Scoring an excellent 16 points on the Dionysian 20-point scale, the 2014 Palmaris Pinot Noir Reserve from New Jersey’s Outer Coastal Plain has 12.4% alcohol (perfect for a food-wine) and cost under $25.

Clear Pinot color with light cherry and spices, show through as you sip and smell it. Made to enjoy with a meal, it has a perfect acid balance with a long clean aftertaste.

It was served with a French Burgundian vegetable soup with French bread. Perfect for a cold winter’s evening.

Palmaris is the top label from the Tomasello Winery in Hammonton, New Jersey. The juice was in contact for ten days with the skins and it extracted just the perfect color for Pinot Noir. Seek out two bottles; one for tonight and age one for five years. In Vino Veritas.