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Cool picks for holiday entertaining, Whistler-style

Pour yourself a glass of port, and enjoy…

There’s only one weekend left before Christmas and that means it’s time to get serious about picking up all those wines you will be entertaining with over Christmas and New Year’s.

No need for panic but there’s work to be done and the sooner you get started the better the selection, and, if at all possible, you want to avoid the madness of shopping on Dec. 24.

If anything, the wealth of choices at last month’s Cornucopia event proved that this holiday season your choice can be wider than ever, with some provisos. Inexpensive is in, basic varietal wines like chardonnay (especially oaky ones) and merlot are out. Interestingly, the rush to spend less on wine will give you more room to manoeuvre at the check out counter.

But before you do anything, I suggest you begin your journey in a government specialty wine store, or private store with a similarly wide selection and start by grabbing a bottle of Taylor Fladgate Special White Port ($21).

This is your reward for shopping early and it can double as a fabulous aperitif to be served to drop-in guests with a simply prepared dish of mixed olives and roasted almonds. Best of all, it will keep throughout the holiday season as long as you place its handy stopper back in the bottle and store the wine in the refrigerator. The adventurous serve it over ice with a twist of lemon.

My guess is most people will be arriving with a bottle of Yellow Tail Shiraz or Chardonnay, which is fine, but why not make a point to serve something different? White wine is the new red so you may want to think about having a selection of sauvignon blanc, viognier or riesling on hand so your guests know you are on top of the latest wine trends.

Viognier continues to capture the imagination of wine writers and restaurant chefs and is clearly the season’s hippest white wine. Honeysuckle orange rind and mineral mark the flavours of this stylish white and, best of all, it’s the perfect varietal to pair with turkey. Among my very favourite picks are: Smoking Loon ($17), Cline Cellars ($21) or the ever stylish and 100 per cent organic Bonterra Vineyards ($22), all from California; from Australia try Yalumba Y Series ($18), and from France, Moillard Hugues le Juste ($11.75) and Serame ($11.40).

Rieslings are highly versatile apéritif wines that also work well as stand alone sippers and they come with the added bonus of relatively low alcohol. Local picks include Hawthorne Mountain ($13) and Gehringer Private Reserve ($13.49).

Global picks that mix mineral, racy fruit with peachy flavours include: Lingenfelder 2003 Bird Series Riesling ($17), Dr L. 2003 ($17), and Gunderloch 2003 Redstone ($16), all from Germany. Value from Oz includes the Lindemans Bin 75 ($12), the Wynns 2003 Coonawarra Estate Riesling ($15) and the exciting new Wolf Blass Gold Label Riesling 2003 ($20).

Hip and delicious is the story of sauvignon blanc, especially if it comes with a screwcap, sees little or no wood aging and is grown in cool climate regions. It deserves a regular spot at home parties where what you drink is more important than the amount. Sauvignon blanc has become increasingly popular in 2004 and will continue to be sought after in the coming years.

If you require several bottles and price is an issue stock up on the clean, fresh Obikwa Sauvignon Banc ($9) from South Africa, Lurton Les Fumées Blanches ($11.33) France or Miguel Torres ($14) from Chile.

Serious cutting edge sauvignon labels include the delicious Pascal Jolivet Attitude Sauvignon ($26) from France and from New Zealand in a screwcap, the Matua 2004 that sells for $18.

I know, I know – what about the red wine? Everyone is drinking shiraz or syrah and you can’t go wrong with any of the following that boast soft, fleshy flavours with licorice, pepper and savoury meaty aromas and flavours: Banrock Station ($14), Spires ($16) and Hardy’s Nottage Hill ($15) from Australia. And the Finca Flichman ($11) and Casillero del Diablo ($12) are steals out of South America.

For a few dollars more and a big jump in intensity you can reach for shiraz from Wynns Coonawarra Estate ($20), Penfolds Thomas Hyland ($19) or Ferngrove ($19) all from Oz. A new South African shiraz worth a look is the Graham Beck at $20.

Improvements worldwide in pinot noir not only make it more affordable but it’s also tastier than ever. Don’t miss the opportunity to serve some delicious pinot over the holidays – the bigger, richer versions will work with your turkey or ham.

Helping out locally are four winners: Nk’Mip Cellars ($15), Quails’ Gate Pinot Noir Limited Release ($20), CedarCreek Pinot Noir Estate Select ($24) and the CedarCreek Pinot Noir Platinum Reserve ($35).

From Chile, the pinot to look for is Vina Casas del Bosque ($23). California labels that make sense for the money include Concannon Pinot Noir ($21), Cartlidge & Browne ($19), Cambria Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard ($40) and LinCourt Vineyards ($23). A juicy pick from New Zealand would be the Shingle Peak Pinot Noir ($21).

For you diehard cabernet sauvignon fans my current favourites that deliver include Finca Flichman ($11), from Argentina. Errazuriz Max Reserva ($20), Valdivieso Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 ($14) and Miguel Torres ($18) out of Chile are also savvy picks, and two of the best in B.C. are the Inniskillin Okanagan Dark Horse Estate Vineyard ($20) or the Quails' Gate Family Reserve 2002 ($35).

Juicy describes the Yalumba Y Series ($18), while rich is the term for St. Hallett Faith ($27) out of the Barossa Valley, Australia. Similarly, a parade of good cabs from warm California includes Liberty School ($30), Kenwood Jack London Vineyard ($40), Rodney Strong ($29), Chateau St. Jean ($50) and the Cliff Lede ($80) from Napa. All have a rich, smoky, fruity character that entices and enough tannin to stand up to the biggest, richest appetizer dishes.

Now, off to the stores and get shopping, and don’t forget that Taylor Fladgate Special White Port, a gift from you to you.

Anthony Gismondi is a globetrotting wine writer who makes his home in West Vancouver, British Columbia. For more of his thoughts on wine log onto www.gismondionwine.com