Mionetto Organic Prosecco NV Bubbles are great fun for sipping around the tree or as guests are arriving and cheesy, salty snacks are passed around the room. Unlike champagne, which is delicious but can be boozy and ponderous, this approachable prosecco made from organically farmed grapes has just the right amount of alcohol—a moderate 11 percent—to start off a long, enoyable evening. It also has the perfect degree of balance. The juicy, sweet-sour pop of green apple meets a palate-cleansing grassiness and brisk, happy bubble. You kind of can’t go wrong for the price. $13; mionettoproseccousa.com or at your local Whole Foods Market MORE: 7 Unique DIY Holiday Crafts That Celebrate Nature Ehlers Savignon Blanc 2014 The name of this Napa Valley estate harkens back to 1886 when Bernard Ehlers, a supplier of prospectors’ tools, bought the place for $7,000 in gold coins. The real gold for the certified-organic savignon blanc vines here is the terroir: well-drained loam that results in a a bone-dry bottle with a zippy acidity and a host of floral and citrus aromas and flavors: Key lime, Meyer lemon, pomelo, and orange blossom. Aging on the lees for six months gives it a creaminess that balances the zing. Serving oysters before the meal? This classy, racy white is a perfect accompaniment. $28; ehlersestate.com Join the FREE Unleash Your Greatness Summit online November 16-23. Domaine Cazes Rivesaltes Ambre 1999 The color and tang of ripe persimmons with the rich aroma of dried and mascerated fruits and the tannic bitterness of a bowlful of roasted nuts, this oak-aged, biodynamic grenache blanc from Languedoc-Rousillon is like the younger, lighter cousin of an amontillado sherry. It’s serious and acidic enough for foie gras at the start of the meal, and nutty and fruity enough for walnut-laced apple pie at the finish. It might seem a bit more expensive, but a little sip goes a long way. $36 for 350 ml; bestwinepurveyors.com MORE: 7 Easy-To-Make Apple Recipes Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2012 You may find it surprising, but the greatest wine for turkey isn’t white; it’s red. The roasted and slightly gamey flavor of particularly the dark meat in the heritage-breed bird you should be serving this year is best supported by a pinot noir, which has the berry brightness and earthy undertones to go with all the trimmings, too. This exemplary pinot comes from a LEED-, B Corporation- and organic-certified winery (they’re also a member of the Prescott Western Bluebird Recovery Project) that’s an excellent steward of both the planet and the bottle. There’s a lot going on here: cherry and blueberry and peat moss and spice and some wood. $45; sokolblosser.com Domaine LaFage Nicolas Grenache Noir 2013 Well, what a steal! Farmed organically (though not certified) and treated to only the most minimal interventions in the winery so that its old-vine intensity shines through, this 100-percent grenache comes from the Côtes Catalanes near France’s the Spanish border can be had for all of one Hamilton and two Washingtons. It has a barnyard-meets-blackberry-bramble depth of flavor and a pepper-and-violets nose, all held up nice and straight by a strong, mineral backbone. Enjoy it with an aromatic sage-and-sausage stuffing, a leg of lamb, or a proper roast beef. $12; saratogawine.com Frey Biodynamic Zinfandel 2014 Another great lamb wine, particularly if you’re going Moroccan this holiday, or trying another spicy treatment, this Mendocino County bottle is tremendously lithe for a California zinfandel. Made on a family vineyard that was the first in the nation to be certified organic, it’s full of the blacks—fresh-cracked black pepper, raisiny black currants—but its brisk, no-nonsense acidity bouys up those blacks, so that it finishes nice and bright. $20; freywine.com or at your local Whole Foods Market Ontañon Rioja Ecológico 2011 Certified organic by the European Union, this 100-percent tempranillo offers a great bit of adventure as you leisurely sip it. It smells of lavender and spice, and the first sips hit you with cherry, plums, and a whole lot more spice. Then there’s a long, bright cherry finish, which is also slightly bitter—in a good way. The tannins provide structure, but, boy, are they smooth; they sit back and just wait awhile, and then, after some sips and some breathing room, on come the chocolate notes. This is a fantastic wine for game: goose or wild boar. $14; winehouse.com or at your local Whole Foods Market Ma Mas Amiel Muscat de Rivesaltes 2011 In the Languedoc-Roussillon’s Maury AOC, on land that’s been planted with grapes since 1816 when Raymond Amiel won it off a French bishop in a card game, winemaker Olivier Decelle is bringing biodynamic methods to the farming. Here, you might see draft horses ploughing the stony soil of this sweet-wine appellation. This muscat has the pure, fresh character to match the farming; it’s full of bright apricot, plum, and nectarine flavors, with a bittersweet pineapple finish. With its slightly pungent oxidized nose, it’s one for the cheese course, particularly if you like a creamy goat cheese. But any fruit dessert would pair well with it, too. It’s big at 15.5-percent alcohol, but the night is winding down, so you might as well let it lead you into a long winter’s snooze. $23; sunfishcellars.com The article “8 Organic Holiday Wines You Totally Can Afford” originally ran on RodalesOrganicLife.com.
