The Padberg family is all about wine. Chris and Jesse work the land and make the wine while Michele and Liliana ably handle the wine business end. And few wineries have grabbed the attention of the wine buying public as fast as Vivac Winery in Dixon, New Mexico. Founded in 1998, the winery has grown in grapes planted and varieties of wines made. Vivac has been praised in USA Today and profiled in a new HGTV website about touring the nation's wineries.

I still remember driving past the signage on highway 68 heading north to Taos and thinking, Gee, I should stop in there sometime. That didn't happen until later while I was doing research on my first wine book. I discovered I'd been missing one of the gems of northern New Mexico. A self-induced kick in the behind later, I was sampling some of the state's best red wines. They also make very good white wines, but it was the reds that continually draw me back to Vivac.

I recently served the Vivac 2009 Nebbiolo with rack of lamb for my wife's birthday and again, shamelessly, on Thanksgiving. It went great with the lamb and turkey dark meat. This red wine grape originated in Piedmont, Italy, where it is made into the famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines. The Vivac Nebbiolo wines are part of that great tradition. They are complex, well-balanced with well integrated tannins and aromas that evoke their Piedmont lineage.

I visited Vivac over the Thanksgiving holiday to get more of this wine, and was also enchanted by their new V-series 2009 Syrah, which is blended with 15% Merlot and 5% Tempranillo and aged in French barriques for 24 months. The wine is more "Old World" than new with the earthy elements, leather and dried herbs one finds in the northern Rhone Syrah wines. Or to be technical about it: yummy!

I restocked on the V-series 2007 Merlot and added some more of the 2009 Tempranillo and also grabbed some of the 2011 Dolcetto, always a crowd pleaser. Does that answer everyone's question of what I think of Vivac? There are lots more holidays on the horizon and plenty of excuses to open more Vivac wines. I will be, how about you?

Aconga 2011 Bonarda-Merlot $11: I previously commented on the Aconga 2011 Chenin Blanc-Chardonnay, claiming it as a best buy and now an Aconga red deserves the same praise. This wine won two silver medals at prestigious wine competitions and deserved them. Bonarda was until recently the most widely planted red wine grape in Argentina and is believed to be of the Bonarda-Piemontese variety. In other words it is an Italian grape originating in the Piedmont region. The addition of Merlot softens the wine.

The wine while not complex is well structured and balanced delivering good red fruit flavors and a nice tannic backbone. I found opening this wine at least an hour before serving really opened it up. Highly drinkable, you won't disappoint your guests with this one and it's at the same low price as the Aconga white at Smith's food stores. A half case goes for under $4.00 a bottle, which almost puts it in the 3-buck Chuck category, but with a far better pedigree. Smith and Kroger are two of the prime distributors currently and have by far the best price for this wine, but don't expect it to stay this low for long (Or still be on Smith's wine shelf if you dally too long.)

Alderbrook 2005 Three Goose Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley: I checked the Alderbrook website and the oldest version of this wine still available is the 2006 for club members. I mention it because Alderbrook Zinfandel wines are the class of Dry Creek Valley and Russian River Zins. This wine was huge, multi-layered, rich, balanced, dark fruit and black pepper and a long, long finish; an outstanding effort.

Alderbrook currently has six Zinfandel single vineyard or reserve wines plus a Zinfandel port. Every time I visit their delightful tasting room I end up buying some of each. The Zinfandel wines go from $25 to $36, and worth every penny. Alderbrook Zinfandel and the holidays were made for each other.

I already made Vivac my winery of the month and here are three of their wines absolutely not to be missed. The V-series wines are Vivac's select or reserve wines and very special. Check out the excellent website for other specials, recipes to go with many of their wines, and upcoming events.

Vivac 2009 V-series Syrah $26: I commented on this wine already, but if you are a Syrah lover, this is one you need to check out. The wine evokes the classical northern Rhone Syrah style. Also check out the Syrah lamb burger recipe on the Vivac website.

Winemaker notes: Dark stone fruits, savory spices & toasted nuts, and bold fruit.

Vivac 2007 V-series Merlot $24 on sale for $18: Good at its original price, but too good to pass up at its sale price. A great holiday wine so grab a bunch.

Winemaker notes: Baking herbs, sweet spices & ripe dark berries, this wine is a Cab lovers Merlot.

Tip of the Month:  Stock up on Sparklers Now

You may be thinking, I should get some champagne or sparkling wine for the holidays. Now that Thanksgiving is past, what are you waiting for? It is best to stock up now or get ready for the inevitable sales before Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Here are three tips for you; Gruet, Gruet and Gruet. Yes there are many good domestic sparkling wines to choose from and many imported sparkling wines and champagne. Champagne only comes from Champagne, France, of course, and Spanish Cava and Italian Prosecco are popular and inexpensive, but the best bargain is still Gruet.

The Brut, Blanc de Noirs and Blanc de Blancs extra dry non-vintage (NV) wines are very well-priced. The slightly more expensive Gruet NV Sauvage and Gruet Ros� top most similar domestic wines selling for much more. For special occasions the Gruet 2007 Grande Ros� and 2007 Blanc de Blancs are not to be missed. Once you have these safely home you can grab some on-sale sparklers for those open house events you attend. However, in New Mexico, if you don't bring the Gruet, your host may give you a questioning look, so buyers beware.

"Wines of Enchantment the Centennial Edition"