15 Wines to Bring to a Party to Impress Your Hosts

It’s inevitable during the holiday season. You get invited to a party, and you need to bring wine. But which one? This year, lean into bottles from California, Oregon, and Washington; or, hop the pond and head to France.

The choices here are impressive, plus they (at least most of them) won’t damage your bank account too direly, a consideration during the months when life involves party after party after party. I’ve chosen great wines here that range from $15 to $130, both white and red, and included one terrific nonalcoholic rosé as well.

They’re so good, in fact, that the recipient probably won’t even regift them, that sad fate that lies in wait for far too many host gifts. Here are 15 to seek out this holiday season.

2022 Delas Saint-Esprit Côtes du Rhône Rouge ($15) 

A $15 wine that drinks like a $30 wine is a winner of a gift, and this fragrant red, from one of the northern Rhône’s top producers, is exactly that. The Syrah in the blend — 60% — adds a distinctive, peppery kick.

2022 Chalk Hill Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ($15) 

Chalk Hill has been a name in Sonoma Chardonnay since 1972. Their affordable Sonoma Coast bottling is a cool-climate charmer, with fresh red and green apple character and touch of French oak spice.

Missing Thorn Alcohol-removed Rosé ($18)

Most nonalcoholic wines just don’t taste like … well, wine. Napa Valley’s Missing Thorn Rosé is an exception. It tastes as good as actual rosé — honestly, better than many — with bright berry fruit and an excellent mouthfeel (rare in de-alcoholized wine).

2021 Hedges Family Wines CMS Red ($18)

The Hedges family has been growing grapes in Washington state since 1990 and farming its estate vineyard biodynamically since 2008. Their CMS red is a raspberry-rich Merlot-Cabernet blend that gets a bit of spice from a touch of Syrah in the mix.

2023 Métier Sauvignon Blanc ($20)

A new, affordable label from Washington state’s DeLille Cellars, Métier’s wines are all priced around $20 and are uniformly impressive. My favorite of them was this fresh, tingly Sauvignon Blanc, with its refreshing melon and citrus flavors. 

2022 Maison L’Envoyé Straight Shooter Pinot Noir ($22)

This modestly priced Oregon Pinot Noir doesn’t rely on any tricks for its silky, red-cherries-and-spice appeal — just impressive Willamette Valley fruit, fermented and aged in older barrels to let its pure Pinot character shine.

2022 Tapestry Paso Robles Red ($25)

Napa stalwart Beaulieu Vineyard heads down to Paso Robles for its lively Tapestry line, drawing on the region’s benevolent climate for wines like this cherry-cola-inflected Cabernet blend. It’s full-bodied and rich, but not too much so.

2023 Willamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Pinot Noir ($28)

Winemaker Terry Culton uses carbonic maceration, a technique borrowed from Beaujolais, to make this Oregon Pinot in a bright, vivid, lighter style, full of crisp-crunchy berry flavors. 

2023 Comte Lafond Sancerre ($45)

When it’s good, Sauvignon Blanc can walk that perfect line between floral (even sometimes green-grassy) notes and a flinty, edgy mineral character. That’s certainly the case with this aromatic white from one of Sancerre’s top producers.

2022 Albert Bichot Secret de Famille Bourgogne Blanc ($45)

A supple Bourgogne Blanc (i.e., Chardonnay), this offers complexity without the $100-plus price tag that premier cru Burgundies go for these days. Think cool pear and citrus flavors mingling with subtle vanilla-oak notes.

2021 Château du Moulin-à-Vent ($50) 

Moulin-à-Vent is arguably Beaujolais’ top cru (though Morgon might contest that claim). This is a classic example, full of crisp red fruit, its flavors intense but not weighty. It’s a great holiday dinner-party wine.

2022 Nalle Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel ($52)

A lot of Zinfandel leans toward a weighty, darkly ripe fruit. Doug Nalle goes in a different direction with this old-vine Dry Creek bottling: This is Zinfandel with grace, its flavors deep and intense but leaning more toward red fruit than black.  

2021 Château La Serre Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé ($60)

Steps from the Unesco World Heritage Site town of St-Émilion lie La Serre’s Merlot and Cabernet Franc vines. This wine from them is classic Right Bank Bordeaux: dark-fruited and silky, yet bolstered by rich tannins.

2020 André Brunel Les Cailloux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge ($70)

This is ideal, old-school Châteauneuf-du-Pape: fragrant, lightly herbal, full of strawberry and raspberry fruit, and elegant despite its richness. “It’s a classic vintage,” says winemaker Fabrice Brunel.

2016 Carillon d’Angelus Saint-Émilion Grand Cru ($130) 

Château Angelus, one of Bordeaux’s great names, sells for $350 a bottle or so and is a lovely gift — but so is the estate’s second wine. The 2016 is full of dark cherry and cocoa flavors, both precise and generous all at once.