Think of Christmas and you can almost detect the delicious aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, and spice in the air. The crisp weather and fresh pine scent of the outdoors, and the gorgeously decorated tree in the living room invigorate you and stimulate your appetite for the holiday feast to come. When you open your home to friends and family at holiday time, you have many things to consider as a host. This is especially true with wine and spirits. What wine(s) you serve can reveal a lot about you.
Today many supermarkets have well-stocked wine sections where you can find commercial, mass-produced wines with big marketing campaigns familiar to you from billboards and magazine advertisements. These wines are often seen as safe bets because, believe it or not, many of these large companies perform research on the taste buds and preferences of a mass-market consumer, and actually create a wine that matches this preference. Typically, these wines sell for $10 or less.
For the same price range you can treat your guests to what many critics believe is a better quality wine by seeking out a Spanish wine in the supermarket or your local wine store. Right now today, Spain is one of the best value for the money wine regions on the market where your dollar buys a great deal of quality and excellent taste.
Even better, both the white and red wines of Spain, including their Cava (sparkling wine) and fortified wines (such as sherry and Port), naturally go well with cuisine meant for a Christmas dinner. Before you visit the wine store, review the spices and weight of your sauces and side dishes. Are you planning roasted vegetables with spiced fruits? A luscious chestnut soup? These dishes are rich, spicy, and substantial, which means your wines should be medium-bodied at the very least.