Sommelière Lindsay Brennan's holiday gift guide for buying wine

Between running the restaurants Alma and Bar Luz with her partner Juan Lopez Luna, as well as importing some of Montreal's most sought-after natural wines through Vin i Vida, Lindsay Brennan has become the city's unofficial ambassador for Catalan and Spanish wine. Why? She keeps bringing in bottles that bring out the best of that corner of the world: bright, energetic, unpretentious, and—most crucially—delicious bottles.

So we asked her about what kinds of wine we can rely on for the holidays, whether it's the bottle you bring to a party, you gift your boss or loved ones, or you pick up to treat yourself because you're a class act.

The recommendations you see here are the ones that move at the restaurant, convert skeptics, what she wants to drink on a Tuesday night, the works. Some you'll find at the SAQ, others require going through her import agency or by emailing Lindsay directly—the same pipeline that keeps Alma and Bar Luz stocked with wines you won't find anywhere else in the city: Bubbles, whites, macerated options, and reds.