If you didn’t think the most wonderful time of the year could get any better, try heading to wine country. Many of the world’s wineries approach the holidays with a jeroboam of cheer, filling glasses with festive pours, lighting up vineyards with twinkling displays and making Santa a regular fixture at the tasting room.
One of the most enticing parts of a wine country Christmas isn’t the wine (though that’s always a draw), it’s how traditions are adopted and adapted by each region. In the French alps, wine is spiked with spices and heated to warm up revelers at the region’s Christmas markets. In Canada, carolers roam from winery to winery, singing for cups of mulled wine. In other regions, Santa frequently stops by throughout the season.
Considering Christmas in wine country? Head to one of these destinations that go all out.
Strasbourg, Alsace
The city certainly has earned the name, Capital of Christmas. “Christmas in Strasbourg is a magical time—the city shines with a thousand lights,” says Mélanie Pfister, owner of Domain Mélanie Pfister. “The streets are lit up and all the houses and stores are beautifully decorated: everyone pulls out all the stops to make the city even more beautiful.”
Every year for the last five hundred years, over 300 chalets have popped up in the Alsatian city’s downtown core. Each one offers their own holiday pleasures. Some pour mulled wine. Some sell souvenirs and crafts. And others peddle the region’s signature gingerbread (Pain d’epices), fresh pretzels and foie gras.
“Christmas markets are a must,” says Pfister. “The smell of cinnamon and spices is everywhere, emanating from the bredele (our little Christmas cookies) and mulled wine stands.”
Even if you don’t make it over to Alsace during December, the Christmas spirit is present year-round: many of the city’s Christmas shops are open 365 days a year.
McMinnville, Oregon
McMinnville, in the Willamette Valley’s Yamhill-Carlton AVA, leans in hard to the Hallmark elements of the holiday. The town’s public spaces and parking lots fill up with holiday markets (complete with reindeer) and a public ice skating rink.
“McMinnville is pure magic during the holidays,” says Hallie Whyte, the managing director of Soter Vineyards. “Third Street glows with twinkling trees, Santa makes his grand entrance on a fire engine and the whole town gathers for the big tree lighting at City Park. It’s Merry McMinnville at its most festive—and there’s no place I’d rather be for the holidays.”
Outside the town, the Willamette Valley Ornament Hunt challenges residents to find two hundred local wooden ornaments hidden along wilderness trails in the Willamette National Forest and the Umpqua National Forest.
Prince Edward County, Canada
When the leaves start to change, Canada’s wine country residents start to warm up their vocal cords and go wassailing—a nod to the old Norse toast of ves heill, or “be well”—from winery to winery. Show up at their door, break into song (preferably one of the traditional wassail carols) and be rewarded with warm plates and pours of wine.
“Wassailing is a celebration of the growing season, from bud break to hilling up,” says Keith Tyers, winemaker at Closson Chase Vineyards in Hillier. “An opportunity to reflect on the past season and look forward to the coming season. Each winery hosts events, new wine releases, food pairings and general merriment to celebrate the past year’s work.”
Individual wineries offer their own take on seasonal hospitality. Rosehall Run features singing wassailers and complimentary wine. Broken Stone Winery serves tourtière (French Canadian meat pies). Grange Winery offers mulled rosé and Morandin bakes homemade focaccia and pours carolers pre-bottled Chardonnay. “Visitors also get a more intimate experience, connecting directly with small business owners in the community, including winery owners and winemakers, who share their stories and passion firsthand,” says Tyers.
Middleburg, Virginia
Loudon County—the Napa of the East, as locals will say—is picturesque in the off season. When December rolls around the town re-enacts a Dickensian Christmas, complete with carolers, dancers, actors and a parade of foxhunt riders and hounds. Book a streetside table to watch the events with a spiced cider or local sparkling wine in hand.
Or, drive out towards Bluemont Vineyard, where thousands of twinkling Christmas lights adorn the vines. “It began in 2018 with just lighting a few rows of vines, and it’s grown to a spectacular display illuminating over 10,000 vines,” says Hailey Zurschmeide, the winery’s chief vision officer.
Caldwell, Idaho
Caldwell—gateway to the Snake River Valley AVA, known for its Rhône-ish wines—strings up over a million twinkling lights around the creek that threads through the town.
“My personal favorite in the Indian Creek display is an illuminated fire-breathing dragon that floats in the middle of the creek, undulating between big puffs of actual flames,” says wine communications expert (and local) Sally Spaulding. The decorations culminate at the Indian Creek Plaza, where revelers can enjoy an outdoor skating rink, food trucks, artisan stalls, a bar (with Christmas bulb-shaped cups) and a massive tree.
