As hard as it is to create, I enjoy coming up with a top 10 list this time of year to give people some wine ideas for the holiday season. It is fun to look back and see if perhaps a wine will go the distance with me and make my list two consecutive years. Worthy of noting, this list does have one repeat from last year's list - the Pierre Peters. My criteria are simple. All the wines must be...

• Of very high quality. These wines are so good, they just might do more than compliment your holiday meal - they may be the highlight of the evening.
• Great pairings to holiday food & activities
• Reasonable. That's an adjective that means different things for different people. For me, they mustn’t keep me from paying the mortgage on time.

1. Champagne - Crazy about a little producer named Duval Leroy. Their NV Rose de Saignee is definitely the first thing I want in my glass these days. This is quite possibly one of the best values in Champagne that I have ever come across. At $46, about the cost of a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, the mouthfeel and complexity of this sparkler is truly extraordinary.
2. Champagne - Yes another Champagne - because you can never have too much great Champagne! For a contrast in style to the Duval Leroy Rose, give the $49 Pierre Peters NV Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru (Les Mesnil) a try. Light, bright, and very racy, it practically hovers on the palette. Perfect from the start of the party all the way through to the end. Did I mention this was Grand Cru Champagne under fifty bucks?
3. Sauvignon Blanc - 2008 Mulderbosch (Western Cape, S. Africa) $21. Never had a South African wine? This happens to one of my favorite reasonablewhites for any season. While the nose is decidedly “old world”, Key Lime, Grapefruit, and Tangerine simply zip across the palette. The finish is long and mouthwatering with mineral notes reminiscent of a great Sancerre.
4. Chardonnay - 2007 Celani Family Vineyards (Napa Valley). Mark Herold, the man who made Phelps Insignia a blockbuster, makes the wines for relative newcomer, Tom Celani. This Chardonnay delivers all the rich, ripe character of a top level California Chardonnay and shows some restraint with the oak. At $40, put it in the same ring with Plumpjack, Peter Michael, Cakebread, Far Niente, Staglin, and the other Chardonnay contenders and this wine will reveal it's stature. A great white for the entire Thanksgiving feast.
5. Riesling - 2004 Schloss Lieser Auslese "Niederberg Helden" $24. The sweetness in this wine perfectly contrasts all the savory flavors that make their way to the table on most holiday gatherings. But the nose is not all candy. Earth and mineral dominate the nose which then makes the peach and apple flavors all the more surprising and delightful. Just thinking of this wine with a salty, savory turkey gravy makes my mouth water.
6. Pinot Noir - 2007 Vision Cellars (Sonoma County) $28. For Pinot Noir - inexpensive and good are rarely used in the same sentence. That's why Pinophiles have such fond appreciation for the juice. Their prize does not usually come without extended search and effort. For the price, Vision Cellars really delivers with this wine. The subtle hints of truffle, forest floor, and mushrooms give structure to the wild berry and white pepper notes. The texture is soft and elegant while still having considerable length on the finish.
7. Pinot Noir - 2007 Cono Sur "Twenty Barrels" (Casablanca Valley, Chile) $26. Yes another Pinot, because I feel the same about Pinot as I do about Champagne and Barolo. And yes, this Pinot is from Chile. While in Chile a few years ago, I noticed a big focus on the future of Pinot Noir there. Mark these words, "If Pinot remains as hot as it has been the last couple years, reasonably priced, high quality, Chilean pinot noir will be the next BIG thing." This wine drinks like a good Volnay at a fraction of the price.
8. Petit Verdot/Aglianico Blend - 2006 L'Astore (Salento, Italy) $34. Huh? Yeah, I know. Both of these grapes are for the most part obscure, but blending them together, now that's just Frankenwine! I'll admit that I was highly skeptical when I first laid eyes on this wine. But it turned out to be one the most pleasant surprises in all of 2009 for me. I've basically been raving about this wine for several months now. This midweight red morphs so many times in the glass, it's useless trying to describe it. Just find it, drink it, and thank me later. I’ve been good all year so I’m asking Santa for a case.
9. Zinfandel - 2004 Waugh Cellars (Dry Creek Valley) $21. With the cold weather upon us, we need something ripe, hearty, and spicy to cozy up to the fireplace with. This producer is the epitome of small production/high quality wine. Waugh Cellars wines rarely see cases exceeding the hundreds. This Zin comes from the fabulous 04 vintage while most current California red releases are on 06 or 07. Textbook plum and spice with fantastic structure, this is a real winner.
10. Port alternative - NV Rosenblum "Desiree" Chocolate Port (California) $21. Rosenblum has always been known as experimental, but this truly is unique. Desiree is a wine that starts as a port-like copycat. But then it gets sent to a chocolate company to be infused with chocolate essence. My advice: skip the pumpkin pie you've grown tired of and have this as dessert.

And here's a little something extra for the holiday season. Cheers! Holiday cocktail recipe: Easy Southern Comfort eggnog

Ingredients: 8 eggs 1 cup sugar 3 cups milk, divided 3 cups heavy whipping cream, divided 1 1/2 cups Southern Comfort 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg Directions: - In a large saucepan, combine eggs, sugar, 1 cup milk, and 1 cup of heavy cream. Cook and stir over medium heat for until a thermometer reaches about 160 degrees and is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. - Pour into a large bowl; stir in nutmeg, the remaining milk and cream, and 1 1/2 cups of Southern Comfort. Place bowl in ice bath and stir frequently until cool. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. Serve chilled up in a cocktail glass and garnish with a pinch of nutmeg sprinkled on top or a cinnamon stick. Serves 10

Holiday hanger: Check back soon for my first attempt at a video blog post - a demonstration on how to saber your bottle of bubbly for maximum wow factor before your toast.

Eric Arsenault is the sommelier for The Chop House and the director of wine and spirits for Mainstreet Ventures.