The best wines (and wine books) for the holidays

Hey it's Elin. I’ve been in my cellar deciding which wines to pour for the holidays. Here are my top picks. [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Hi again, it’s [Elin McCoy](, Bloomberg’s wine critic. The holidays and the end of the year are practically here, and if you’re feeling frazzled with the length of your to-do list, I’m with you. But since I love the generous vibe of this let-there-be-peace season—from the traditional music to the sparkly lights to the chances to pour my best bottles—I’m embracing that list. During these last few days, I’ve been reviewing my 2023 notebooks to jog my memory of my favorite wines and travels for [my Top 10 of the year]( column and deciding [which wine countries should be on my agenda]( for 2024. Chile and Oregon for sure, and maybe Armenia, along with my usual treks to California, Italy and France. The Vik vineyard in Chile. But in the evenings, I’m at home, surrounded by old family recipes, flour, sugar, butter and baking sheets, tackling my annual cookie making while listening to soppy Christmas music and sipping a half bottle of Laurent-Perrier Champagne. Julia Child once told me that bubbles perked her up while cooking. True for me, too! The aromas in the air are cardamom and vanilla as I roll Swedish pecan balls in powdered sugar and then cut sugar cookies into the shapes of trees, Santas and stars, and dust them with red and green sprinkles. When I’m not writing, cooking, decorating the tree or shopping for gifts (see below), I’m answering texts and emails from friends looking for bottle recommendations for their parties. The most frequent ask? A good Champagne that costs less than $25. Sorry, everyone, Champagne (which can only come from that region in France) doesn’t exist in a full bottle at that price point. Piper Sonoma Blanc de Blancs For other top bubblies that do, look for my forthcoming column 50 under $50 next week, or if you can’t wait, [check out last’s year’s version](. For now, I’m suggesting [Piper Sonoma Blanc de Blancs]( at $22 and [Adami Treviso Garbel Brut]( prosecco for $19. (With these and others I discuss, prices can vary across suppliers.) Last, but not least, I’ve been in my cellar trying to decide which wines I’m going to pour for the big wine events: dinner on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. Christmas means turkey and stuffing and rich, luscious reds, and this year I’m going with an international mix of new and old: a just-launched, multi-layered dry red from Portugal’s Douro valley, [2019 Quinta do Noval Vinhas da Marka](, the first in the winery’s just launched terroir series, and the plush [2009 Chateau Lagrange](, a superb vintage for this overperforming Bordeaux from Saint-Julien. 2009 Chateau Lagrange Great Champagne is a must for me on New Year’s Eve, and here, too, I’m going for a mix of new and old, both blanc de blancs: the new, just-released [2013 Barons de Rothschild Rare Collection]( and the [2010 Dom Ruinart](, named Best Champagne at last year’s Champagne and Sparkling wine world championships. As always, we’ll toast to peace and to every one of us being kinder and more tolerant in 2024. My insider’s guide to last minute gifts Bloomberg’s [2023 gift guides]( include my enticing [wine and spirits finds](. But I also have four rules for never-fail wine presents. - You don’t have to spend big bucks. The [2024 Hugh Johnson Pocket Wine Book](, a mere $18, is the 47th edition, with unrivaled comprehensive, up-to-date info. It’s the best annual wine guide out there. The Durand Photographer: Janelle Jones for Bloomberg Businessweek - Instead of the latest useless gadgets, [give a serious corkscrew](. It amazes me how many wine lovers I know rely on terrible corkscrews. Treat collector friends to [the Durand](, which is a whiz at removing crumbly corks from old wines. TenMile Distillery Source: Tenmille Distillery - Think local. Dozens of states produce excellent wines and spirits. Gifting the top bottles from your home state is a great way to introduce them to friends. For me that means small-batch whisky, gin, and vodka from [TenMile Distillery](, a 30-minute drive from my house in Connecticut. ($29 to $100) - Don’t just give a bottle, give an occasion. Pair a bottle with something fancy to eat with it, like a tin of Regiis Ova caviar, or a [luscious, creamy artisanal cheese](. Or turn to an imaginative gift box from a winery. Sonoma’s Iron Horse pairs their Winter’s Cuvee bubbly with s'mores and a mini-indoor fire pit. ([Cozy Set](, $179) [Domaine Carneros Blissful Brunch box]( comes with their Ultra Brut, gourmet pancake mix, and a fab maple syrup from Vermont. ($126) What else I’m reading, listening to, and thinking about The year’s top wine books This has been a banner year for wine books, especially when it comes to challenging the status quo. Here are my favorites, with prices from publishers, though you may find them discounted elsewhere. - In [The New French Wine](: Redefining the World’s Greatest Wine Culture (Ten Speed Press, $135), a