Enjoy these festive wines this fall through the holidays
By Carla Snuggs
Happy Fall! When I think autumn, I think fluffy sweaters, comfy boots, hearty soups and wine! Whether you’re hosting a thanksgiving dinner or attending a holiday party, a special bottle of wine adds a wonderful, festive, thoughtful touch! I’m sharing some of my current favorite fall wines and some cool wine accessories.
William Chris Vineyards
This holiday season, it’s all about William Chris Vineyards, Located in the Texas Hill Country in Hye, Texas.
I fell in love with the 2017 Petillant Naturel. This holiday, start your guests off with a little natural bubbly and let the snacking begin! The winemaking team was intrigued by Pétillant-Naturel as a style of winemaking, thus it was first born to William Chris in 2014. This wine is unique in that it is lightly bubbly and often cloudy because fermentation is finished inside the bottle and does not experience filtration. A crown cap is used because it follows the true Ancestrale Méthode. Pair with Salty Charcuterie, Oysters, ChorIzo, Pork Belly, Lobster and Fromage Fort.
Another of my favorites is 2017 Skeleton Key White: Essences of roasted pineapple, buttery custard, and lemon tickle the nose. Medium-bodied, this white wine evokes star fruit, passionfruit, and guava on the palate. They suggest pairing this incredible white with butternut squash because of the butteriness of the wine pairs with the sweet and savory aspects of the butternut squash - it melts the flavors together.
In addition to the fall favorites, William Chris Vineyards offers bundles of wine for holiday gifting, such as the Enchanté Vertical that includes one bottle of each Enchanté vintage from 2011 to 2016 for $250; Hye Estate Gift Set that includes a 2017 Hye Malbec Rosé, 2015 Hye Malbec, 2015 Hye Petit Verdot, and 2015 Hye Tannat; 2 Bottle Fan Favorites that includes a red wine option with a 2016 Enchanté and 2016 Hunter for $90 or a white wine option with 2017 Mary Ruth and 2017 Bingham Roussanne for $65; and a Gift Ready Pack that includes one case of wine (with case discount), silver pens, gift cards, and 12 single bottle gift bags to make your holiday gift giving much easier!
Fitvine Wine
If you have health and fitness goals and want to stay on plan, you need FitVine Wine. FitVine was created when friends made a pact to craft amazing wines that also fit their active lifestyles. FitVine wines are lower in sugar, calories, carbs and sulfites compared to other wines and have no flavor additives. FitVine Wine offers 8 different varietals: Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Limited Edition Holiday Red Blend, Rosé, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Prosecco. On average, all wines have less than 0.09g of sugar, 118 calories, and 3.9g of carbohydrates (per 5oz. glass) and all wines ranging from 13.4 - 13.9% alcohol.
For Thanksgiving and other end of the year holidays, try Holiday Red Blend which is a real crowd favorite. Holiday Red Blend: An iconic rich, bold, powerful blend of decadent black fruits, dark raspberry, with a touch of chocolate. It embodies a robust full body character, and ultra-smooth, ultra-refined tannins. The finish will linger to make you want more. Holiday Red Blend average analysis per 5oz glass @ 13.9% alcohol: 0.01g of sugar, 120 calories, 3.5g of carbohydrates ($23.99). Serve at a party or present as a great hostess gift.
Beso Del Sol
Beso del Sol is the only authentic sangria from Spain in “adult-juice-boxes”. Beso Del Sol comes in red, white, and rosé and each resealable container contains three glasses of sangria. It’s perfect for fall. Why? Think fall tailgating! They are much lighter to carry than glass containers or huge boxes of wine; chill very quickly when you put them in ice; are resealable if you don’t drink it all, and fully recyclable if you do! The sangria itself is all-natural; low sugar (with only 6 grams per 100mL, vs. up to 30 grams in others); vegan; gluten-free; and only 74 calories per glass (less than even “lite” beer). Beso Del Sol is easy to find at grocery and convenience stores across the U.S.
Wine Accessories
The Wave
PureWine, (who makes The Wand that I love) recently launched The Wave. PureWine removes both the histamines and the sulfite preservatives that cause wine allergies without changing the taste, aroma or color of wine. The Wave is inserted into your wine bottle and filters the entire bottle.
PureWine products help reduce –
Wine headaches & congestion
Rashes & facial redness
Stomach distress
Joint pain
Hangover feeling
So this means you can enjoy your favorite wines this fall and all holiday season!
Kelvin K2 Smart Wine Thermometer
Kelvin K2 is a sleek, beautifully designed wine monitor with Bluetooth 4.0 wireless connectivity. The K2 wine monitor combines the most recent advances in aerial technology to send the temperature information to a smartphone (often from the inside of a refrigerator).
The free iOS or Android app then monitors the wine as it chills and provides as much or as little information needed to get the best from every bottle of wine. Ask any wine expert, and they will tell you that wine taste is made up of a combination of numerous key elements, each of which is dramatically (and uniquely) affected by temperatures - so it makes sense that any wine is only at its best at the correct, recommended serving temperature.
What are your favorite holiday wines or spirits? Leave your comments below!
Disclosure: Press samples were provided by the brand/PR for editorial consideration, product testing, photography and honest review.
