Hi, it's Elin, the wine critic. Here's what I'm pouring this time of year.
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Hi there, itâs [Elin McCoy](, Bloombergâs wine critic. Iâm pleased to report Iâve recovered from flipping through my tasting notebooks to pick [the most compelling, memorable wines of the year](, and zeroing in on those that [are bargains](. It was intense and time-consuming, but I had fun tasting a few of them again just to be sure. Now Iâm ready to party, and am fixated on my favorite end-of-year topic: what to pour for the holidays.
I picked out the 50 best wines under $50, which includes these delightful sparklers, which are perfect for the yearend festivities. Source: Vendors If harvest season (the topic of [my last newsletter]() is all about making wine, this season is the ultimate time to enjoy it. That means pulling out my best and most interesting bottles, like those in [my Top 10]( and [others almost as fabulous]( to share at traditional family celebrations and to indulge as the clock ticks down on New Yearâs Eve.  What I choose to pour, of course, depends on the occasion and whoâs coming. Parties at my house arenât just free-for-alls. I do have rules, after all. (See below.) But letâs start with what to drink when gift wrapping, or when sitting by the fire as the snow falls outside with while listening to Christmas music, from the classics (Handelâs Messiah) to the smooth (Ella Fitzgeraldâs Winter Wonderland) to the retro (Elvisâs Blue Christmas). My ideal wine is a rich, tangy, aged tawny port, like the just-launched, spicy-sweet [Sandeman 50-year-old]( with notes of caramelized fruit; or, if I really want to splurge, Taylorâs new, complex yet subtle Very Very Old Tawny.
My top 10 bottles of the year ranged in price from $35 to $35,000. Cheers! Illustration: MarÃa Medem My familyâs main holiday tradition is focused on Christmas Eve, with recipes from my Swedish grandmotherâshe grew up in Gränna, the town [where candy canes were invented](. My smorgasbord table includes tiny meatballs, gravlax, pickled herring and cucumbers, ham with mustard sauce, rice pudding and lingonberries, and much more. Over the years, weâve made additions (for vegetarians) and jettisoned others, like lutefisk ([donât ask](), which I have always loathed. Matching wine is tricky, so the drinks are potent Swedish glögg and reasonably priced sparkling wine or Champagne, like those in [my annual 50 under $50](. (For kids, itâs cranberry juice with seltzer.) No Swedish vin yet, but wine grapes are now thriving there because of climate change, so perhaps one day. Christmas Day dinner leans toward my familyâs British side: turkey and Bordeaux-style reds, with everyone snapping Christmas crackers to access the flimsy paper crowns inside. Yes, we wear them and look ridiculous.
When it comes to holiday entertaining, donât stop with wine. Experiment with a wide variety of alcoholicâand nonalcoholicâtipples! Source: Vendors This year Iâll pour new and old: 2017 Retrato por Jean-Claude, a stunning new Argentine cabernet blend crafted by Jean-Claude Berrouet, former winemaker of Chateau Petrus; Chateau Lafite Rothschildâs brand-new third wine, 2018 Anseillan; and the rich, suave 2010 La Conseillante, a grand Pomerol. And finally, New Yearâs Eve. One of the best parties I ever attended was at a house with an indoor swimming pool surrounded by red and green candles that gave a shimmery glow as we danced. Individual blue and pink mini bottles of Pommeryâs Pop champagne, complete with straws, sat in big tubs of ice. But during the pandemic, my husband and I watched the [Metropolitan Operaâs New Yearâs Eve Gala]( virtually and drank great Champagne from our own cellar, a tradition weâve vowed to continue. This year weâll open a silky-textured 2012 Rare Rosé Millesime and drink to peace in Ukraine and to every one of us being kinder and more tolerant in 2023. Connect with Elin on her [website]( or via [Instagram](. Looking back and looking forward.
An employee of Chateau De La Tour participates in the wine harvest not far from Chateau du Clos de Vougeot (back) in Vougeot, Burgundy. Despite a tough year globally for the wine harvest, Burgundian producers are optimistic about quality. Photographer: Jeff Pachoud/AFP At the end of the year I also like to take stock of the wine stories that most intrigued or surprised me and the ones that suggested which regions, bottles and topics I should explore next. The eclectic mix below reflects my fascination with every part of the wine world. In 2023, Iâm most looking forward to visiting to Burgundyâs new [Cité des Climats et Vins de Bourgogne](, opening in Beaune, Chablis and Macon next spring. [Tasting wine in extreme locations, like Antarctica, can affect the way you see the world.]( [Natural wine finds an unexpected home in bars and nightclubs.]( [These are the Bordeaux innovators Iâll be watching next year.]( [Everything you want to know about trendy hybrid grapes.]( [The ongoing saga of why old vines are important, covered deeply.](
My insiderâs guide to picking party wines. Choosing the wines for the White House State Dinner for French President Emmanuel Macron on Dec. 1 was a [highly diplomatic process](. Three American wines are always poured, but these also have a French connection: Roederer Estate Brut Rosé; Napaâs Newton Unfiltered chardonnay (LVMH owns the winery); and Sonomaâs Anakota cabernet, whose winemaker is French.
