Where should you look for the best wine values?  The answer is simple: All around you. At City Vineyard we have selected the best wines in an affordable price point for your convenience. Leave the guessing games at the big box retailers. We have the expertise, product knowledge and customer service you won’t find anywhere else around town.

Know What You Get With Value Wines

The ratio of quality to price is greatest in the $10 to $25 range. For those who wish to spend less, there are sound bottles available for less than $10. But is “sound” really what you’re searching for?  . . . Or do you want exciting and distinctive?  This often requires more labor-intensive, expensive farming and winemaking.

City Vineyard is willing to pay a little more because exciting wine is important to us. Something else to keep in mind – most wines in the under $25 price point are great values because they do not have the sort of pedigree that almost always raises prices. Many come from little-known regions, made from little-known grapes. Trying them requires a commitment to the unknown.

Fear not thrifty wine enthusiasts, City Vineyard is here to be the great wine shop with friendly professionals you trust!  This is crucial to finding a great wine shop. Even the biggest, recognized stores won’t have everything. American laws governing the distribution of alcoholic beverages virtually assure that every state will have a very different selection. If a wine merchant can’t find the exact bottle you are looking for, good wine merchants can often suggest something similar.

Trust us (and see above on keeping an open mind). In wine and in life, the best discoveries are often on the back roads.

New Year’s resolutions can be difficult to make, and even harder to keep up. The gym is the most crowded between January and March, and your fridge will be stocked with healthy food until all of the chocolates you get on Valentine’s Day, but one resolution you can definitely fulfill? Try new things, like new wine!

A New Year Means Time To Try New Things, Like Wine!

It’s a new year and you’re ready for a new you. If you love wine as much as we do, why not make some resolutions that speak to your true passion! Great wine! From wine lover to wine lover, here are a few New Year’s resolutions that we can happily commit ourselves to.

Drink More Wine

Join our Wine Club and you are well on your way to a glass a day. Our clubs are great for those looking to try new items, experience wines from different countries, or even start a wine collection. With two different levels of wine club, you can select the one that fits your desires.

Stop By Our Wine Bar And Sample Our Wines By The Glass

Wine club isn’t the only way to try new wines to keep up on your resolution! Our knowledgeable staff will guide you through each taste and maybe you’ll find a new favorite – or two.

Have Patience, Some Wines Get Better With Age

That bottle you’ve been dying to open? Give it a few more months for a real treat. Or to make it easy just buy two, one to drink and one to cellar. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how certain wines develop in the bottle.

Switch It Up

Do you usually drink red wine? Explore and treat your palate to a white wine for a change.

Share With friends

From childhood, partners and teachers tell us the same thing again and again – sharing is caring! And, after all, the best way to enjoy your favorite bottle of wine is with a group of friends.

Discover Perfect Pairings

A good meal becomes a great meal with the right wine.

Make More Time For Wine

Don’t chug, sip and savor. Appreciate each sip and learn to taste all the different flavors a single wine can offer – rich tannins intermingling with plum, blackberry, and toasty oak flavors. Or maybe cigar tobacco and raspberry nuances, lingering long after your glass of wine is empty.

In a city like Billings, there are many options to try new things for the New Year, but this resolution will not only be satisfying to your taste buds, but will also broaden your wine knowledge and bring out your inner sommelier to impress all of your friends and family.

Looking for the perfect wine to give as a gift this year? You’re in luck! When it comes to wine, one (bottle) size fits all, doubles of the same wine are just fine, and if it’s not the perfect fit, wine is easy for the recipient to re-gift. Read on for our essential wine gift giving guide!

The Wine Gift Giving Guide That Will Help You Win the Holidays

Ideally you know the person’s taste preferences: Full-bodied or light, dry or sweet, red or white. However, if you don’t have any of that information, it can get tricky. When in doubt we say go for something unique, or maybe just something fun that your recipient has never tried! Here are our top picks for the Holidays this year.

