Around the holidays, a bottle of wine seems like a simple, easy gift to give until you’re standing in a liquor store trying to figure out what to buy. How much to spend and what to give are complicated questions, but add in the question of what your host likes to drink and even a well-versed wine drinker could lose hours trying to decide.
Whether the aim of a bottle is to seem in the know about new wine trends, or about historically popular grapes and regions, a sommelier can help identify the right bottle. To smooth the holiday wine-buying this year, we asked 22 sommeliers to recommend their favorite wine to gift. Unsurprisingly, many sommeliers recommend a bottle of Champagne, but even those who don’t want to pay true Champagne prices will find useful recommendations here. With suggestions ranging from a little-known style of sparkling, to an easy-to-drink Rioja, there’s something here for every occasion and price point.
These are the best wines to gift, according to sommeliers: Riesling A magnum of Champagne Rioja Red Tail Ridge Perpetual Change Brut Nature Domestically made sparkling wine Blanc de Noirs Champagne Brunello di Montalcino 2017 San Polino Helichrysum Domaine la Calmette Serpent à Plumes Malbec Vin de France Avinyó Reserva Brut Cava Hervé Souhaut Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet Syrah NV Dhondt-Grellet ‘Dans un Premier Temps’ Extra Brut Wines from the Loire Valley Patrick Piuze Val de Mer Bourgogne Blanc Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs NV Grand Cru Champagne Grosses Gewächs Pasaeli ‘6N’
