Bonus edition today, friends of good drink. Typically you see this roundup of wine and spirits articles on Friday, but Hot Plates was tied up. We thought you might be too, and so here we are with this roundup just in time for your Saturday holiday shopping trips.

The newspapers produced terrific copy for us this week, and of course the timing is just right for what we're all up to for the next few days.

Dottie and John of The Wall Street Journal did a Tastings column on best bargain wines for the year that's wrapping up. The duo looked over the past year of tastings and found nine wines that were $11 or less and rated "Very Good" or better. The Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc is a total crowd-pleaser, and Hot Plates' personal pick of this crop would be the Toad Hollow Cellars "Eye of the Toad" Dry Pinot Noir Rosé.

Along with those nine cheapies, you can look for some of these eight sparklers the L.A. Times recommends. Many people still feel the stuff from France is the only real thing, and anything else is less than classy, but as this piece points out, you can't buy a case of Champagne for your party without paying a "hefty sum." These other options -- including the delicious, crisp Segura Viudas cava from Spain and the Italian proseccos -- are perfect choices, and they may even broaden some horizons, too.

The L.A. Times' "Quick Swirl" item this week is a biodynamically grown Loire Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. S. Irene Virbila uses all the keywords that let us know it's good: "supple," "graceful," "lush."

There are two different egg nog articles that could convert the non-nog drinkers among us. Hot Plates always loves every inch of copy produced by N.Y. Times writer Amanda Hesser, who does a look back to 1958 eggnog. That year, she says, Craig Claiborne included a recipe for what Hesser says is the only one you need. "By the late 1950s, eggnog, and drinking, had staged a comeback," she says. It's so thick you need a spoon, and when done right, "it’s like a giant bowl of faintly boozy chiffon."

The L.A. Times jumps into the festivities with its own take on the eggnog subject: ways to experiment with the classic recipe to produce a funky, interesting nog (what else would you expect from this paper, this coast?). One of them will "remind you why you like orange gelato," and another is a "beautiful pink nog-tini with ... maraschino liqueur and grenadine. It's wildly different but perfectly suited for the holidays with the faint aroma of pine and hints of juniper and cherry." Over-the-top and loving it!

One more item on the hot-drinks front: Mulled wine. Hmm. Does this ring your jingle bell? We were recently invited to a friend's tree-decorating party where this drink was going to be served, and we were planning not to have any. If it's your thing, though, check out The Dallas Morning News recipe for this spicy treat.

Eric Asimov does a wrap of all the newest books on wine. "Reading is the next best thing to drinking for the wine lover, and much more practical on subways, buses and trains," he points out, and he goes on to talk about six books he thinks are worth mentioning. We'd be most interested in the one about corking.

Let's end on a dark note, with Greg Kitsock's article on the darkest of the dark brews. He mentions a handful of notable mugs of darkness: The "ebony" Russian imperial stout "is as impervious to light as motor oil and almost as viscous." And Old Rasputin from California "smells of tar and licorice, and the piny West Coast hops add a spicy counterpoint to the espresso and bittersweet chocolate flavors." Downingtown, Pa.'s Victory Brewing Co. makes "Storm King," which "is like washing down a slice of fudge cake with a double shot of espresso."

But if big taste isn't enough for you, and your heart is asking you for a little something to dull the pain, look for World Wide Stout from Dogfish Head, with 18 percent alcohol. I know, merry, happy, and all that. But it's OK to let yourself have a moment to drown a thought or two in your glass. Everyone knows a beer drinker who can't get a brew hearty enough, or medicinal enough, so some of these that Kitsock mentions could make great gifts for that person on your list. Confession: We love Christmas and the spirit of giving and all that, but we are secretly looking forward to no longer having a "list" and starting fresh in '08!