To help with your choices, Roma has devised a shopping list of wines to keep yourself and those close to you very happy at home for this year's holidays.

Don't worry about pairing the right wine with the right foods this year - maybe don't even cook! Why not pair the take out and delivery to the wine even? Let the wine give you the perfect reason to celebrate even if the meals are more modest this season.

ROMA'S HOLIDAY SHOPPING LIST

SPARKLING WINE - What better way to celebrate than with bubbly wines of all kinds - and there are all kinds to be tasted:

FUN AND FRISKY SPARKLERS: 

Raventos I Blanc Cava Rose 2017
One of the greatest Cava producers in Spain - a benchmark dry but fruity sparkling Rose that can serve literally every holiday need you may have from aperitif to dessert and everything in between. Don’t miss this classic wine that delivers far more than it should at its price!

Gruet Brut Methode Champenoise
American sparkling wine made in the traditional Champagne style - remarkable balance, focus, flavor and sophistication for grapes that grow in yes, you would never guess it - NEW MEXICO! Traditional champagne grapes Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that will delight you, your family, and friends. (We also have the Gruet Rose in stock too).

Folias de Baco UIVO Pt Nat Rose
Stunning, juicy, tart, vibrant sparkling Pinot Noir from Portugal - take a chance and give this a try - you will find yourself looking for more Portuguese sparkling wines once you do!

FANCY AND FINE CHAMPAGNES:

We’ve recently added a new category to the store - Grower Champagnes! These are wines made by small independent producers in the Champagne region of France who normally sell all their grapes to the big famous houses. But many who keep some of those grapes for themselves also sell their own wines too - at very very competitive prices. You end up the winner with these subtle, personal, poetic, elegant, beautiful wines. We love Grower Champagne and hope to entice you to fall in love with these wines too! We will focus you on just one of many we have in store now

Champagne Aubry Premier Cru Brut
This is a poem in a bottle - this wine keeps revealing hidden turns of taste with each new sip - a classic blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier from one of the great family producers in the southern part of Champagne. Once you try this, you’ll buy twice as much the next time.

There are always the Famous Houses, the Trusted Names you turn to again and again. Here are two to not be without this holiday:

Pol Roger Brut Reserve Champagne
Sir Winston Churchill’s favorite champagne house - he kept bottles of this on his desk at all times and you should too! Lithe, refined, sophisticated, intellectual champagne for the discerning palate. If you fall in love with Pol Roger (as many of our customers already have, we’ve brought in some higher end very rare and special bottling from Pol Roger too).
and
Bollinger Special Cuvee (Agent 007 James Bond's preferred Champagne)
Bollinger is one of the all-time great Champagne houses - masculine, chiseled, etched, powerful yet warm and inviting Champagne - these bottles will age forever.

And don’t forget the SPLURGE CHAMPAGNES! Why not? Well worth their price - classic, ethereal bottles to treat yourself to this holiday instead of traveling.

Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs 2012 - a rarity!
As I said we’ve brought a few fancy Pol Roger bottles to the store - this is a special treat - the unusual all-Chardonnay bottle from the house - in a vintage release - mind altering in its profoundly gentle brilliance. Don’t miss it if you can buy it. These don’t come around often.

Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose - luscious and beautiful
Another giant of the Champagne world - the Billecart-Salmon wines are loved for the body, texture, weight and richness - and this Rose is a shining example of that - velvety, sensual, it lingers long on the tongue and dazzles you with its powerful core of Pinot Noir.

STILL WINE: 
Classic and adventurous wines - whites, roses, and reds can grace your meals at this seasonal time - and since you don't have the pressure of pleasing many different palates, take a chance and try a few new things you might not otherwise "risk" with fussy and/or particular guests.

A NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
I mean we're all in "that" state - we're stuck here - so it's a definite mind set and what better way to honor our place right here and right now than by drinking some great New York wines. We've made a great effort to stock many of them - in fact, we believe strongly in supporting our local wineries and if you're feeling the same pride, then sample several of these and find out why New York is one of the largest and most important wine producing states in the nation. Yes it's true!

To start, the beautiful Finger Lakes region of upstate New York produces some of the finest Riesling on the planet and we have a shining example for you to sample:

Hermann Wiemer Semi-Dry Riesling 2018
Wiemer is one of the historical NY State wineries - located on the west side of the huge and beautiful Lake Seneca. This Riesling is made in a classic Mosel German off dry style - not too sweet, just balanced enough to dazzle your taste buds. You will not stop dreaming of this wine once you try it.

