My Favorite Red Wines

This has been a highly requested post and I thought now was the perfect time to share as you are all probably heading over to friends and family's homes and obviously don't want to arrive empty-handed! I think a bottle of wine is always a great gift to bring the host/hostess (only if you know they drink wine). 

I love cabernet so I am going to focus on that for this post and then I'll do another with bubbly. Otherwise, I don't really drink white wine or rosé or much other red- maybe a little pinot noir or a malbec here and there, but if given the choice, I'd always choose cabernet over another type of red!

I should also preference this by saying that I don't really know what I am talking about when it comes to wine. I've been to Napa, my parents are really into wine so they have taught me a thing or two, but at the end of the day, I just know what I personally like, so take these recommendations with a grain of salt! And with that, I like dry- nothing sweet. 

Also, I am going to link to each wine so you can read about it. 

From Left to Right... 

Stag's Leap// This is pricey but VERY good. If you are gifting this to someone who knows their wines, this is the bottle to get them over Caymus or anything else. This is one of my favorite pricey bottles of cab. Another I would recommend on this level is Far Niente Cab- for people that know what they are talking about, ha! If someone brought me this as a hostess gift, I would be thrilled. 

Prisoner// This is a good $50ish red blend. They also have a cab that's fantastic. Dry, and just very easy to drink. I feel like most people know Prisoner so even if they're not super into wine, they'll know and appreciate this wine! 

Marietta Game Trail// This is under $40 and my favorite red wine. Easily. It is bold and so flavorful but also has a bit of a fruity note to it. Marietta is the most underrated label, in my opinion. Not enough people know about it, and part of me wants to keep it that way, ha!! I literally have loved everything I have had from Marietta. But this Game Trail takes the cake for me. They used to make Angeli Cuvee (and they still have one called Angeli but it's not the same as 2014ish). There is a 2018 Angeli that just came out. I haven't tried it yet, but want to. Anyway, we did a blind taste test last winter between Game Trail and Angeli Cuvee and I much preferred Game Trail which surprised me because I had previously thought Angeli Cuvee was the best ever. Anyway, I am passionate about my Game Trail. It's just so good and especially for the price. If you can find 2016, still, snag it!!! Right now all I can find is 2018. 

Marietta Old Vine Red// This is another red blend and it's super inexpensive. It's what we call pizza wine because it is just very drinkable and goes great with pizza! If you're new to red wine, this is a good place to start. 

Marietta Armé// This is a newer find for me and it's fantastic. Not as good as Game Trail, in my opinion, but very good. They are right around the same price point. It's also a cabernet. Compared to Game Trail this one is even drier with a bit of a 'bite' to it at the end (definitely not technical wine terms, here). 

Havens// This is their black and blue (red blend) but you cannot go wrong with any red from Havens. They age really well. They're all amazing. Priced similarly to Stag's Leap so it's a bit on the pricey side. It's hard to find in Pennsylvania... PA is a controlled state and it can be SO frustrating at times. 

Estancia// This is another inexpensive (under $20) cabernet option. I think it tastes much more expensive than it is. It's full-bodied and complex. I would not recommend drinking something like Game Trail and then switching to Estancia in the same night- then you'll notice the difference, but otherwise, this is a solid inexpensive cabernet. 

Caymus// I call this the Veuve Clicquot of cabernets because the name is so buzz-worthy. People that don't know anything about wine, know about Caymus. It's really good, don't get me wrong (very dry, full-bodied, etc.) and it would make for a great gift, but I think it's overrated. I'd personally go with Stags Leap, Far Niente, Salvestrin, Duckhorn before I'd go with Caymus, but I do think since it's so well known, it's the 'safest' choice when you're giving it as a gift. Again, this is all based on my opinion. Caymus always wins all of the awards, so take my recs with a grain of salt!

Jacket// Turtleneck

Pants// Heels (my favorite shoes right now!)

When gifting wine, I usually just add a bow around the neck of the bottle. I've also attached ornaments or a stopper or a cute little spreading knife to the bow as an added 'something'. You can also get a tea towel and wrap the bottle in the tea towel with a bow. It makes for a really nice presentation! 

Also as a side note, I'm often asked how to start a wine collection and there is really no particular way- don't be intimidated!! I think you just start to buy what you love and find a cool, dry, dark place in your home to store it. If I find something I love, I will buy a case or two of it and consume it over the years or have it on hand to bring as host/hostess gifts or serve to guests. I love to learn about wine, try new-to-me wine, collect bottles, etc. My husband has gotten into it, too, and we basically like the same things when it comes to wine so it has been fun for us to collect together! Whenever you are starting a collection of anything, it has to start somewhere. Snag a bottle or two here and there and look, you have started! 

Is there a red wine I should know about? Share in the comments!