• Carménère (“car-men-nair”) is a medium-bodied red wine that originated in Bordeaux, France and now grows almost only in Chile. Carménère makes an excellent everyday food pairing wine for several reasons. For one, its natural higher acidity makes so it’s never lost when paired next to foods with higher acidity sauces. Another keen benefit is Carménère’s herbaceous peppercorn-like flavor that often embellishes roasted meats of all kinds.
• Cabernet Franc (“Cab-err-nay fronk”) is medium-bodied red wine whose origins likely lie in the Basque country of France. The wine is loved for its savory, bell pepper-like flavors, medium-high acidity and mouthwatering taste. It is an ideal food pairing wine. You can find single-varietal Cabernet Franc wines, but the variety is also quite popular as a blending grape in the famous Bordeaux Blend.
• Since Cabernet Sauvignon is grown in a wide range of climates and regions throughout the world, it has varied flavors. Fundamentally speaking, Cab is a full-bodied red wine with dark fruit flavors and savory tastes from black pepper to bell pepper. Our domestic section is full of fun colorful labels that make a statement under any tree.
• Grower’s Champagne is sparkling wine crafted by grape growers and their families. It embodies those who grow grapes in their own vineyards and produce cuvées (aka sparkling wine blends) that reflect their distinct vineyards and style. They are often times less expensive than their big-brand counterparts, but there will be no doubt that your wino friends will flip over them!
• Late harvest wines are made from grapes that are left on the vine even after they’ve reached their peak ripeness. When grapes are (quite literally) left hanging, they become sweeter over time as each individual grape dehydrates and the sugar content becomes more concentrated. Technically, any wine grape can be harvested late (Chardonnay, Syrah, Pinot Gris, etc.) so the options are pretty much endless. This makes a great gift for your sweet tooth friends.

Wrap It Up!

Let’s be honest, there is a wine out there for everyone. As long as you put a nice bow or ribbon it, you can’t go wrong with a bottle of wine! Now that you’ve read our wine gift giving guide, you should be a wine picking pro and find new favorites for everyone. And with a little luck, you’ll be everyone’s new favorite person this holiday season!

Christmas dinners present a prime time to try new wines with favorite recipes of old. Will it be ham, turkey, goose or prime rib? If you are looking for new holiday wine pairings to complement your holiday meal, then look no further! Check out our unique selection of versatile whites and diverse reds that are sure to enhance your holiday gatherings, varietals picked for both their presence and adaptability.

Holiday Wine Pairings That Will Wow Your Guests

Wines to Serve with Ham

Baked, smoked, or honeyed hams beg for wines with a dash of sweet. A German Riesling with a touch of residual sugar, made lighter in style and a bit lower in alcohol will hop on the ham pairing wagon with plenty of food-friendly acidity and crowd-pleasing palate appeal.

Alsatian Rieslings tend to bring more body, significantly less sugar, and a richer palate profile than their German wine cousins, and are capable of handling a wide range of pork-themed options with a focus on weight and pairing presence.

Red wines that can accommodate ham happenings tend to be lighter in body and overall style. Beaujolais, Pinot Noir (especially from Burgundy or California’s Russian River Valley), and Spain’s Tempranillo grape often exhibit subtle tannins with an easier going pairing profile.  

Wines to Serve with Turkey

Turkey on its own presents a fairly straight-forward pairing partner, but who really eats turkey solo? Herb-filled stuffing, roasted veggies, rich sauces, and an assortment of savory sides manage to make their way alongside the bird. It’s these sides and sauces that must be taken into account when working out the best wine pairings.

Sauvignon Blanc is hands-down one of the top white wine picks for turkey and savory sides, as it tends to bring its own herbal tones to the table. The all time go-to favorite is a Pinot Noir or Burgundy red wine, its high acidity and low tannins makes for the perfect pairing.

Wines to Serve with Duck

When it comes to pairing wines with duck, considerations have to be made for the unique, fatty profile along with the innate gaminess of the meat. The wines of France have a long and storied pairing partnership with a variety of duck preparations. As local foods paired with local wines make a trendy comeback, there’s an underlying synergy between “historical” regional pairings and the red wines of Burgundy and Bordeaux, as well as the reds of the Rhone Valley.

All will handle the elements of roasted, smoked, or braised duck. If the duck is served with a fruit-based sauce then the wine pairing gears will shift towards the white wine trails: Gewürztraminer, Riesling, and Sauternes, all will make their mark on the fruit-themed duck pairing profiles.

Wines to Serve with Prime Rib

Prime rib makes a serious play for a variety of red wines: A big, bold Cabernet Sauvignon from California, a playful Zinfandel, a rustic Tempranillo from Spain, a refined red from Bordeaux, a Barbaresco or Barolo from Italy – all of these varietals can mix and mingle with a slice of prime rib and bring out subtle nuances in the pairing depending on the regional roots.

White wines will have a tough time keeping up, but if you are hard pressed and must venture to the white grapes, try a full-throttle White Burgundy (Chardonnay) to keep pace with the rich textures and greater ratios of protein and fat.

