Check local wine shoppes and wineries for those last minute ‘hard-to-fit’ friends and family members…and your holiday hosts.

CataVinos Wine Shoppe & Tasting Room will be open today, offering over 350 wine selections, all priced under $15 per bottle. Yvonne K. Foucher, shoppe owner, says she’ll be pouring holiday feast wines for tasting all day, starting at noon. Stop by for a tasting, pick up those last minute gifts, and don’t forget the wine gift certificates too.

Most Arizona wineries will also be open today for tastings and wine purchases. There’s nothing like an Arizona wine for the gift that says “I buy local.” These wineries will be open today and Sunday, but most will be closed on Christmas Day.

Next weekend, several are scheduled to be open on New Year’s Day, so visiting the Arizona wine countries (Willcox region, Verde Valley region, and Sonoita/Elgin region) will be the perfect way to entertain those out-of-town relatives and guests.  Call ahead for tasting schedules—contact information for all Arizona wineries can be found on the  Arizona Wine Growers Association website.

My holiday wish is that you choose your grapes wisely, pour those grapes freely, savor the flavor fully — and please be careful out there! May your celebration be fun-filled and full of fellowship and goodwill.

Slainte!

Holidays call for celebration, and celebrations call for champagne, sparklies, and bubbly. Whether you’re toasting to the past, a person, the future, or just fun times, I’ve got four great choices for expressing the sentiment.

If you’re looking for a top-choice French champagne that won’t break the bank, Gerard Bertrand Crémant de Limoux 2007 is your ticket. This beautiful bubbly is golden with green lights; the taste is crisp, lively, and elegant. Its nose is rich with aromas of a delicate blend of white flowers and pear. As you taste, the wine develops hints of hazelnut, slowly revealing subtle toasted flavors, making a lively attack on the palate; you’ll linger with long lasting bubbles. Crémant de Limoux is a rich, balanced wine, ideal as an aperitif. I’d serve this with salads, fish, and poultry. You can buy this wine at CataVinos Wine Shoppe in Tucson for less than $15 per bottle.

Jaume Serra Cristalino CAVA is a fine Spanish sparkling wine made using the traditional method in which secondary fermentation producing a sparkling wine’s bubbles occurs in the bottle. Its fresh, toasty nose, beautiful citrus, green apple and mineral flavors, supple, lively mouth-feel, and clean, crisp finish make this the ultimate celebratory wine. Enjoy it on its own and with sushi, seafood, fried foods, and Asian dishes. Cristalino is a blend of 50% Macabeo, 35% Parellada, and 15% Xarel-lo – grapes from the Vineyard Can Suriyol (Alt Penedés), El Padruel, Spain. Suggested retail price is $10.00 per bottle.

Mumm Napa Brut Prestige is a complex collection of primarily Pinot Noir (51%) and Chardonnay (46%), with the balance from Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris grapes. This California Brut opens with gorgeous layered white blossom aromas, followed by creamy vanilla, citrus, stone fruit, and melon notes. With elegant acidity and crisp structure, this medium-bodied sparkling wine displays a rich, lingering finish. Crispness and ample fruit character make this one a superb food wine. The $20 per bottle price makes this a top-shelf choice – maybe a gift for that very special friend?

The Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Brut is 100% Chardonnay. It’s crisp and refreshing, a good choice for mimosas. This Brut California sparkling wine displays green apple, ripe pear, and bright citrus notes with a toasty finish. Robert Mondavi believed that great wine was not just for special occasions, but to celebrate the joy of every day. Priced at less than $10 per bottle, that is indeed possible.

Speaking of mimosas, consider using cranberry or some other juice in place of the traditional orange juice for a refreshing new toast. Salud!

The Arizona Wine Growers Association’s first Arizona Wine Week celebration is now history, but the memories and photos are still being shared on facebook and among friends. Many new wines were discovered last Saturday as Arizona wine growers showcased their best in the pecan grove at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix.