two-volume boxed set wine guide, the opinionated Jon Bonné celebrates rebel vignerons and upends ideas about this famous wine country. - The title of [The World in A Wineglass](: The Insider’s Guide to Sustainable, Extraordinary Wines to Drink Now, by Ray Isle (Scribner, $50) says it all. - The fifth edition of essential reference [The Oxford Companion to Wine]( (Oxford University Press, $65) by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and Tara Q. Thomas has been comprehensively updated. - [On Burgundy: From Maddening to Marvelous in 59 Tales](, edited by Susan Keevil (Academie du Vin Library, $45), is a compilation that delivers on the title. Did you know there were once wolves in Burgundy? - The dark side of wine has fascinated me since I first covered counterfeits 20-odd years ago. [Vintage Crime: A Short History of Wine Fraud]( by wine writer Rebecca Gibb (University of California Press, $30) is a meticulously researched history, but also full of humor, gossip, and a cast of dubious characters. Arty shoes I’ve never been a shoe obsessive, but that changed when I discovered the beautiful hand-crafted, hand-painted shoes created by [Lauren Brinkers](. She studied in London with Saville Row bespoke bootmakers, eventually launching her own line in the US in 2018. “I wanted my shoes to look like a Helen Frankenthaler painting,” she says. Source: Lauren Brinkers Made from buttery soft Mexican leather, they’re painted in designs that look like dreamy watercolors, and some lace up like ballet shoes. They’re ultra-soft and incredibly comfortable. I want them all. Even though they cost $495 a pair, they’re worth it. And Brinkers ships worldwide. Opera diva Maria Callas As an opera lover, I have my favorite performers, and one of them is the late charismatic diva Maria Callas, whose voice never fails to thrill. This month is her 100th birthday, and the centenary has inspired films, shows, books and even a new museum in Athens dedicated to her life, which opened in October. Source: Amazon “Everything is in my music,” she once said, so I’m happily listening to the new boxed set of 131 CDs in La Divina: Maria Callas in All Her Roles, the most comprehensive collection of her recordings ever released. ($400 at the Met Opera Shop; [$263 on Amazon](; it includes a DVD, too). The Wine Stories I’ll Remember My end-of-year reviewt always includes wine stories that intrigued me and gave me a window into ideas to explore next year. [The man who’s saving America’s forgotten grapes in Missouri]( [A deep dive into what we know about the impact of wine on health]( [How to stop wine fraud? AI can now identify which estate Bordeaux wines come from with 100% accuracy]( [The Republic of Georgia’s ancient wine traditions make a splash on CBS 60 Minutes]( [High altitude vineyards hold one solution to global warming]( [How billionaire Bernard Arnault built the world’s most luxurious wine portfolio]( So you had some questions... Got burning questions you want us to answer? [DM us on IG](. Do the best sauvignon blancs come from New Zealand? You can find “best” examples from California, Austria, the Loire Valley, Bordeaux, Chile and, yes, New Zealand, which made its reputation with a unique zingy style and bargain prices. Among my top list of New Zealand producers are [Astrolabe](, [Greywacke](, [Dog Point](, [Clos Henri]( and [Cloudy Bay](, the wine that started it all. Your question makes me think I’d better do a column on sauvignon blanc in 2024. Is there a cabernet sauvignon or cab blend under $40 that tastes like a $100+ wine? We’re all chasing wines that overdeliver, but I think looking for a $40 to $45 cab that tastes like $75 is a little more realistic. Forget Napa. Right now, look to Bordeaux, especially the 2019 vintage. I’d highlight [Château Laroque]( and [Château Siran](, both rising stars; and concentrated, juicy [Château Fonplégade from Saint-Emilion](. What's the best price performance wine of the year? It depends on who you talk to, so I’m going with stats on global fine wine marketplace Liv-Ex. You may know that prices in 2023 have been declining. The best performer among Liv-Ex’s regional indexes, according to [The Fine Wine Market in 2023]( report issued Dec. 7, has been Italy, whose prices declined less than any other region. The best performer was the classic [2001 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva](, up 40.1% from the beginning of the year. But among Liv-Ex’s 2023 Power 100, a ranking of the most powerful brands in the secondary market, the top performer was talented Burgundy star [Kei Shiogai](’s namesake domaine, with prices up 185.7%. New for subscribers: Free article gifting. Bloomberg.com subscribers can now gift up to five free articles a month to anyone you want. Just look for the "Gift this article" button on stories. (Not a subscriber? Unlock limited access and [sign up here](.) Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Pursuits newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. [Unsubscribe]( [Bloomberg.com]( [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](