Toasting Away

As 2023 concludes many of us could use a drink to celebrate the passing of another frankly rotten year: overseas wars, the tail end of the persistent pandemic, political turmoil and climate change. It was even a dismal year for local sports teams.

Out of a fondness for wine I once took a Court of Master Sommeliers exam and qualified for a first level sommelier credential. It’s not something I put on my CV yet, but I enjoy recommending wines to friends and family. It’s more fun and less stressful than medical advice. As Dr. Som I can’t avoid a few caveats. Although a glass of wine (or two) helps celebrations and eases some of life’s stress, drinking won’t solve our problems and we shouldn’t try. It’s also worth knowing that some evidence suggests that normative social drinking—two drinks daily or fewer for men and one or fewer for women—may confer more potential harm than previously realized. But, as my medical school pathology professor once commented, “my observation is that one out of one dies of something.”

For most of us, year’s end is a nice time to quaff. So, what to buy? For starters, good wine need not be expensive. Twenty dollars for a bottle can easily be enough to drink well. Spending much more usually means paying for prestige or for a wine in limited supply. That’s fine, but not necessary for a nice holiday wine. Second, wine pairings do matter. Although the old saw “red wine with meat, white with fish” generally holds, there are always exceptions. For example, we often enjoy a local Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir paired with my wife’s outstanding salmon.

The advice of a salesperson at your local wine store can help you select a wine that takes a good holiday meal to the next level. Consider some off-the-beaten-track options. Instead of a Cabernet Sauvignon think about a South African Pinotage or a Spanish Tempranillo. You could substitute a Greek Assyrtiko or an Austrian Gruner Veltliner for that boring Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. Looking for a Kosher wine? You may have to spend more to get the quality you desire, although Covenant wines of Berkeley offers an exception to that rule.

Picking up that special bottle is easier at a store with an outstanding selection, competitive prices and a friendly/informed staff. Southern California is blessed with a number that fit that bill including the Wine Exchange in Santa Ana, Woodland Hills Wine Company, K and L Wines in Hollywood, the Wine House in West Los Angeles, the LA Wine Company in Marina Del Rey, and Lincoln Wines in Venice. They all have websites with search engines to help you pinpoint a wine with good reviews in your price range.

Sparkling wine for the New Year is a justifiably entrenched tradition. Champagne offers a reliable option and pairs remarkably well with many foods. But it need not be true Champagne—sparkling wine grown from grapes in the French region of Champagne—to sparkle. The prestige of the Champagne appellation means paying more for your bubbles.   Other regions of France, notably Burgundy and Alsace, produce sparkling “crémant” that can offer Champagne level quality at significantly lower cost. Some of the California sparkling wines, like Mumm and Chandon, are affiliated with producers in the Champagne region. They also drink well at a significant discount to the French wines of their parent companies.

Honing one’s palate and appreciation for wine makes good sport. My wife lacks passion for the subject but nonetheless plays along. I tease her about blind-tasting a red wine that she jokingly but correctly identified as a Susumaniello, an obscure but tasty dark red from Puglia in Southern Italy. In wine tasting, like baseball, one sometimes hits the ball while swinging with the eyes closed.

If toasting can be aspirational, this might be the year for it. I’m reluctant to waste a good toast on 2024, which looks ominously stressful and momentous. Toasting might be like traffic. I’ve always wanted to figure out a way to honk at the driver past the one in front of me. Along the same lines, I’d prefer to toast to 2025. If 2024 does not go well, we’ll really need the help by then. And If it doesn’t, you may find me touting a toast with hard spirits next year. Cheers!

Daniel Stone is Regional Medical Director of Cedars-Sinai Valley Network and a practicing internist and geriatrician with Cedars Sinai Medical Group. The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of Cedars-Sinai.