Holiday hosting should feel luminous, not laborious. So skip the Chardonnay -with-cheese, Cabernet -and-charcuterie autopilot this year and play a smarter game. Here are five stylish wine-and-bite pairings that are less yawn, more “wait, what is this?”—so your spread reads intentional, not inevitable. Consider it your way of bringing joy to the world.

Verdejo and Spanish tapas

Here’s your chance to wow with Verdejo, that white that gets a lot of respect in wine circles. Like Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc — the obvious styles we all know — Verdejo tastes crisp and vivid, dry and fresh. But it has a certain Spanish intensity and a pleasant bitter undertow that rivets the attention and helps it stand up to food.

So grab a bottle, chill it down and splash it into glasses

See Full Page