Does New York Wine Make a Great Holiday Hostess Gift? YES! Which?

Ok, so you have been invited over to someone's house for the holidays and you are not super sure what they drink? Does bringing a wine made in New York State make sense? Are the wines from New York State any good? Yes, and YES!

So, here is where you always want to have a relationship with a wine store, because they can usually guide you to the best item for your budget. If you are heading into the store blind, here are a few things you can look for that might help. These suggestions all will come in the $10-$25 range and be a type of wine. There are a great many cideries, meaderies, breweries, and distilleries throughout New York, but for this purpose, we will stick to wine.

White wine, red wines, fortified wines, or even sparkling wines can all be found here in New York. If you are looking for a white wine, you might try a Riesling or a Seyval Blanc. They can vary from super sweet to really dry and everywhere in between. For instance, Brotherhood, Benmarl, and Herman Wiemer will have a couple of each, in various sweetness/dryness levels.

For red wines, look for a Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, or a red blend. There are so many! That is great news. As a little way to cheat, if you are looking for something that might give the idea of something that is on the drier side (it is a good guess, but not always 100% true) look for a wine that has a little bit higher alcohol - at least 13%. It is common for dry red wines to be 13% and higher, but don't be surprised if you see them with an even higher alcohol percentage than that.

For sparkling wines, again, you have many choices. A few off the top of my head that are pretty available are the Blanc de Blanc from Brotherhood Winery, Celebre from Konstantin Frank, and there are probably about 20 others that are worth trying, but the prices come in more in the $40-$60 range, and I am wanting to keep us on a budget.

Looking for something a bit more unique and 'holiday-ish?' Then you might want to try a holiday wine. There is "Hetta Glogg" that is made in the Kingston-Rhinecliff area, goes for about $25-$30 a bottle, and is a mulled/spiced wine that is 'ready-to-heat.' Then there is also a "Holiday Wine" from Brotherhood Winery and then a Cranberry Wine, and an Apple Pie Wine (two different wines) from Adirondack Winery, if you are looking for something with more of a holiday look.

Is there a wine that should be included? Let us know. Would love to try it!