Count Down to the Holidays with These Wine Advent Calendars

Drink your way through California’s most famous wine varietals with this 12-bottle offering, which offers wines from across the Golden State’s most famous wine regions. No need to choose between white, red or rosé—this set has all of them, from Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir to Chardonnay and Riesling and everything in between.

A selection of 12 half-bottles sets the stage for a delightful nightly couples ritual during the countdown to Christmas. The spread of widely available major producers—think Francis Coppola, J. Lohr, Robert Mondavi and more—make this a great way to find a new budget-friendly, easy-drinking favorite.

For your “I only drink red wine,” Cab Sauv-swigging loved ones, this California-heavy calendar offers a half-bottle of something ruby-colored behind every one of the 12 doors. The selection includes mostly easy-to-find bottles, which is great news if you’re stuck in a rut, buying the same bottle of Pinot week after week. This is a prime chance to delve into new corners of the wine world without leaving your comfort zone too far behind.

Is it really the holidays without ugly sweaters? This calendar pays generous homage to the season’s best knit wonders with its cheerful, sweater-clad packaging. Crack open a new 187 mL mini-bottle—that’s a hefty glass for one, at a little over six ounces—each night from a selection of 12 California-made wines, ranging from a bold Lodi Zinfandel to an easy-drinking Pinot Grigio. This box leans red-heavy, but a handful of white wines (and one rosé for good measure) ensure something for everyone.

Domestic selections reign supreme in most advent calendars, but not so for this selection from Drink Eezy, which offers a spread of 12 wines from around the world. Among the offerings, find a Chilean Carmenère, an Argentine Malbec, Port straight from the Douro and more. Each of the 12 samples is packaged in Eezy’s unique cylindrical bottles with splashy labeling, giving the wines a fresh, youthful vibe.

To kick your wine advent experience up from fun holiday ritual to true learning experience, snag the Cozy and Chill advent collections from Vinebox. These two 12-wine boxes—one an all-red lineup and the other a mix of whites, rosés and light-bodied, chill-worthy reds—come with 100 mL mini bottles in a luxe presentation that feels more like a high-end perfume box than a typical advent calendar. Each wine comes with tasting notes and pairing suggestions to help you brush up your wine knowledge, and when it’s time to taste, you can scan an included QR code to watch a video and follow along with a guided tasting from a Vinebox sommelier.

There’s no better time of year to be a dessert lover than December, and with a Port wine advent calendar, your favorite sugar hound can have a new after-dinner option to pair with the steady stream of Christmas cookies. This countdown from Quevedo includes 24 bottles of the brand’s 12 best-selling Ports, including a 2017 LBV and single-vintage Colheitas, plus ultra-floral white Ports and even a dry option to shake things up.

This vintage-inspired box harkens back to childhood advent calendars with its pop-out windows, which reveal 24 mini-bottles. Each 187 mL offering contains a different globally sourced wine, ranging from Sauvignon Blanc to Pinotage. Along with festive bottles, In Good Taste offers a daily video and email about the wines to help you gain a deeper understanding of what you’re sipping.

Sip your way through 24 wines from around the world with this Christmas countdown from Total Wine, which features an approachable collection of wines from around the world. The featured wineries work directly with Total Wine, so it’s easy to stock up if you find one you love. The bottles are just over six ounces each, but if you’re hoping for a more generous pour to share with a loved one, the comparatively budget-friendly price tag makes buying two a no-brainer.

The cicerones at Chicagoland’s Open Bottle have developed a cult following for their annual craft beer advent calendar—and this year, they’ve added wine, cider and seltzer calendars to the mix at a super-affordable price tag. Our advice? Count down the 12 days of Christmas, then treat yourself on Christmas Day with full sizes of your favorites—after all, day 12 comes with a coupon for 10% off at Open Bottle’s online store.

Snag this one for your impossibly chic, wine-loving sister-in-law or your bestie who’s always championing rad small businesses. Maker is the cool-kid in the wine advent calendar space, with a lineup that features sustainably-produced wines made by women- and minority-owned wineries. The 12 cans are together roughly equivalent to four full bottles and span a mix of red, white, rosé and sparkling wines. Each comes with a QR code that links to a mini-profile of the winemaker.

At last, something for those who like to sip a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc even when it’s frigid outside. This advent calendar from Vintage Wine Estates features 12 half-bottles of easy-drinking California whites, including a toasty Chardonnay, a super-floral rosé and a crisp Pinot Grigio. Some of the wines lean sweeter (Laetitia Moscato, we’re looking at you), making them ripe for tossing back as you whip up a batch of holiday cookies.

Aldi’s annual Holiday Magic Wine Advent Calendar isn’t so much a celebratory ritual as it is a religion unto itself. The budget grocery chain is credited with bringing the wine advent calendar—a beloved annual tradition for its U.K. customers—to the U.S., and the grocery chain’s Holiday Magic calendar now has a cult stateside following. Set to hit in-store shelves on November 1st, this year’s calendar includes 24 mini-bottles of Aldi favorites, including Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from France, Tempranillo and Garnacha from Spain and Sangiovese from Italy, along with selections from Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, among others. And while you’re snagging a Holiday Magic Wine Advent Calendar, keep an eye out for Aldi’s other fan-favorite seasonal wine box, the Sparkling Magic Sparkling Wine Variety Pack ($30, available 11/1).

As with Aldi’s legion of Holiday Magic calendar superfans, Costco has its own wine advent calendar obsessives. According to early reports of 2023’s Around the World in 24 Wines box, this one is not to be missed. This collection from Flying Blue Imports is a grand tour of noteworthy wine regions—think Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Chenin Blanc from South Africa and Argentine Malbec, plus all the usual Old-World suspects—through 24 half-bottles. And though it has the classic lift-the-flap advent calendar style, there’s nothing overtly Christmas–y about the presentation itself, making this one ideal to squirrel away should you need 24 days of cheer long after Santa has come and gone.