Closer to home on the East End of Long Island we have become huge fans of the wines of Christopher Tracy at Channing Daughters Winery in the Hamptons. All summer long we’ve sold cases and cases of their remarkable roses and we have kept the Syrah Rose in stock for the autumn, because it’s SO delicious and so well suited for drinking year round. Tracy has become world famous for his special hand with roses which he crafts from a staggering number of different grape varieties, and we’d love to encourage you to consider one of them!

Channing Daughters Rosato di Syrah 2019
Pure watermelon and strawberry notes abound with a deeper fuller mouth feel than you would expect from a rose - more than a summer sipper for sure!

Channing Daughters Vervino Vermouth Variation Four
Channing Daughters also makes AMAZING Vermouth. We’ve secured just 6 bottles of one of their many different seasonal offerings - this one is the late summer bottling - the depth of flavors, aromas, textures in this vermouth can linger in your memory for days after - nothing could be better by a warm autumn fire at the end of the night than this.

And yes, New York State DOES make Red Wines too - we have plenty but we’ll focus on just two:

Bloomer Creek Cabernet Franc Finger Lakes 2016
The red Cabernet Franc grape (a famous Bordeaux grape from France) grows remarkably well in the Finger Lakes - it loves the colder climate and ripens to a bright raspberry and currant character of fruit with lots of perfumed violets and green herbs on the nose. That is exactly what this Bloomer Creek bottle is all about - a burst of exotic, alluring, delicate smells and bright red fruits that dance across the palate. Try this instead of a Beaujolais and you will be glad you did - you probably never knew this grape could taste so wonderful so close to home!

Red Hook Winery Merlot Macari Vineyard 2013
This Merlot comes from one of the great vineyards on the North Fork of Long Island, the Macari vineyard, which is the only fully biodynamic and organic vineyard on the island. It produces some of the most remarkable red wines in the state and this ripe, full bodied, densely textured, dark blueberry-cherry Merlot is a beautiful expression of what the Macari vineyard can offer. This is made by the nearby Brooklyn artisanal winery - Red Hook Winery - who source grapes from all of the best vineyards across the state and invite some of the nation’s most legendary winemakers to make the wines - in this case the famous Napa California master Robert Foley. This wine is a hidden gem in our store - very few people know just what it is, but now you do!

WISHING YOU WERE HERE AND WE WERE THERE!
OK, many of us were going to travel somewhere far away this week to see family or perhaps to vacation in exotic lands, but we cannot - so instead, why not take a table-side wine trip anywhere your heart desires? Think of far away friends and grab a wine from wherever they are to toast them in their absence - or - pick a place you wanted to be this year but cannot be - and choose a bottle from that place to taste instead!

No wine journey would be complete without a voyage to FRANCE - and here are three fine options from there - a white, a rose and a red.

Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet Sur Lie La Pepie 2019
The French LOVE to drink Muscadet - a fresh, thirst quenching, clean, bright, lively white wine from the Atlantic Coast of the Loire Valley. It’s the ideal seafood and shellfish wine - a perfect starter for any party and a wine that can even warrant long years of aging too. Apple, lemon, salty briny mineral-driven deliciousness. Don’t miss it.

Domaine Pelaquie Tavel Rose 2019
We’ve extolled the praises of this great traditional Rose before - it’s the kind of Rose the French use as a red for their hearty meals in the Southern Rhone Valley - a plush, textured, dense, rich, alluringly powerful yet beautiful Rose that can easily double as a red for your needs.

Dominique Gruhier Bourgogne Epineuil Cote de Grisey 2017
One of the Burgundy lover’s insider favorites - the area to the far north of Burgundy adjacent to Chablis historically produced some of the most famous red wines of Burgundy until the last century - and these old, widened vines still offer deep red berry and blackberry flavored Pinot Noir - with delicate grace and style. If you want a world-class Red Burgundy at a fine price, a Pinot Noir you can tell your friends about with pride, enjoy this wonderful velvety red bottle.

