Last time I gave some recommended wines for all those occasions that involve wine over the festive period – and if you missed it, you can catch up here: http://yourliquidassets.blogspot.com/2011/11/christmas-2011-part-1-in-which-our.html. Now, however, the focus is on the big day itself.
Breakfast
I
wouldn't normally recommend wines to go with your cornflakes, but at
Christmas the normal order is turned on its head. And I'm assuming
that breakfast is more of a brunch; later, more leisurely and
certainly more luxurious than normal. Straight fizz might seem too
much of a shock to the system for most, but brave souls could ease
themselves into the day with a glass of Prosecco – its clean, fresh
fruit and touch of sweetness is ideal.
For
many of us, though, Buck's Fizz has become a tradition. Please, DO
NOT buy the pre-mixed bottles. Buy the best orange juice you can (or
even squeeze your own) and combine (in whatever proportions you
enjoy) with either Prosecco or Cava. The predominant taste will be
the orange juice, so go for budget bubbles.
Pre-lunch
We all
love Christmas dinner, but we wouldn't want to eat it every day.
Let's face it, it's a bit of an endurance test for the body, so
pre-lunch you need a wine to get the juices and the appetite going in
order to fortify for the feast ahead.
Champagne
is the pre-prandial aperitif par excellence and now is a good time to
produce a really fancy bottle if you have one. Blanc de blancs (ie
made from 100% Chardonnay) are a good choice, as they have plenty of
crisp fruit and nervy, mouthwatering acidity.
Jacquart
Blanc de Blancs 2005 - Special introductory offer £26.99 at Sainsbury's, £38 from Great
Western Wines
Lovely
light style, with fine acidity and long-lasting flavours of apple,
flowers and white pepper.
If you
serve smoked salmon at some point, then Champagne is of course a
perfect companion. You could go for something with a bit more body
here.
Berry
Brothers Own Label Champagne - £25.95 per bottle, down to £23.35 a
bottle if you buy 6, from bbr.com
Christmas
might not be the day to plonk a bottle emblazoned Tesco or Waitrose
on the table (though personally I wouldn't mind). Berry Brothers'
own label, though, is far more the thing. Produced entirely from top
Grand Cru vineyards in the village of Mailly, this is a blend of 75%
Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay, giving it more power and structure
than a Blanc de Blancs. Aromas of pear give way to a palate of spice
and crisp apple, with the length and structure to stand up to food.
A great match for smoked salmon too.
Alternatives
to fizz as aperitifs would be really top class Sauvignon Blanc, from
its heartland in the Loire Valley.
Château
de Tracy Pouilly Fumé 2006 - £17.50 from The Wine Society
No
oak, just the unadorned grapes treated gently to give delicately
perfumed fruit with persistent flavour.
Sancerre
Le MD de Bourgeois 2010 - £22.49 from Les Caves de Pyrène
Much
more full-on and assertively fruity, but with great mineral
intensity, this will certainly give the tastebuds a good wash and
brush up.
Lunch
Turkey,
or whatever your chosen bird, is really not in the equation when it
comes to choosing a wine. Think of all the different flavours that
we pile onto a single plate – stuffing, gravy, sprouts, roast
potatoes, sausage and bacon...I could go on. It really isn't
possible to match them all, so you need to choose a wine that will
not be overwhelmed, but will not try to fight with all those flavours
either.
Think,
also, about who is round the table. If you have a group of fine wine
lovers, then by all means dig out your treasured bottles of fine,
aged claret or white Burgundy. But for most of us, we are in
multi-generational groups, some of whom might not touch wine for most
of the year. So choose something that will please a crowd and won't
frighten the horses.
Le
Faîte 2007 - £14.99 from Adnams Cellar and Kitchen (branch in
Richmond)
Arrufiac,
Petit Courbu, Petit and Gros Manseng – you don't need to have heard
of the grape varieties to enjoy this unique white wine: big bold
fruit, big-boned but with refreshing acidity.
Domaine
Roche Audran Cuvée César 2009 - £12.58 from winenot.co.uk
The
southern Rhône is a great source of wines that are generous of fruit
and body, with a food friendly whiff of herbs. This 100% Grenache
wowed a group at a recent wine dinner and is certified (in a good
way) biodynamic.
Brouilly
Domaine Durand “Pisse Vieille” 2010 - £8.95 from The Wine
Society
It may
be shy about trumpeting it on the label, but this is a Beaujolais.
Deliciously, juicily, red fruited stuff that will suit a multitude of
food and palates. By the way, “vieille” means old and “pisse”
means...well, what it sounds like. Don't let this put you off.
Rioja
Reserva – such as Cune Reserva 2006/7 - £11.95 from Waitrose
The
barrel and bottle ageing that Rioja Reservas undergo lead to mellow
wines which are versatile with food, so they are always good to have
to hand for Christmas.
Pudding
Yes,
the marathon is not finished yet. If you opt for pudding, then you
need something to go with – or indeed instead of.
Stanton
& Killeen Rutherglen Muscat - £12.40 for a half bottle from
slurp.co.uk
Australian
liqueur muscat is just about the closest you can get to Christmas
pudding in liquid form. Lusciously viscous with flavours of dates,
raisins, caramel and spice, it can stand up to the richest, sweetest
pudding.
Tawny
ports also rub along nicely with the sweet spice of Christmas
pudding, mince pies and the like. These are widely available, but
try and get hold of a 10 year old (or even better, 20 year old), as
these will have more mellow nuttiness. And you can keep going with
it if anyone is still up for some stilton.
Good
luck! See you on the other side.
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