Hey, enough with the anti-California comments!
For many years, the holiday gatherings at my family have always included several bottles of Silverado wines. Mid-priced and quite nice. Napa Valley.
Also, the mass market bottlings of Kendall-Jackson have become so ubiquitous as to be boring, even though they are quite drinkable on an informal basis. But for special occasions, their Grand Reserve wines are very nice. And, not too expensive. Sonoma Valley.
I mention the above, as they are distributed nationally, and should not be too hard to find.
This year, though, I am going to concentrate on GustavoThrace, also of Napa Valley. A boutique winery, but establishing a reputation. Hard to find thus far. My source? My aunt, Thrace Bromberger.