The best wine for your holiday party

Occasion: Having any special Christmas or holiday parties? That calls for a premium wine from Barolo from Piedmonte. Usually starting at $50, this is an absolute find at less than $30. It is probably a tough selection for a honey-glazed ham, but it will do exceedingly well with roasts and other selections of red meat. And if you want the deluxe holiday meal, get your hands on some white Alba truffles from the same region as this wine and have them shaved over scrambled eggs.

Wine: Canti Estate Barolo DOCG

Grape: Nebbiolo

Region: Piedmonte, Italy

Vintage: 2011

In the glass: Canti Estate Barolo is a fine, bright garnet-red color with a deep semi-opaque core going out into a slightly ruby rim definition with medium-high viscosity.

On the nose: There are highly concentrated notes of crushed black Bing cherries, thick purple plum skins, boysenberry pancake syrup, brightly tanned leather, tobacco box, blackberry liqueur, wild cherry sorbet and earthy minerals.

On the palate: The wine is laden with black cherry extract, concentrated boysenberry jam, exotic spices, cherries jubilee, huckleberry sauce, herbs and liquid earthy minerals. The tannins appear almost sweetish, yet structured through the midpalate with a great deal of backbone for long-term aging potential. The finish is delicious and powerful with hints of crisp red cherry extract and ripe raspberries, lasting a full 30-plus seconds on the after-mouth. A wine of this caliber needs to be opened a few hours before consumption. One good idea is to decant or even double decant the wine back into the bottle and then let it sit and "breathe" for about three hours. Only then will it reveal its full spectrum and potential. It should easily drink well through 2025.

Price: $29.99

Availability: Lee's Discount Liquor

Gil Lempert-Schwarz's wine column appears on Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.