Like every year, you make lists. Whether for 20 people or for 200, any party is a monumental effort in pre-planning. You scribble down the requisite chores while your internal monologue nags at you: think of a theme (something clever, but not cliché); contact the caterer for a different spread (not that same seafood raw bar); investigate a white tent (the torrential downpour in 2019 was a nightmare); assemble top shelf liquor and figure out a specialty cocktail to batch (the Negronis were a hit last year, so repeat); and buy wines (get those same cases of cheap wines, no one will know the difference).
Wine people will know the difference. They will be thinking, “you spent a fortune on this party, and you serve us overly oaked Chardonnay, insipid Pinot Grigio, and disappointing bubbly.” You can do better than that cheap, industrially produced Prosecco. Here are eight reasonably priced whites, still and sparkling, that will delight your guests.
Perfumed with wildflowers on the nose and possessing the classic Garganega minerality and an intriguing almond note, Inama Soave Classico ($17) is an eye-opening wine from the Veneto.
Enrico Serafino « Grifo Del Quartaro » Gavi del Commune di Gavi ($21), from Piedmont’s Gavi village, is a noble white with floral, almond, pear and gooseberry scents. With only 11.5% alcohol, it’s both intense and harmonious.
An elegant Uruguayan Albarino, aged 8 months in concrete, Garzon Albarino Reserva ($23) has floral and tropical fruit aromas and freshness and finishes with saline minerality.
With its grapes grown at high elevation on the slopes of Mt. Etna, Tenuta Tascante Buonora Etna DOC ($24) has hints of lemon grass, herbs, and slate. Produced by Sicily’s esteemed Tasca d’Almerita winemaking family, it’s a stunning Carricante showing classic volcanic minerality.
Crisp, complex and toasty with grapefruit, green apple, brioche and a hint of nougat on the finish, Jansz Premium NV Cuvee ($30) from Tasmania’s top sparkling house is a best value, and energetic find.
From grapes grown in high altitude vineyards in Martinborough, New Zealand, Craggy Range Te Muna Sauvignon Blanc ($23) has concentrated flavors of stone fruit and kaffir lime, and a distinctly refreshing saline acidity.
From Quinta de Soalheiro, a prestigious wine estate in northern Portugal, Soalheiro Allo Loureiro Alvarinho ($17) has a flavorful blend of 70% Loureiro, displaying delicate floral scents, and 30% Alvarinho, bringing tropical fruit flavors. It’s low in alcohol at 11.5%.
Langlois Brut Reserve ($20) is a luscious Crémant de Loire with nuance, complexity and freshness. With a Chenin Blanc-dominant blend, with Chardonnay and 12% reserve wines, it has lovely white floral scents and is elegant with refined bubbles.
Italy has a wealth of excellent whites made from tasty grape varieties with distinct perfumes. Gavi, from the Cortese grape, is a favorite with its lemon, pear, and melon flavors. The Gavi region in Piedmont holds a DOCG rating for the highest quality. Soave Classico, another beloved white from the Veneto, is made from the Gargenega grape, which has beguiling aromas of peach blossom, apricot and almond. And Carricante, the indigenous grape from Mt. Etna in Sicily, has become a cult choice. With its notes of bergamot and crushed rocks, it’s saline and flinty on the finish.
Albarino and Alvarinho, mostly grown in Portugal and Spain, has aromatic complexity and is citrusy with a subtly bitter note on the finish. And France is your answer for the best sparkling wines called crémants from many regions— the Loire, Burgundy, Alsace and Limoux. Sparkling, made in the méthode Champenoise, which has a second fermentation in the bottle and is aged, is what you want, and reasonably priced aged sparkling cuvées can be found worldwide. I discovered a marvelous one down under in Tasmania.