Trust Yvonne Foucher of CataVinos when she says she can find you a wine that you'd like -- she got the people's choices both right!

Our Tucson contingent particularly enjoyed the People’s Choice event, where we tasted eight different wines (four reds, four whites) and voted for our personal choices, while the ‘experts’ discussed the art of wine tasting and its subtleties. My guest, Yvonne K. Foucher, owner of CataVinos Wine Shoppe & Tasting Room, told us she wasn’t going to vote for her favorites, she was going to select the ones she thought the most people would like best. Dang, she was right on! The People’s Choice winners were Merkin Shinola (red) and Arizona Stronghold Site Archive Bonita Springs Chardonnay (white). Next time Yvonne tells you she can help you find a wine you’ll like, trust her.

My personal favorites were Caduceus Kitsuné (red) and Callaghan’s Lisa’s Blend (white), for what it’s worth.

Award Winners – AZ Wine Week

Eric Glomski and Maynard James Keenan’s wines made quite a showing in the Arizona Republic Wine Competition, held in conjunction with Arizona Wine Week. The Caduceus Kitsuné 2008 took the Gold Arizona Grower’s Cup in reds; Keenan’s Merkin Vineyards’ The Diddler 2009, took the Gold in whites. A couple of Bronzes and another Silver (rosé) rounded out their take in the Growers’ Cup competition (wines produced from Arizona grown fruit).

Other wineries winning big in that competition included Arizona Stronghold (Gold in rosé with Dayden 2009) and Sonoita Vineyards (Peach Sparkles NV garnered the Gold in dessert wines). Callaghan, Dos Cabezas, Carlson Creek, Coronado, Wilhelm, and Four Monkeys also took home prizes in the Grower’s Cup.

In the Arizona Winemaker’s Medal competition that judge wines produced in Arizona (not necessarily with AZ grown grapes) saw Alcantara Vineyards take Gold honors in the red wine category with their Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. They also captured Silver and Bronzes in the same category, as well as a Silver in the white wine category. Caduceus Dos Ladrones 2009 won the white wine Gold; they also had two wines win Bronze honors in the red wine category. Page Springs also captured a Bronze in white wines.

Coronado Vineyards Anniversary Celebration

Coronado Vineyard in Willcox (just off Interstate 10 at Exit 344) will celebrate its 4th Anniversary and Release Party, November 20, 2010 10 am - 4 pm, with wine tasting, anniversary cake, and complimentary appetizers. They will also be releasing the new 2009 Coronado Vineyards Meritage (50% Cabernet Sauvignon; 50 % Merlot), a wonderful new addition to the Coronado family of wines. (They’ll begin serving this new release at dinner, Friday, November 19, at 5:00pm, if you’d like to be among the first to sample the Meritage).

Canelo Hills Holiday Wreath-Making Workshop & Wine Tasting

Join Elgin winemakers Tim and Kathryn Mueller for the Canelo Hills Vineyard and Winery annual grapevine wreath-making afternoon. Make your own grapevine wreath and take a piece of Canelo Hills home with you for the holiday.

Participants will cut their own vines from the vineyard, fashion them into a wreath, and personalize with their choice of decorations – all while tasting Canelo Hills’ wines and snacking on holiday treats. Each participant will make one decorated wreath, and can make unlimited plain wreaths to adorn at home.

The cost is $35 per person. Reservations are required, call 520-455-5499, or email info@canelohillswinery.com to reserve a space.

Tempe Wine Festival / Festival of the Arts

Plan now to attend the Arizona Wine Festival of the Arts in Tempe, December 3-5, 2010, from 10:00am to dusk. This is an exciting opportunity to visit talented artists from all over the country and, of course, taste and purchase wine.

Participants will taste wines from 12 Arizona wineries. $12 buys a glass and 6 tasting tickets (additional tickets are available).  Check with the Arizona Wine Growers for more details.

Did you know?

One ton of grapes will fill two oak barrels with wine. Just a bit of vine trivia from Canelo Hills Vineyard and Winery.