Given the spirit of the holiday season leads to many shared meals and festive moments with friends, I’ve not surprisingly encountered plenty of pals hesitant to offer me a glass of wine. I can see it in their eyes and hear it in their pre-calculated verbal presentations. They seem to be pleading with Dionysus that I will want one of their small batch beers. Each time, I guess that they feel more confident on their beer choices than their wine choices.

The good news is that, I, like many Masters of Wine, like to drink all sorts of wine. (I also do opt for beer occasionally, which I also love.) That said, I need neither a big-ticket wine name nor a trendy or obscure region. I enjoy drinking what someone else thought might be a nice glass. Usually it hits the spot, but sometimes it’s a deviation on a journey to deliciousness. Happily, most wines are at least "correct" and without faults, even if they are not inspiring. For all the verticals and horizontals of wine and stratosphere-priced bottles I do taste, I am usually very happy to drink “everyday wines”. Furthermore, I’ve personally been on a kick of under $20 wines for the last nine months…and under $15 is just fine, too. After all, don’t we wine folk say it’s all about the company with which we share the bottle? I think so, and my last month of bottles shared is very fine proof.

Here are some very cool wines I’ve been served by my apparently courageous friends over the last month. My favorites are followed by a star (*):

Comtes de Gascogne NV Blanc de Blanc*

Direct Wines 2009 South Australia Shiraz*

Vive l’Évolution 2007 Côtes du Roussillon

Roc de Lussac 2010 Lussac-Saint-Émilion*

Saracosa 2009 Rosso di Toscana

Château Haut Piquat 2008 Lussac-St-Émilion*

Château de Lavagnac 2009 Bordeaux*

Baron Arnaud 2010 Côtes-du-Rhône