For those of you who prefer a little more sunlight and spirit - we move south from France into SPAIN - with two amazing reds, one light and musical, one dark and brooding:

Bodegas Ponce La Casilla Bobal Manchuela 2018
Bobal is an ancient Spanish grape that grows well in the warmer arid climate of the Iberian Peninsula - it is full of bright red berry fruit with green savory herbs and a hint of leathery texture. This is a fresh, fun, lively, engaging wine - a nice alternative to Grenache or Tempranillo.
and
Black Slate Escaladei Priorat
This dark powerful deep red wine from the Monastery that made Priorat a famous wine producing region in the 12th century AD! This is a robust, textured, earth driven but full-fruited blend of Grenache and Carignan as only Priorat wines can deliver - inky, purple, dense and delicious.

For something fresher and gentler - and for a homage to another ancient wine-producing land, let’s move far north to GERMANY - in this case the souther region of Baden where two brothers work diligently to produce amazing, natural, organic, expressive wines of cult-like status.

Enderle and Moll Weiss und Grau 2018
This is an ethereal wine made from two famous white grapes - Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc (called Weissburgunder and Grauburgunder in German - and so the label name). It is in fact a skin contact or “orange” wine and can appeal to the white wine drinker and the natural orange wine afficionado. Fresh apple and citrus notes with a dash of chalky minerality make this wine a sure crowd pleaser for those who are open to trying something new. 

Let’s stay in the German speaking world and move east into beautiful AUSTRIA where wine has been cultivated since the days of Ancient Rome! Often overlooked by even serious winedrinkers, Austrian wines are among the finest and most quality driven on the planet.

Umathum Blaufränkisch Burgenland 2014
If you love Pinot Noir or Syrah, you will adore Blaufrankisch - it’s full of dark, deep, cherry and tangy pepper notes with a twist of herbs to add extra pleasure. This is Austria’s great red grape and for those who enjoy balanced, elegant, sophisticated, clean and beautiful red wines - this is for you! One of the legends of Austrian wine - Umathum is fully biodynamic as well, as all great Austrians wines are. 

The great Kingdom of HUNGARY borders Austria to the south and has its own extensive wine-making history; in fact, some of the oldest wine regions in Europe are to be found in Hungary. For those who like their white wines on the full, spicy and bold side - Hungarian wines are for you!

Kiralyudvar Tokaji Furmint 2016
This is exotic and alluring - an amazing grape, Furmint, that entices the palate with flavors of pear and lime, a touch of flint and smoke, and bay leaf and nutmeg - all of this in one grape! It’s very high in acid yet super luscious in texture and makes for the most remarkable taste experience - one not to be missed at the holidays!

Moving back south towards the Mediterranean, how can we not make a detour to ITALY! We will make two stops in Bella Italia with two very unique red wines - one from the far north and one from all the way south in Sicily.

Contra Soarda Marzemino Nero Gaggion 2017 Veneto
Marzemino comes from the northern Italian region of the Veneto (just below Austria). You’ll find that it's full of the perfumes of violets blended with green herbs, forest bark and wild dark berries - an intoxicating, sensual experience! This version is very balanced and restrained with just a bit of bite and tannic structure - sure to please many different palates.
and
Manenti Frappato Terre Siciliani 2018
And from the sun-soaked hillsides of the great Island of Sicily comes this bowl of fresh berries in a bottle! This is all about strawberry, raspberry, fresh oranges and a dash of sea spray and fresh basil - if you love light bodied, charming Beaujolais, you will adore this Frappato!

We would have no Italian wine without the earlier efforts of the ancients who came to Italy from GREECE - so let’s move further east into the Mediterranean and land ourselves on the volcanic island of Lemnos - way east of the Greek mainland and within shouting distance of the Turkish coast.

Garalis Terra Ambera Muscat 2019 Lemnos
This is a classically ancient style of wine - made from one of the oldest grapes in the world - the white grape Muscat - full of effusive aromatic intensity (as Muscat usually offers) but made as a skin-contact (orange) wine which gives it extra texture and grip - a serious wine that evokes the legacy of the origins of wine and gives immense pleasure as well as intellectual fulfillment.

For those who appreciate a more long-distance table top excursion - let’s move to the Land Down Under - AUSTRALIA - where some of the oldest continuously producing vines on the planet exist to this day. Many people think of Australia as nothing more than cheap Shiraz, but in fact, it has one of the most diverse wine cultures in the world. It’s a huge continent with fascinating wine history and so we want to introduce you to this new producer we’ve been able to source a few different rare bottles from - the tiny artisanal winery of Unico Zelo - who specialize in growing Italian grape varieties in desert conditions. 

