth of flavor. There's a cocoa entrance with a vanilla and berried finish," he says, adding that the nose is, "like rich, dark honey."

• Watkins pours the 2007 Italian dessert wine, Ipsus Passito di Pantelleria, priced at $9.99, for white-wine lovers with a sweet tooth. "It's very cloved on the nose, and tastes sweet like a vanilla spice cake," he explains. "Use it for bananas Foster by either drizzling it and flambéing or enjoying as a wonderful after dinner aperitif."