Make Merry With This Trio of Wines For the Holidays
​December 20, 2025

It’s that time of the year, when celebration is in the air and the glass! Sparkling, white and red, these seriously delicious wines from Spain, Portugal and California’s Carmel Valley are making the holiday season merry, perfect to share with family and friends, or a thoughtful gift for the season. These three wines offer quality and value for wine lovers, with so many food and wine pairing possibilities.

Cava is a great holiday sparkler, lively and refreshing with fine bubbles, its fruity essence is highlighted by savory notes. The lion’s share of Cava is produced in the Catalunya region of Spain, where the gentle Mediterranean climate imparts a fresh elegance to the wines. The DO quality designation guarantees that this Cava is produced with an eye to tradition, the three classic grape varieties of Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel.lo make up the blend, which is made sparkling by the traditional method, the same used in Champagne.

The Campo Viejo Cava Brut (SRP $13) is a revelation, its festive mousse and fruity character beckons you to sip. Aromas of apple and citrus, accented by yeasty notes, make for a sophisticated and savory delight, dancing upon a long, buoyant finish. The care that Campo Viejo takes throughout the winemaking process is reflected in its very core, harvested early to retain the freshness, gently pressed, the three varieties are vinified separately, blended and then the second fermentation occurs, with at least nine months lees contact. It’s a recipe for success, a bright, fruity and exuberant wine that has character beyond its price tag. Perfect as an aperitif and beyond, it’s a great food pairing wine, with charcuterie, fish, rice, white meat and cheese being the sweet spot. Very impressive!

If you’ve ever had Portuguese wines, you know there is something so intriguing and different, especially wines from the Alentejo region. Often made with grape varietals we aren’t as familiar with, such as Alicante Bouschet, the wines are fascinating and exceptional.

Herdade do Peso estate in Alentejo, Courtesy of Herdade do Peso

Herdade do Peso, an acclaimed Alentejo producer, blends tradition and innovation to craft their distinctive wines. Working in a sustainable manner, the winemaking highlights each vineyard plot’s character, using oak barrels, clay amphoras, stainless steel vats and concrete vessels to coax the maximum unique expression from the grapes. Here, in southern Alentejo, the diverse soils, different sun exposures and cool nights give rise to elegant, complex and refreshing red wines, a surprise from an area known for their white wines. Their parent company, Sogrape, has released two reds into the US market, and I had the chance to sample the stunning Herdade do Peso Parcelas Red 2019. I was smitten! 

The Herdade do Peso Parcelas Red 2019 (SRP $65.99), a 50/50 blend of Alicante Bouschet and Petit Verdot, beckons with its deep, opaque purple color, a hallmark of Alicante Bouschet. Upon swirling, the deeply expressive aromas of dark fruit (black cherry, blackberry and plum), violets, dark chocolate and earth float on a rich, well-balanced wine. The savory palate is layered with fruit and acidity, framed by well-integrated tannins and a long finish, a soulful and satisfying wine! Made from the estate’s most treasured vineyard plots, winemaker Luís Cabral de Almeida works to express its character without too much winemaking intervention, producing this elegant, complex beauty that speaks of the Alentejo. Parcelas really shines with food, a perfect compliment to meat, game and cheese. 

Chardonnay is always a crowd-pleaser, often called a winemaker’s grape, it can come in many incarnations, and pairs well with a wide array of dishes. Bernardus Vineyards & Winery of Carmel Valley in California produces five cool-climate Chardonnays, four of which are single vineyard wines. Hand-harvested and sustainable, the goal is always to make wines in balance, expressive of its site, with full flavor development from a long hang time on the vines. Founder Bernardus Pon saw this potential over 35 years ago when he established his namesake winery, and today’s team elevates the estate’s wines.

The Bernardus Ingrid’s Vineyard Chardonnay 2023 (SRP $55) is produced with a Burgundian approach, whole cluster press, fermented in small French barrels, hand-stirred for richness and complexity, and then aged in French oak. Reflecting the estate’s terroir, foggy and cool mornings with sunny afternoons for Ingrid’s Vineyard, this vivid and creamy wine expresses ripe tropical fruits, honeysuckle, and ginger spice, a perfect pairing for the food of the holiday season. The Executive Chef of Bernardus Lodge, Gus Trejo, created a recipe that accents the wine’s structure and richness, an Autumn Herb-Crusted Turkey Roulade, “a butterflied turkey breast rolled with a fragrant stuffing of leek, fennel, apple, thyme and sage, brushed with a lemon-Dijon herb crust, and roasted to perfection.” I did not get a chance to make this dish to accompany the wine, but it seems so mouth-watering, as described, “the dish’s savory sweetness and herbal lift mirror the Chardonnay’s bright acidity and creamy depth, creating a pairing that feels both seasonal and sophisticated.”

Holidays are all about celebrating and sharing with friends and family, with many opportunities for merry-making. These three wines offer good value and excellent food pairings for the season and beyond. Cheers to another year of wine!

Campo Viejo Brut Cava, https://www.campoviejo.com/product/cava-brut/

Herdade do Peso Parcelas 2019, https://herdadedopeso.com/en/wines/red-wine/herdade-do-peso-parcelas-red-2019

​Bernardus Ingrid's Vineyard Chardonnay 2023, https://www.bernardus.com/product/chardonnay-2023-ingrid-s-vineyard