Wines: Three crowd-pleasers

One of the challenges of holiday parties is serving good wine without breaking the bank, said Ray Isle in Food & Wine. We went looking for the best inexpensive wines that could be bought in quantity. The three below impressed us, and they’re cheap enough to be bought 12 at a time, triggering the 15 percent discount that merchants usually give on cases.

2010 Domino Pinot Grigio California ($7). “As with most California pinot grigios, this one has sweeter, riper fruit than Italian versions.”

2010 McManis Family Vineyards Viognier California ($11). This “peachy” white offers a welcome alternative to the “usual anonymous,party-pour chardonnay.”

2010 La Maialina Chianti Italy ($10). This “crisp” Tuscan Chianti has a “light strawberry fragrance.”