Unico Zelo Fiano Jade and Jasper Fiano Riverland 2018
I know it sounds odd as can be but the wines are phenomenal and our customers who have had the fortune to pick up some of their bottles in the store have become Zelo zealots! This bottle is a white from the southern Italian grape called Fiano - and it’s just all honey, hay, nutmeg and pineapple - yes really! Just try it ….

And if OZ is not far enough away for you - we can go all the way to farthest tip of the African continent and even give you a great red wine from SOUTH AFRICA.

Even here the wine growing tradition begins as early as the 16th century thanks to the Dutch traders and explorers who brought their knowledge of and passion for wine with them to these fabled, magical landscapes. In our case we have a wine from an American genius who decided to make South Africa her new home - Andrea Mullineux - one of the most visionary and talented women in the wine world today.

Mullineux Kloof Street Rouge Swartland 2018
This wine is a slice of 17th century history - with grapes traditionally seen in Portugal like Tinta Barroca alongside big dark powerful red grapes from France and Spain - Syrah, Cinsault, Carignane and Grenache. For those of you who enjoy a full bodied yet easy to drink red wine - you won’t go wrong with this amazing treasure.

For those who prefer a more Latin flavor to their festivities, we can even bring you wine from the Pampas and highlands of ARGENTINA!

Vina Zorzal Malbec Terroir Unico Tupungato 2017
Yes, Argentina seems to be literally awash in Malbec - a lovely, soft, cherry and blackberry flavored grape with always lovely notes of coffee grinds and subtle green pepper; it often can be made in a easy crowd-pleasing style but there is also high art Malbec to be found in Argentina too - and this bottling is just that - made without any oak use at all - only concrete containers - this comes from extremely high altitude vines in the Andes - and so the wine and the fruit is vibrant, vivid, full of bright color and energy - this is Malbec of a different hue entirely - and one that may open your taste buds to the many different faces of Argentine wine.

Why not complete our round the world journey and enjoy a wine from right back here in the USA - but all the way west coast in California - just so you can still feel like it’s a postcard from afar!

Talley Vineyards Chardonnay Arroyo Grande Valley 2017
Everyone can find a reason to pop open a bottle of California Chardonnay at the holidays - nothing goes better with Turkey and the luscious, warm, gently buttery notes pair well with seafood of all kinds as well. This poised and serious wine from California’s central coast near Paso Robles offers everything you might want from a California Chard, just better - you’ll not be able to find a more delicious, complex yet enjoyable version anywhere - old vines, masterful winemaking - a fine way to return back to American shores and celebrate our place in time.

Finally - for those who want to GO THE EXTRA MILES (figuratively) and sample still more vinous pleasure at the end of a long meal …..

STAY SAFE, STRONG, AND FORTIFY! - Sweet and not so sweet fortified wines always have a holiday excuse - and they are perfect to keep the spirits high because they have spirits in them! We've boosted up our selection recently and you can be the lucky customer to grab some of these rare and hard to find treasures. This week we make our final destination PORTUGAL and draw your attention to Port - the dark red, fortified wines from Portugal’s hot and remote Douro Valley - where vines cover the centuries’ old terraces lining the steep hillsides that hug close to the winding and wonderful Douro River.

If you’ve never tried port before, you must! These are wines to which a small of amount of clear spirit has been added to literally fortify them and stop their fermentations - this is why they are sweet and higher in alcohol content. Otherwise they age in wood similar to normal wines and they reflect another dimension of wine for the right occasion - and they are stellar with chocolate and fruit cakes, nuts and creamy sweets.

Niepoort Tawny Port Douro
We are wild about the house of Niepoort and we’ve recently purchased a nice stock of their famous tawny ports - this basic, affordable bottle and a 10 year bottle listed below for a more refined, burnished, serious take on the style. Tawny ports are deliberately oxidized in wood casks to give them their famous tawny color - and they deliver a flavor that is both rich yet delicate like dried flowers and fruit candy all framed by sweet pipe smoke and fresh leather aromas. 

Niepoort 10 Year Tawny Douro
Grab one of these versions and you may find yourself newly obsessed with Port as a category you might not have considered drinking before. These are beautiful historic wines.


Remember, you can mix and match your own wine choices (use our promo codes 6BOTTLE OR 12BOTTLE) or we can curate a selection for you upon request (send an email to [email protected] or call us at 212-933-0743).

Happy Holidays and celebrate safely please!

Cheers, 

Team Roma