January is "Zinfandel Month" hereabouts and, as usual, Zinfandel gets the spotlight in the pages that follow. And Chardonnay, always with us, and better than ever in the newly arriving vintages, shares the January stage as well.

The 2012 vintage has been as kind to Zinfandel as it has to most varieties. The expected array of hearty wines is well-represented and those special bottles of great wine, the Ridges and Ravenswoods, are again offering much to like as are a broad bunch of choices from Jeff Cohn.

There are serious Chardonnays to be had in a myriad of styles, and this month's recommended bottlings hit most every stop from sleek and lively to full-bodied and rich.

Although the Holiday season may have lightened and strained all of our pocketbooks, the need for good wine remains. In this Issue, we feature noteworthy Cabernets, Sauvignon Blancs and Sparkling Wines that hit the mark for fine value and promise to make post-holiday drinking as merry as in the celebratory days of December.