Best Local Wines For Christmas
Christmas is a time for entertaining and starting new traditions. Maybe some of these wines will become a new tradition in your home this year. Gather loved ones near, make your traditional Christmas dinner and try these local wines, perfect for making a Merry Christmas.
-By Katie Curley-Katzman, CBS Boston
Here are our picks for best local wines for Christmas:
1. Sakonnet Blessed Blend, Little Compton, R.I.
If seafood such as lobster, shrimp and tuna are on your Christmas menu, this is a great pairing. The wine has citrus notes and hints of pineapple and guava. The blend is 45-percent Vidal and 55-percent Chardonnay. This is also a good wine to pair with cheeses for your cocktail hour.
Cocktail Talk: Carolyn's Sakonnet Vineyards is owned by popular Rhode Island jewelry company Alex & Ani. The vineyard is in part, named after Carolyn Rafaelian, CEO of Alex & Ani. Sakonnet wines are the official wines of the Boston Celtics.
2. LaBelle Three Kings, Amherst, N.H.
OK, so this one certainly fits in with the Christmas story but it's also an award-winning wine. Hints of red raspberry, blueberries abound. The wine is made with Marechel Foch grapes. This one is great with your desserts of cheesecake and creme brulee.
Cocktail Talk: Three Kings is actually not a reference to Christmas at all. The wine is named after wine maker Amy LaBelle's husband and two sons.
3. Nashoba Valley Winery Plum and Pear wines, Bolton, MA
Visions of the sugar plum fairies will come dancing into your mind as you taste these fruit wines. The plum is beautifully blush and has subtle sweetness. The pear is more delicate with notes of vanilla.
Cocktail Talk According to tradition, a young woman is suppose to walk backward around a pear tree, three times on Christmas morning. The folklore claims that if she gazes into the branches of the tree, she will see the image of her future husband.
4. Moonlight Meadery, Wild, Londonderry, N.H.
This one will get your party started. Hints of wildflower honey and wild blueberries from Alton Bay, N.H., this mead pairs well with fruits, cheese and your holiday roast.
Cocktail Talk: New to mead? It's a fermented mix of honey and water. It's roots trace back to the beginning of alcohol consumption. The earliest writings about mead date back to 1700 BC. It was the preferred drink in the Golden Age of Ancient Greece and if you can remember your high school English class, the Danish warriors drank mead in Beowulf.
5.Balderdash Cellars Joyride Pinot Noir, Pittsfield, MA
This is a rich wine for the Pinot Noir lovers. Berries, sweet jam and a peppery finish make this one unique. This one is being buzzed about and is worth picking up for your holiday gathering.
Cocktail Talk: Only 115 cases are produced. The wine was named after a family story about the time a cheerleader on top of the pyramid saw one of the winery owner's moped being stolen right before her eyes.
BONUS: Flag Hill Sugar Maple Liquer, Lee, N.H.
Ok, so not a wine but we couldn't resist giving you just one "extra" in your stocking this year. This is a favorite of our holiday gatherings. It's maple syrup infused Flag Hill vodka and it's the perfect "sipper" in the glow of the Christmas tree. This is a holiday must-have.
