The One ALDI Wine I’m Buying for the Holidays

A few years back, my sisters Karen and Julie and I started a new holiday tradition: a hot cocoa party. Our kids drank hot cocoa and watched Christmas movies while we drank wine and played a music trivia game that Karen and her husband Jim invented.

This annual party has become our absolute favorite holiday tradition. We hang out and have fun, and it’s so low-pressure. For this year’s party, I’m bringing my latest favorite wine from ALDI: Alegrete Vinho Verde.

What’s So Great About Alegrete Vinho Verde

I first discovered Vinho Verde when I visited Portugal with my Spanish roommates. We wanted to go to a beach and we hadn’t been to Portugal so we went for a long weekend to a beachy town outside of Lisbon.

It was there that I first tasted Vinho Verde. Translated, it means “green wine,” but it’s really a light and refreshing white wine. Alegrete Vinho Verde transported me right back to that girls’ weekend. It’s certified with a “selo de garantia” that it is a guaranteed, authentic Vinho Verde and it’s bottled by Ermelinda Vinhos de Portugal.

Light and oh-so-fruity, this wine has just a touch of effervescence, and it has aromas of lemon and pineapple, with a touch of tropical mango. With only 8.5 percent alcohol by volume, it’s also a lower alcohol wine than many other whites and especially reds. And at just $4.99, it’s an absolute steal.

It will be perfect for our holiday hot cocoa party, but it would also be good for other holiday gatherings. I think it will pair well with any holiday cheese and charcuterie boards, and I think it will also taste great with crudités and dips like spinach and artichoke or caramelized onion.

Because it has bubbles, it pairs great with potato chips, too. If you’re having a holiday seafood dinner, this wine would work well—and it would also work well if you’re just serving a shrimp cocktail or crab dip appetizer, too.

While a lot of people think of winter and deep red wines, there are plenty of people (including my dad) who only drink white wine. This is a perfect option that’s a little more exciting than a regular Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio. Alegrete Vinho Verde is just a fun wine with a bit of sparkle, which is so perfect for the season.

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