For some, the holidays are a time of vinous bounty, a time to bring forth cherished bottles to share with friends and family. For others, like Scrooge Czerwinski here, it’s a time to break out stuff good enough but not too good, or to just forego wine altogether, depending on the situation.

Some background might be useful here, as I attempt to rationalize my seemingly miserly behavior. Growing up, the holidays were almost the only times we had wine on the table. Wine–most often Ruffino Chianti or Weber Zeller Schwarze Katz–signified a special occasion in our house. It was an indulgence, even at such modest price points. Sometimes, my parents would have saved a bottle from a local winery we visited over the summer, and we’d have something from Wiemer or Bully Hill.

Now, grown up and having two children of my own, wine makes pretty regular appearances at our dinner table. Not every night, but about half the time. So wine is no longer an emblem of the season, or a statement that says, “This night is special.” Instead, the things that make our holiday meals special are the care with which they are prepared and the people with whom we are sharing them.

My in-laws, for example, are not wine drinkers. In the early days of our marriage, I would bring holiday bottles to their house, brimming with eagerness at converting them to the joys of the grape. I ended up sipping Bordeaux alone, out of plastic cups or highball glasses. Hunched under a ficus tree in one corner of the crowded dining room, I’d be mocked incessantly for my pretension and shrink deeper into my lonely bottle, ending up the evening completely miserable.

It took only one or two holiday meals like that for me to realize how much more fun it would be to abandon my missionary zeal and instead just drink Budweiser with the rest of them. I can always open up a nice bottle at home to reward myself for making it through another dry turkey or overroasted eye round. On occasion, I’ll bring a six-pack of something a little more interesting, like Magic Hat, which seems to be a nice compromise between our two cultures.

My sister, on the other hand, likes wine. The only problem is that between her two kids and our two kids, the noise and stress can quickly reach sky-high levels. Unlike during the summer, when the kids will play outside all day leaving us alone for the most part, the holidays are just not conducive to sitting back and relaxing with a great wine. So this is when the good wines come out, not the great ones.

This year, one particularly fitting bottle I have my eye on is the 2004 Ebenezer Shiraz from Barossa Valley Estate. It has enough power and fruit to go with the planned meal, without requiring any real contemplation. Maybe if we can get the kids to settle down early enough, we’ll be able to reach a little deeper into the cellar for dessert.

Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season,

Joe Czerwinski

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