These Are The Best Wines to Sip On for the 2021 Holiday Season

WHITE WINES

When it comes to white wine, cold-weather sipping calls for fuller-bodied, thicker wines than you'd typically consume during the warmer months. While most red wines will give you a good warm-up, a lot of whites (such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) are just too cooling and light-bodied for late-autumn and early-winter nights. With that in mind, here are some of our favorite whites that stand up to the weather and will leave you feeling pleasantly toasty.

Pinot Grigio

ONE HOPE Vintner Collection California Pinot Grigio ($25)

If you're look for something crisp and fresh and a little stone fruity this varietal from ONE HOPE is extra special. Not only is it delightful to drink but proceeds from every bottle from ONE HOPE goes to a charitable organization. They just launched a special wine collection with actress Bridget Moynahan to benefit a children's medical charity close to her heart. If you're ever in the Napa Valley area, absolutely check out their new winery too - it's stunning!

Chardonnay

Giant Steps Yarra Valley Chardonnay ($37)

Chardonnay is notoriously rich in texture for a white wine, and this particular vintage plays up its characteristic fullness to delightful effect. With notes of pear and cream, this delicious vino hails from the Yarra Valley of Australia, and its vineyard has been named in Wine & Spirits' Top 100 Wineries of the Year six times since 2013.

Viognier

Yalumba Y Series Viognier ($10)

With a more-than-decent price tag, this crisp wine is absolutely perfect for the holiday season. Viognier is a tricky grape to cultivate, making the modest price point all the more surprising.

Reisling

Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Reisling ($13)

With its peach, orange, and mandarin nots, this insanely easy-to-sip wine is quickly going to become one of your perennial favorites. Pair it with seafood, pork, duck, and Chinese and Thai food — and be ready to have your meal transformed.

RED WINES

While white wines may be a little tricky in cool weather, the opposite is true of red wines. Although there certainly are *some* reds that might feel a little too cooling for November and December, most will work just fine. Because it's cold out, though, the best choices are full-bodied, bombastic, flavorful wines that will pair well with equally warming comfort foods and red meats.

Malbec

Mendel 2017 Estate Grown & Bottled Malbec ($25)

This powerful, aromatic wine is a fantastic choice for Malbec lovers. Originating in Mendoza, Argentina, this wine was literally born in the Malbec capitol of the wold. It smells a little like blueberries — and tastes even more fruity.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Flat Top Hills Cabernet Sauvignon ($16)

Talk about affordable yet delectable — clocking in under $20, this cab is affordable enough to be your weekly go-to, but is also absolutely special enough to be part of your holiday celebrations. It's both fruity and a bit spicy, with flavors like strawberry, jasmine, and violet. Pair it with a burger for a casual yet elevated foodie experience.

Pinot Noir

Greywacke Pinot Noir ($40)

Pinot Noir is almost synonymous with cool-weather sipping, so it's no surprise there are a ton of great options out there. One of our favorites is the Greywecke Pinot Noir, hailing from Marlborough, New Zealand. Its flavors are reminiscent of homemade jam, with added juxtaposing notes of olives, smoke, and Christmas spice. A holiday classic in the making.

SPARKLING WINES

Nothing screams holiday party quite like sparkling wines. Bubbles just have a way of elevating the mood, don't they? Here are a few of our favorite picks, from Champagne to prosecco.

Brut Sparkling

ONE HOPE Celebration Brut ($69)

This one tastes as amazing on the inside as it looks on the outside. Serve up this celebration-ready sparkling brut with hints of citrus at your holiday fete. This one's also one of actress Bridget Moynahan's faves and part of her special wine collection to help find a cure for Epidermolysis Bullosa.

Champagne

Laurent-Perrier Harmony Demi-Sec ($50)

Champagne is a sparkling wine specifically hailing from the Champagne region of France. No matter how bubbly it is, it technically isn't Champagne if it doesn't come from this region! Since Champagne is a unique, local-centric kind of wine, it deserves a special occasion. This particular vino tastes of hazelnut, apricot, and chocolate mousse, and comes together in a succulent rich texture. Cheers!

Cava

Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut Cava ($13)

While Champagne comes from France, cava is itself a Spanish varietal, vinted in the Penedès region of northeast Catalonia. It's a medium-bodied, fresh-tasting sparkling wine consisting of a blend of three types of grapes: macabeo, xarel-lo, and parellada. Choose this wine for an utterly balanced, lively, citrusy sip.

Prosecco

Scarpetta Prosecco ($16)

Prosecco has seen a boom in popularity in recent years, partially because Champagne continues to remain a bit expensive for many people's budgets. Prosecco shouldn't be seen as cheaper Champagne, though — this bubbly, joyous varietal stands all on its own. One of our favorites is Scarpetta Prosecco, which features a palette of tart green apples, citrus fruits, honeydew, and white flower blossoms.

NON-ALCOHOLIC WINES

Cutting back on the booze this holiday season? We got you. While most non-alcoholic beverage lists include a multitude of drinks from across categories, wine lovers who are going sans alcohol know that non-alcoholic ("NA") wine is really its own animal. Here are few of the best non-alcoholic vinos for the holiday.

Alcohol-Free Red Wine

Starla Red Blend ($28)

Alcohol-free red wine is... tricky business. But Starla has taken alcohol-removed wine and made it both delicious and fun. Featuring flavors of dark cherry, blackberry, bergamot and French lavender, this delicious blend is so elegant you'll never miss the booze.

Alcohol-Free White Wine

Surely Non-Alcoholic Sparkling White ($25)

Pop the bubbly right alongside your friends and family with this delicious and crisp alcohol-free sparking white. While most NA wine makers simply make juice and put it in a fancy wine bottle, Surely does something different: They make delicious real wine from California grapes, then use a technology called a Spinning Cone Column to remove the alcohol. The result is this delicious drink.

Sparkling Juice

Martinelli's Sparkling Blush ($4)

When you were a kid, you may have referred to sparkling grape juice as "kid wine," but there's nothing kid-like about taking care of your health! This sparkly and sweet cider is the perfect alternative to either Champagne or rosé, and will leave you feeling refreshed and thirsty for more.

Wildcard Pick

Proxies by Acid League ($70 for 3, or $59/month)

Though not exactly a wine replica, Acid League's "Proxies" are stand-ins that also stand out. Instead of trying to make an alcohol-free beverage taste like wine, the winemakers at Acid League decided to make something totally different. Their master makers mix together teas, herbs, spices, and juices to create stunningly delicious combinations that, just like wine, are meant to be paired with food, sipped, and swirled— so you get all the benefits of wine, in a totally different format.