Now You Know The Perfect Holiday Wine Pairings

Now that you have all of the holiday wine pairings you need for any meal this holiday season, give them a try and let us know what you think! Be sure to head into the store to browse our plethora of options, and get some expert opinions on what is the best wine to pair with all of your favorite meals and side dishes!

Let the holiday season begin! It’s already November and with Thanksgiving and Black Friday quickly approaching, the time has come to plan those holiday dinners and parties. It just so happens that the team at City Vineyard is ready to make your holiday party planning and shopping as easy as can be. Ready for our quick tips to take the hassle out of the holidays?

3 Ideas to Make Your Guests Happy This Holiday Season

Pre-Made Holiday Gift Baskets

We can help you shop for everyone on your list with custom gift baskets and gifts that will fit any budget. You can even order in advance and pick up when you’re ready, or we can put your gifts together while you wait and enjoy a glass of wine or beer in the lounge. In a hurry? We have plenty of pre-made baskets ready to go.

Artisan Cheeses & Gourmet Snacks

As your guests gather around and anticipate the feast that awaits them, calm their hungry appetites with artisan cheese and accoutrements. Our market is brimming with exotic selections and classic favorites. Cheese is the perfect addition to any holiday table. It also makes a simple meal for the after shopping frenzy. City Vineyard also offers custom meat and cheese trays that will excite any group of revelers. We can custom create each board to serve any number of people in a wide variety of textures and flavors! Stop in or call for more information.

Wine & Beer

And you can’t forget about the wine and beer! If you’re scratching your head wondering what to serve with your labor of love meals this holiday or you’re just looking for something special to share with your loved one, the team at City Vineyard can make great recommendations for every budget and appetite. We love pairing the perfect wines and beers to go with everything from a simple dinner of pizza to a five-course turkey extravaganza.

Whatever it is you need, let City Vineyard make the holidays easy! Head to the store to check what we have on hand and get our expert advice on what to grab to make your holiday season the best one ever!

Thanksgiving, the ultimate feast! Friends and family crammed into small, hectic, delicious smelling kitchens. To start, let’s get one thing out of the way:  There’s not a “right” or a “wrong” wine to sip with your stuffing. We like to say, “If you like it, drink it”- but there are wines that just might be more likely to send you to sensory elation. Keep reading for some our favorite holiday wine pairings!

Holiday Wine to Make Your Party One for the Books

For tried and true classic pairings to serve with Thanksgiving dinner, we recommend living by the “high acid rule.” You want a wine with decent levels of acidity, to cleanse your mouth of all those rich and buttery flavors. A touch of sweetness wouldn’t be a horrible thing either. Austrian Grüner Veltliner, German Riesling, or southern French Grenache blends would all be great options.

Since Thanksgiving is an American holiday, we thought we should offer a couple domestic options to celebrate with as well. The domestic varieties we recommend for Thanksgiving are sparkling wines, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.

Holiday get-togethers are often started off with a toast. But did you know that keeping those sparkling wine corks popping throughout your meal could be the perfect complement to your bird? Especially if you’re one of those households that fries your turkey. Here at City Vineyard we love J Vineyards Sparkling Cuvée. The high acid in this great sparkling wine will help cut through the richness of a fried fowl. But because of the versatility of bubbles, it’s actually a wine choice that will last through every course.

Riesling is a top pick for a white to drink on turkey day. Riesling innate flavors of apple, apricot, honey and its clarifying acidity give it a significant edge against other wines to drink alongside sweet potatoes, turkey meat and spice-laden or herb-filled stuffing. Penner-Ash’s off dry Riesling is a great wine to get you from the appetizers to that last bite of mashed potatoes and gravy.

If it’s a red you’re after, the most popular pairing for Thanksgiving Day dinner is Pinot Noir, lighter in body and softer on the palate than something like a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Merlot. The areas that reign supreme for Pinot Noir in America are California and Oregon. California Pinot Noir’s plush, easy berry fruit is just the right match for poultry and all your T-day fixins.

But not to be outdone on this holiday, Pinot Noir from Oregon is also a fantastic match as there’s a touch more earthiness than their sister to the south, and that can really play well with savory turkey trimmings. Try Love Oregon or J. Christopher from the Willamette Valley for stellar turkey day options that will have you stopping by City Vineyard for another bottle. To accommodate any last minute Thanksgiving Day wine, beer, or gourmet market needs, City Vineyard will be here for you throughout the holidays.

In the end, Thanksgiving is about celebrating our blessings. So whatever variety of holiday wine or beverage ends up on your table, raise your glass and toast to friends and family!