The best wine to take to a holiday gathering

Occasion: For merriment around the house in the very soon-upon-us Yuletide celebrations, this also could make an excellent Hanukkah wine to go along with the potato latkes and other festive fare. Everything about merlot coming from Washington state is just right and this simply packaged, yet superbly named wine is going to make things extra cozy around the fireplace, or the holiday table. It's a good value, too.

Wine: The Velvet Devil Merlot

Grapes: Merlot (90 percent), cabernet sauvignon (10 percent)

Region: Walla Walla, Wash.

Vintage: 2013

In the glass: Velvet Devil Merlot is a deep purplish-dense red with a clean semi-opaque appearance going out into a light violet to crimson-red rim definition and showing medium to high viscosity.

On the nose: There are powerful crushed black fruits with lots of blackberry jam, boysenberry juice, hints of creamy cherry crush with underlying notes of even more red plummy fruits, touches of phenolics and gravely minerals.

On the palate: There is a full frontal attack of crushed black berry fruits, concentrated jammy and even slightly spicy cassis, blackberry sorbet, soft balanced tannins and a really lovely juicy, fleshy mouth-feel. The midpalate is solid, showing good backbone in this wine, and the lingering finish is a testament to skilled winemaking using top quality fruit, with just a touch of black licorice, black cherry and all-spice remaining on the palate after 20-plus seconds.

Price: $9.99

Availability: Cost Plus, Lee's Discount Liquor, other retailers of wine

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.