I've found you can't go wrong with a good quality winter tire... period.
I've had:
Nokians, awesome and lasted forever! Had to get rid of them because the rubber dried out.
Gislaved's awesome as well, worked great on my Volvo... but it was an AWD wagon, so it just went.
Yokohama Ice Guard 51's, made my Altima a winter beast and were great in deep snow & ice.
Xice 2, didn't like them in deep snow, but they were great on ice and cold dry pavement and the quietest of the bunch.
Xice 3, these are on Bella's car right now, not impressed with the deeper snow traction, but they still get the car moving (RWD only), the stop, turn and handle decent. They're quiet and they do perform well on ice & cold dry pavement.
Toyo GSi5, currently on the JGC and they're great in all situations... not as quiet as the Xice 2 or 3, but I find they perform just as well on ice & cold dry pavement, a little squishy on the handling part, but I've also gone down to an 18" wheel & have a lot more sidewall compared to the 20's I run in the summer. And they're awesome in deep snow... I'd get these tires ahead of the Xice 3's for sure... and since they're cheaper than Blizzaks, I'd get them instead as well.