The 5 Best Wines to Drink with Your Hallmark Movie Marathon

I don’t know how Hallmark manages to churn out so many movies every year, but I guess when you use the same relatively small pool of actors, plots, and locations, it’s a little easier. If Countdown to Christmas is your favorite leading up to the holidays (no judgments, this format really works!), read on for what to drink while you watch fake snow float across the screen.

If you’re watching a Hallmark movie while eating salty, crunchy snacks, there’s no better pairing than sparkling wine. Roederer Estate Brut is a classic style, and Anderson Valley’s cool climate keeps it crisp and refreshing. With flavors of tart apples and toasted nuts, the wine will be bone dry no matter how saccharine the plot of the movie you’re watching is. 

Buy: Roederer Estate Brut, $25 at K&L Wines

We often watch these kinds of movies while eating takeout, and I’m partial to the Thai or Vietnamese variety. We’ve all heard a million times that off-dry Riesling is a great pairing with this type of food, and it is, but there’s more to Germany than Riesling. Elbling is an ancient variety that isn’t as exuberantly fruity as Riesling (think: crisp pears and lemons instead of ripe peaches and flowers). This one from Hild is delicious, and their sparkling version is killer, too.

Buy: Hild Elbling Trocken, $17 at Eastside Cellars

For a classic, affordable California Chardonnay, you can’t beat MacRostie. With flavors of baked pear and granny smith apple and a surprisingly light texture and crisp finish, it’s one that will please lovers of lush, oaky Cali Chards like Rombauer, but it’s not so over the top that it will alienate oak haters. If you really want to play up the ripe fruit and slight creaminess, pair this with popcorn with a little extra melted butter.

Buy: MacRostie Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, $20 at Wine.com

Sometimes you want the wine that’s equivalent of a cozy pair of pajamas. And despite the fact that “red blend” can really mean a blend of any red grapes, it’s come to mean a red wine that’s full of ripe berry flavors, is soft enough to drink without a big steak to buffer abundant tannin, and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Austrian winery Hillinger’s Hillside Red is just that. Sip away and enjoy a ridiculous story about an adorable woman in a succession of stylish winter coats and matching scarf and hat sets falling in love with a handsome veteran/pediatrician/restaurant owner.

Buy: Hillinger’s Hillside Red, $25 at Chain Bridge Cellars

If you like the idea of a lush red, but don’t like the feeling of too much tannin (that quality in wine that makes you feel like you’ve been sucking on a cotton ball), Charles Krug Pinot Noir will give you that “weighty red wine” feeling, but with a softer texture and flavors of rich, ripe cherries and plenty of vanilla. It’s from Carneros, an area between Napa and Sonoma, that’s known for its full-bodied Pinot Noirs.

What are you drinking this holiday season?