Christmas Wines

Choosing wines for Christmas can be tricky. You want something that is worthy of the special occasion but you may have already blown most of your budget on presents! Bottlerocket's Tom Geniesse walked us through his choices for doing the holiday right.

If you want to steer away from wine to begin or end your night, Geniesse suggests an artisanal whiskey like Berkshire Bourbon Whiskey. A bottle will go a long way at $42.

Delving into the wines, Geniesse's theory is go big or go home. His first suggestions for whites are a Newton Chardonnay  and a rich viognier from Condrieu. The chardonnay is reasonably priced at $23 a bottle, but to pull out all the stops you can get the viognier for $57. 

For reds, if you're looking for something on the lower end of the price range Geniesse suggests a Spanish Can Blau, which clocks in at $19.  "It's big, it's rich, and it'll warm your heart. For a more expensive show-stopper, his pick is the Tommasi Amarone. It might be $71, but he promises, "Holy cow, it'll knock your socks off."

Lastly, he also points out that for big parties you may want to go for the fun of a big bottle. His favorite is a bordeaux from Chateau Pontet Barrail. It's $41 for the equivalent of two bottles in one.

Watch the video above to hear more about the wines and get ready for Christmas wine shopping!