To help guide our customers discover some great new wines in this highly welcomed new year, we’ve put together a list of reds and whites that we recommend exploring right now. Based on both quality and price, we bet that our selections for “new finds” are sure to include one (or two!) newfound favorites.

Van Zellers VZ Douro White, $24.99

VZ White is a fresh and vibrant wine with an intense golden straw color and a very high concentration of floral and fruity aromas. This is an elegant wine, well-balanced with an impressive acidity.

All grapes are de-storked before being slightly crushed by a pneumatic press and the resulting must decanted for 24 hours at 10 degree celsius in 2500-liter steel vats. The must is racked into new 225 and 500 liter French barrels, where it ferments for 25 + days. Reviews: Wine Advocate: 89-91 Points

Van Zellers VZ Douro Red, $24.99

This is a very elegant and delicate wine. As traditional found with old vine blends, this wine is complex and structured. The aromas are predominantly dark fruits and wild berries. VZ red is full, crispy, expressive, fruity, and spicy.

All our grapes were foot trodden in lagares (open air tanks) for 1 to 3 before fermentation and then, fermented in stainless steel vats for 7 to 10 days. Reviews: Wine Advocate: 89-91 Points; Wine Enthusiast: 90 Points

Il Poggione Rosso Montalcino, $21.99

Younger, more accessible version of the Brunello, but already with an excellent structure and a great personality, Rosso di Montalcino is a very important wine for Tenuta Il Poggione. Produced entirely from Sangiovese grapes, sourced in the estate’s younger vineyards, Rosso di Montalcino is aged in large casks and barriques before a period of bottle aging. The wood aging, although not obligatory for the production of Rosso di Montalcino, tones down the tannins typical of a young Sangiovese and gives this red wine a complexity of aroma and structure that make it a great “Young Brunello”.

Seven Hills Merlot, $19.99

Seven Hills Winery is proud to be among the founding estates of Walla Walla Valley. Many red varietals thrive in Walla Walla Valley, but Merlot distinguishes itself as particularly striking through the perfect union of land and climate. Drawn from fruit selections that capture the unique character and expressive beauty of the appellation, this classic Merlot presents an elegance and complexity. Reviews: Jeb Dunnuck: 91 Points; James Suckling: 90 Points 

Tablas Creek Patelin Blanc, $24.99

The Tablas Creek Vineyard Patelin de Tablas Blanc is a blend of five white Rhône varietals: Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne and Clairette Blanche. The wine incorporates fruit from nine top Rhone vineyards in Paso Robles, each vineyard selected for its quality. Like many white wines from the Southern Rhône, it is based on the crisp acids and rich mouthfeel of Grenache Blanc, with Viognier for floral, tropical aromatics and rich texture, Roussanne and Marsanne for structure and spice, and a small addition of Clairette Blanche for freshness and minerality. Reviews: Wine Advocate: 89-91 Points; Wine Enthusiast: 91 Points; Wine Spectator: 90 Points