Holiday Wine & Cheese Gift Guide 2023
During the holidays, some of the best hostess gifts are wine and cheese boxes. They can be used immediately or refrigerated to enjoy another day. This year’s wine and a cheese guide features some healthier wines to drink with a festive meal, and savory cheese to serve with wine during holiday gatherings.
Oregon’s Duck Pond wines embody a commitment to sustainable and organic farming. In 2020, Duck Pond produced the first ever Natural Path Production Wines, Certified by the Clean Label Project. These highest quality wines have minimal intervention. Duck Pond is known especially for its Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris that are free of harmful glyphosate and neonicotinoid pesticides. They have put together a Duck Pond Holiday Bundle that arrives with a bottle of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Rose for $51.99.
Lifevine Wines offer zero sugar, good tasting wines that are free of harmful toxins and pesticides. It’s the ideal wine for imbibers concerned about their health and those taking in a little more sugar than normal hosting and attending holiday parties. Not only is the wine made with less sugar, but also free of pesticides and toxins. With over 70 different FDA-approved wine additives that can be used in winemaking, wine brands aren’t required to put all the ingredients on their label. Lifevine Wines list both serving facts and ingredients on their bottles, without compromising quality or flavor. They are offering a Holiday Bundle that comes with a bottle of Cabernet, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Rose for $65.99.
What goes well with wine? Cheese!
Treat the cheese-lovers in your family with the gift of curdbox. They have a monthly cheese subscription that will be enjoyed each month and never be re-gifted. Recipients will receive a trio of artisanal cheese and perfectly paired accompaniments to their door. Music lovers will appreciate how curdbox offers an exclusive curated Spotify playlist and educational podcast with every box.
Curdbox’s monthly subscription box also arrives with a pairing info card with wine suggestions for an easy holiday party spread. No two boxes are ever the same, so you can spread the joy of cheese to your friends and family who will be grateful all year long.
Inspiration behind making the wine label on your favorite wine bottle
For Italian wine brands Banfi and Donnafugata, they draw inspiration from ancient mythology and Italian history, Banfi Aska Bolgheri Rosso ASKA pays homage to Etruscan history and refers to a type of container. The ancient Etruscans used them as vessels to store wine and olive oil; and as the legend goes, an aska also served as a treasure chest to protect hopes, dreams, happiness and joy, entrusted to the Etruscan gods Cuatha and Sernia (Sun and Moon). They are represented by the two bright spheres which mark day and night on the label. The artwork highlights the individual brand and its legacy.
Banfi ASKA Wines
Produced with a selection of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes with a small percentage of Cabernet Franc from Bolgheri, Aska presents a bouquet of red berries, blueberry, and plum jam, followed by hints of tobacco and licorice. The palate is well-rounded with velvety tannins and a plush, persistent finish. Pair this wine with grilled red meat, slow roasted game, and cheese plates.
Donnafugata’s Mille e una Notte illustrates the “birth of a modern wine icon”. Produced in the Contessa Entellina estate in South Western Sicily. This wine is the crown jewel in Donnafugata’s portfolio. Displaying a palace on the label is the story of Queen Maria Carolina taking refuge while fleeing from Naples. Gabriella Anca Rallo, the founder of Donnafugata, along with her husband Giacomo capture the image of the sky from “Arabian Nights”, full of stars and full of promise. It is a tribute to literature capable of telling ‘a thousand and one fairy tales’.
Donnafugata
The wine, Mille e una Notte presents a complex bouquet characterized by notes of ripe red cherry and blackberry fruit. Notes of fresh balsamic, eucalyptus and spicy hints black pepper are augmented by delicate nuances of vanilla. Soft and enveloping on the palate, with great structure and tannins, which are mature and refined. It ends with a notable persistence. This wine pairs beautifully with a holiday slow-cooked rack of lamb, roast or Italian pappardelle with pork ragout.