“One of my favorite things about Christmas time in Idaho is bundling up and heading to Caldwell’s winter wonderland,” says Spauling. “We make a day of it, stopping at a few family-friendly wineries in the region (Veer is a favorite) before grabbing dinner at a local restaurant. Afterwards, we stroll down the Indian Creek pathway through all of the lights—hot cocoa bribes help us fight any super cold temps. We usually skip ice skating in favor of people watching and live music, but maybe this will be the year I can convince the kids to lace up those skates.”
Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico
Mariana Montes Mendoza, travels through Mexico as a tour guide with Vibe Adventures, but her hometown is in the Valle and she wouldn’t miss a Christmas there for the world. Wineries lean into the season, decorating to the nines and offering local culinary delicacies.
“During the holiday season, wineries here pair wine tastings with local Christmas culinary traditions, like posadas and holiday feasts featuring regional dishes,” says Mendoza. “The food scene is dynamic; expect dishes like tamales, quesadillas, seafood and special meats, including lamb or quail. Many vineyards illuminate their grounds with festive lights, creating a breathtaking atmosphere for evening tours and tastings under the Baja California sky.”
And, the Valle offers warmer weather than most North American wine destinations, proximity to beaches and, in the holiday season, whale watching. “A quick drive will take you to Ensenada for boat tours to see the migration of gray whales—a winter-only activity,” adds Mendoza.
Livermore, California
Hop aboard the Livermore Wine Trolley—which is decked out fully with holiday lights during the season—for a tour of the region’s biggest and brightest holiday displays. Your first stop: Concannon Vineyards, for an hour-long tasting. Next? The trolley swings by Deacon Dave’s House of the Dove, a local home decorated with a 600,000-light spectacle including a lit-up bridge, where more than 70 wedding proposals have taken place.
“The holiday season in California wine country is nothing short of spectacular,” says Gino DiCaro, director of communications at the Wine Institute. “The festive lights, cozy tastings and vibrant festivities that bring the magic of the season to life are found all over the state.”
Los Olivos, California
Santa Barbara County goes all out, too, at its “Old Fashioned Christmas” celebration.
“Christmas in Los Olivos—the heart of Santa Barbara wine country—is an opportunity to don that festive coat you’ve been dying to wear all year and stroll this gem of a town,” says Ashley Parker Snider, co-owner of Fess Parker Family Portfolio. “Your kids can take a photo with Santa at Fig[ueroa] Mountain Brewery (dad will love that!), hot cocoa and cookies are available at the Grange [Hall] and everyone will enjoy the lights on the spectacular 35-foot Christmas tree at the center of town.”
“For those of us who live and work in Los Olivos I think there is a tendency to take the quaint vibes of our little town for granted,” says Parker Snider. “During the holidays, the festive decor takes things to another level—even for us locals. It might look a bit like a Hallmark movie set, but the welcoming nature of our community is very real indeed.”
Verona, Italy
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Verona “transforms into a magical wonderland during the holiday season, filled with lights, sounds and festive colors,” says Riccardo Pasqua, the CEO of Verona-based Pasqua Wines. “As you enter the city, hundreds of twinkling lights guide you through the historic center to the stunning Piazza Bra, where the Roman Arena serves as a breathtaking backdrop to the iconic Christmas Star installation.”
Through November and December, Verona’s Natale in Piazza turns into a Christmas Market. It boasts over 60 stalls with a wide array of festive holiday foods as well as traditional handcrafted gifts and decorations made from glass, wood and ceramics. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in the magic of Verona’s Christmas traditions,” says Pasqua. “The atmosphere is truly enchanting.”
Other Top Wine Country Contenders for the Christmas Season
- Tuscany, Italy: When the holidays roll around, Tuscan wineries swing open their cellar doors (cantine aperte) and offer flights of wines with paired seasonal dishes. Arezzo’s Buccia Nera serves Vinsanto flights with Christmas cake. I Vicini, in Pietraia di Cortona, slices panettone with a progression of wines. Tenuta Torciano, in San Gimignano, puts on a four-course, Christmas eve wine lunch backdropped by live music.
- Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace AVA, Virginia: Lighted boat parades, Christmas tree lighting ceremonies and a New Year’s Eve Crab Pot Drop help give this AVA a Norman Rockwell appeal. “Small towns are community-oriented, much like our wine trail,” says Chris Flemer of Ingleside Vineyards in Oak Grove. “We see ourselves as one big family, so we like to do things together, share experiences, make memories and maintain traditions.”
- Santa Barbara, California: The California coastal city’s Christmas parade is out on the ocean. Kayakers, paddlers and boaters glitz out their crafts to circle round the harbor, and the evening is capped with a fireworks display. This year’s parade theme is “Yuletide Pirates.”
- Lausanne, Switzerland: Come December, the Swiss city gets taken over by three different Christmas markets, known locally as Bô Noël. Explore them while sipping a vin chaud, or something from the surrounding Lavaux region.
SOURCE: Wine Enthusiast BY KATE DINGWALL
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