The holidays are here, and with them come all sorts of festive combinations of delicacies and special French wines to enhance the spirit of the season. In the mood for merry? I’d recommend a glass of wintertime decadence in the form of Banyuls, which is very similar to the well-known and adored port wine but produced à la française. Banyuls comes from Roussillon, which is close to the Spanish border, in an area sometimes referred to as French Catalonia.

Banyuls has port’s deep ruby color but is slightly lower in alcohol and infinitely lower in price. It can be enjoyed as an aperitif as well as...