One of my New Year’s resolutions is to learn more about wine, which to me means keeping track of the wines I like and thinking about what I like about them. One of my new favorites is one I’m excited to share, because it’s a real crowd pleaser–excellent at your next dinner party or as a hostess gift.
Michael David Vineyards Petite Petit 2009 ($18) is as dark and murky as my your memories of New Year’s Eve, and as sweet, spicy and full of potential as you drunkenly thought that one-night stand was. “This blend of 85% Petite Sirah and 15% Petit Verdot is substantial, dense, full-bodied, and loaded with pure black fruit and vanilla flavors that coat the palate,” the winery says. “It reveals remarkable richness with a finish that is slightly dry and seems to linger.”
That’s wine-speak for “your friends will love it, you come out looking like a real wine expert, and your ex who brought the Boone’s Farm will look like a real asshole.” Win. Win. Find it online or in DC-area wine shops:
- Georgetown Wine & Spirits, 2701 P Street NW
- Wagshal’s Liquor & Deli, 4855 Massachusetts Avenue NW
- Morris Miller Liquors, 7804 Alaska Avenue NW
- World Market, 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
- Good Libations, 1201 5th Street NW
- Central Liquors, 625 E Street NW
- Connecticut Avenue Wine & Liquor, 1529 Connecticut Avenue NW
- Total Wine & More, 6240 Little River Turnpike, Alexandria, VA

Mary was born and raised in New York City where her family owned restaurants. Instead of eating dirt on the playground, she ate duck blood, beef tripe and pork belly. She cut her teeth at The Mandarin Oriental and The Ritz-Carlton hotels, working with Barbra Streisand, Vanessa Williams, Michael Stipe, LeVar Burton, Jane Krakowski and others. Mary founded Girl Meets Food in 2009 as a cover for her debilitating addiction to fried chicken and was named Washington Post’s “Favorite Local Foodie.” After 13 years in hospitality, she started freelance writing for USA Today, The Washington Post, Eater, Washington City Paper, and more. Today, she provides digital marketing for hospitality clients as a content creator who’s contently creating content.