The holidays bring more than just festive decorations, they bring a surge of curiosity about wines that suit celebrations, special dinners, and gift-giving. Wine enthusiasts and casual sippers alike are searching for wines that offer excitement, approachability, and a sense of occasion. This year, searches spike for bubbly wines, crisp whites, aromatic orange wines, chillable reds, and approachable alternatives to Cabernet. Each category resonates with a different kind of holiday moment, and the wines chosen perfectly answer that demand.
Rioja, Spain: not exactly the most obscure wine region on the planet when it comes to producing gorgeous, internationally recognized wine. In fact, it was just a few days ago, on October 30th, 2025, that James Suckling announced the Top 100 Most Prestigious Wines of Spain. After evaluating 3,500 wines this past year, Rioja was crowned the best wine region in Spain for the third year in a row.
Tucked into Italy’s far northeastern corner, where the Alps tumble down toward the Adriatic and the borders of Austria and Slovenia blur, lies a region that quietly produces some of the country’s most elegant and expressive wines, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It’s a place of contrasts: mountains and sea, Italian warmth and Central European precision, centuries-old tradition and cutting-edge experimentation. For generations, this cultural crossroads has been a meeting ground for empires, merchants, and migrants, and today, for wine lovers seeking something both authentic and quietly extraordinary.
Italy is a country where history, art, and wine are woven together seamlessly, and few regions embody this as vividly as Veneto. Situated in the northeast of the country, Veneto is a place where grand canals and gondolas coexist with rolling vineyards and centuries of winemaking tradition. From the bustling city of Venice to the quiet hills where Garganega and Corvina thrive, this region offers not only a feast for the eyes, but also a remarkable variety of wines that reflect its geography, climate, and cultural heritage.
California’s wine industry is navigating a period of profound transformation. Over the past few years, the state has witnessed an overwhelming surplus of grapes, tumbling demand, drastic market shifts, and seismic distribution changes. Once buoyed by strong vintages and steady consumer interest, the landscape today demands both clarity and adaptation.