In New Mexico, Vara Winery & Distillery is experimenting with blends, both Old and New World, while others still prize single vineyard wines. Source: Vendors Iâm more flexible, but I, too, have my rules: - Yes, [you should serve rosé](, even when snow is three feet deep. Face it: Pink wine is now a year-round thing, and the color looks festive in a glass.Â
- Provide nonalcoholic wines for the ever-growing number of mindful teetotalers. Two attractive ones: Cordorniu Zero Brut Cava sparkler; Leitz Eins Zwei Zero Riesling. Â Â
- Everyone, especially me, loves [the generous spirit of big bottles](, whether magnums, double magnums or jeroboams.
- Bubbly is essential, and not just for New Yearâs Eve. [Well-priced party fizz]( now comes from everywhere, even Armenia. The Roederer Brut rosé served to Macron is a yummy, creamy-textured choice.
- For whites, zippy New Zealand sauvignon blanc canât be beat for the price. For a red, Iâll go with the 2016 Ronan by Clinet, a fruity merlot-dominant Bordeaux from Pomerol star Chateau Clinet, which you can find for as little as $13 a bottle. What else Iâm reading, drinking, thinking about.
 - The yearâs top wine books First, two essential guides. In the third edition of [The Wine Bible](, renowned expert Karen MacNeil brings her lively, entertaining one-volume tour de force up to date. To understand natural wine and the culture around it, [The World of Natural Wine]( by Aaron Ayscough is a must-read. Two memoirs remind me how much wine has the power to connect us with humanity and the Earth. Encounters with a serial killer and one with singer-songwriter Nina Simone are two of the captivating tales in [To Fall in Love, Drink This](, by natural wine expert Alice Feiring. [Drinking with the Valkyries: Writings on Wine](by Andrew Jefford is a brilliant collection of essays that impress with their wisdom and quiet poetry. [On Champagne](, edited by Susan Keevil, compiles articles on the most famous holiday drink from a variety of writers including Evelyn Waugh, Jay McInerney and yours truly. - The Wine Conversation podcast Listening to conversations with the wine worldâs most interesting personalities gives me surprising insights into the lives of those behind the wines you drink. Thatâs why I love podcasts and have had so much fun interviewing people for this one. [My latest was with Bruno Borie](, owner of Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, a noted chef and contemporary art collector, for the series Great Wine Lives.    - Perfume and terroir  I never thought perfume could evoke a geographic place the way wine does until I discovered [Aria di Sicilia](, a line of 12 fragrances that aim to do just that, at a shop in the city of Noto. Right now, Iâm loving No. 4, Mare delle Eolie, which smells like [sea spray on a summer beach](on the Aeolian islands. All are shipped only in Europe. On my next visit Iâm loading up. So, youâve got questions? Here are some answers! Whatever the topic, keep them coming for next week via our [Bloomberg Pursuits Instagram]( and [e-mail](mailto:askpursuits@bloomberg.net?I%20have%20a%20question).
If youâve cooked a steak to perfection, donât ruin it with the wrong wine. Photographer: zoranm/E+ Is Champagne or sparkling wine the best all-purpose wine you can bring to a dinner party? Yes. Hereâs why. Unless itâs an everybody-bring-a-bottle dinner, chances are your hosts have already picked out the reds and whites they want to serve. A bottle of bubbly wonât intrude on their planâit can be popped open alongside cocktails or aperitifs. And if they do want to pour it with dinner, fizz goes with just about everything. The rosé version is even good with red meat. If not, it can be a very nice gift for them to enjoy later. Whatever, itâs a win. Have you ever drunk a bag-in-box wine you liked? Yes, many. The first attractive one was From the Tank red, made from organic grapes by natural wine importers Jenny & Francois and a winery in the Rhone valley. Itâs still good.  My favorites are produced by artisanal wineries whoâve added a 3-liter boxed version to their lineup, though theyâre more expensive than big brands. Many more good ones will be coming next year. Sonomaâs Ryme Cellars makes a savory, refreshing Malbec Rosé packaged in a 3-liter box. Check out Tablas Creek wineryâs red, white and rosé Patelin de Tablas. Test runs of the boxed versions sold out in hours. Get your name on [the list for 2023](. New York-based importer Wineberry partners with French wineries on bag-in-box wines (the box is wood). Try the Wineberry Chateau du Chatelard Beaujolais. What are the most underrated wine regions in the US?  Iâd pick two: First, Washington state. The second-largest wine-producing state in the US has about 1,000 wineries. Yet despite the quality of the wines, especially cabernet sauvignon and syrah, itâs still in the shadow of California and Oregon. Top names are hard to find. My two bargains: DeLille Cellars D2 merlot/cabernet blend for $40 and certified biodynamic Hedges Family Estate Red Mountain cabernet blend for $30. Next up: Michigan, with 4,000 acres of more than 50 varieties of wine grapes. Best bets are rieslings and sparkling wines from the area around Traverse Bay, and Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas. Try those from Left Foot Charley. 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. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Pursuits newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox.
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