Let's face it, we're all ready for some R & R after the holiday season!
After spending all that quality time - and gifts ;) - on others, it's time to treat yourself and spend some cozy winter nights at home.
Here are four wine picks that combine quality winemaking and value to get you through the cold weeks ahead without spending a ton!
LuÃs Pato Baga + Touriga Nacional 2015
Portugal often flies under the radar for most customers in favour of more famous and illustrious countries, but this European country has a long history of winemaking!
This red wine is made with two grapes indigenous to the country: Baga (60%) and Touriga Nacional (40%). Both have a taste profile with tons of tannin and acid producing a wine with impact similar to wines like Napa Cabernet or Australian Shiraz. An obscenely great value for the complexity of flavour!
Gorgo Bardolino DOC
Italy is home to some of the world's most recognizable wines (Chianti, anyone?) but the country is also home to hundreds of indigenous grapes and hundreds of regional wine quality denominations - that's the DOC and DOCG you see on Italian labels. It's bound to happen that more than handful of them will be undervalued and under recognized.
This red wine from northern Italy's Bardolino DOC region is made with Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara grapes producing a dry, smooth light-red wine with lots of cherry flavours!
Ganadero Garnacha
This 100% Spanish Garnacha (also known as Grenache in France) from Bodegas Canopy is organically grown on 55-year-old vines and aged for 3 months in French oak. The result is a fruity, bright, clean wine that smells like cranberries, violet, and cherries.
A wonderful and interesting wine to try if you're looking for something light and fun, yet surprisingly complex!
Hunawihr Kuhlmann-Platz Gerwurztraminer
If the label seems German to you, you wouldn't be that far off! The French region of Alsace borders Germany and has passed between French and German control multiple times. As a result, Alsatian food and wine is an interesting blend of both cultures.
This white wine is made from Gewurztraminer which produces deliciously perfumed wines. You'll smell a combination of floral and fruit scenes - think apricots, lychee, and peach.
If you've never explored this somewhat esoteric grape - give it a try!