Holiday Wines | Tip 5: Use Terrific $12-and-Under Wines for Punch

Red Guitar makes inexpensive reds from Spain’s under-the-radar Navarra region, sourced from the area’s abundance of old-vine vineyards. This juicy blend has lots of bright raspberry fruit.

In addition to donating a percentage of its profits to help preserve local wetlands, Australia’s Banrock Station also makes a broad range of high-quality but inexpensive wines. One of the best in the lineup is this crisp, lime-scented Riesling.

Tongue-tingling acidity and ripe gooseberry flavors make this herbal white from South Africa’s western Cape region a pleasure to drink. Indaba, which is the Zulu word for “a meeting of the minds,” donates a portion of its proceeds each year to fund scholarships for formerly disenfranchised South Africans who are interested in pursuing wine-related careers.

Carménère, the signature red grape of Chile, produces spicy, full-bodied red wines. This dark-purple bottling, from one of the country’s largest wine producers, is impressively substantial given the modest price. Its flavor suggests blackberries and black pepper.

The warm climate of Australia’s Riverland region shows in every aspect of this intense Shiraz, from its ripe blackberry flavors to its vibrant inky-purple hue.

Ruffino is one of Tuscany’s most famous Chianti producers, but it makes some pleasant white wines as well. This unoaked Chardonnay is medium-bodied, with flavors recalling green apples and citrus and a bright, clean finish.

Doña Paula owns more than 1,800 acres of vineyards in high-elevation sites in Argentina’s Mendoza region, allowing it to source top-quality grapes even for affordable wines like this one, a black cherry–rich Cabernet with firm tannins and surprising depth of flavor.

Tapeña, a new winery from Spanish cava producer Freixenet, makes a trio of appealing wines—red, white and rosé, the latter zesty and strawberry-rich. It’s a blend of Monastrell and Garnacha, with a touch of Syrah for backbone.

This jammy California Shiraz—which comes in a three-liter black box, the equivalent of four bottles— is the definition of a crowd-pleasing red and a bargain to boot. It isn’t complex but makes up for its simplicity in pure fruity drinkability.

• 1. Buy By The Case
• 2. Look For Wine Screw Caps
• 3. Select Food-Friendly Wines
• 4. Pick Affordable Sparkling Wines
• 5. Use Terrific $12-and-Under Wines for Punch