If you're expecting a crowd for Christmas dinner, it makes sense just to have plenty of very drinkable white and red. With a smaller group, it's worth cracking open a few special bottles, writes JOHN WILSON
I AM A BIG believer in horses for courses when it comes to Christmas dinner; this means tailoring your wines to suit the occasion. Opening your finest bottles for a large, raucous crowd is expensive and usually a waste of time. All of those fine flavours will get lost amid the festivities. A well-priced, fresh, fruity, dry white and a decent, smooth, glugging red will go down just as well, and are much easier on the pocket. Just make sure you have plenty and it really is drinkable.
However, this Christmas we will have a smaller group than in previous years, so I intend cracking open a few decent bottles on the day. Below I list a number of options, designed to suit all budgets.
If, like myself, you are having turkey, the options are fairly broad. I wouldn’t open my best Bordeaux with either turkey or goose, as they seem to bring out the drying tannins in claret. A good powerful southern Rhône or a smooth rich Aussie Shiraz would be a better bet. Pinot Noir is an option, and I suspect I will end up drinking one of these on the day.
If you do have a horde coming around and don’t have time to fuss about wine, don’t worry. An unoaked Chardonnay or Viognier will cover all food options for white wine drinkers, including the starter. For a red, go for something richly fruity with southern warmth from France, Spain or Australia. If you are following Domini Kemp’s Christmas recipes, I have the following suggestions.
Mushroom and chestnut soup: Soup is not the easiest thing to match with wine. You could leave the wine out altogether, or go for a more traditional soup pairing such as a nutty, dry amontillado sherry. Alternatively, if you are serving a Pinot Noir with the main course, that would do very nicely too.
Roast goose with apple and macadamia stuffing: You have two options with goose. With an apple stuffing, a rich white, such as a Grand Cru Alsace Riesling, a Pinot Gris, or best of all a mature German Trocken, would all have the slight sweetness to match the stuffing. A bigger-style Chardonnay or a Viognier would also be fine. However, a Pinot Noir would be my first choice. If you have such a thing, this might be the time to roll out your best mature Burgundian Pinot Noir. The combination of earthy fruit and acidity will cut through the richness of the goose, and complement the slight gaminess of the bird. The same Pinot would also be a great match for the ham with cherries and plums. Pinot Noir is a delicate red, best served cool. I will leave mine outside the back door overnight.
Christmas dinner tastes so much better if you create a sense of occasion. This means bringing out your best wine glasses and a decanter if you have one. Even a modest wine will taste much better. Try to serve a nice sweet wine to finish off, and lastly, don’t forget to stock up on a few light and fruity reds to drink with the leftovers in the days following Christmas.
WHITE WINES
Marquis de Pennautier Viognier 2010, IGP Pays d'Oc, 13%, €7.99A lighter style of Viognier, ideally suited as an all-purpose white for a large gathering. It has sufficient clean, crisp acidity to go with most seafood, and enough ripe peach fruits to accompany the turkey or goose. Stockists: Dunnes Stores
D'Arenberg The Hermit Crab 2008, McLaren Vale/Adelaide Hills, 13.5%, €13-€14.99Made from a blend of two Rhône varieties, Viognier and Marsanne, this is a very nicely crafted wine, rich in soft, rounded fruit, with a refreshing finish. Perfect with turkey or goose, this would also cover a fishy starter. Stockists: Superquinn; O'Brien's
Jean-Marc Brocard Organic Chablis 2008, 12.5%, €19.49This might be a little light for a goose, but would certainly stand up to the turkey, and double up with the starter. For a Chablis this is full of flavour – rich honey and yellow apple fruits, with a crisp dry finish. Stockist: Marks Spencer
RED WINES
Le Secret des Capitelles 2009, St Chinian, €7.99, 13.5%From the south of France, a nice, soft, rich red with smooth, dark fruits, a sprinkling of spice and no rough edges. This would be better suited to turkey and perfect for the budget Christmas dinner. Stockist: SuperValu
Vina Leyda Pinot Noir 2009, Leyda Valley, €12.50, 14%From Chile's best region for Pinot Noir, this is a delicious, supple red wine with wonderful, dark cherry fruits, and a nice refreshing streak. Perfect with turkey or goose. Stockists: Baggot Street Wine; Callan's, Dundalk; Next Door Outlets, nationwide; Claudio's Wines, Newtownmountkennedy; Ballinteer Off Licence; 1601, Kinsale; The Vintry, Rathgar; The Wine Centre, Kilkenny; Martin's, Fairview; Sweeney's, Glasnevin; Deveney's, Dundrum; McHugh's, Kilbarrack; Searsons Wine Merchants, Monkstown
Vosne-Romanée 2006 Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg, €55, 13%, €55Top-notch Burgundy does not come cheap, and Vosne-Romanée is one of the most sought villages. Add in the name Mugneret-Gibourg, one of the very finest producers in this part of the world, and you have an expensive but exquisite wine. It has maturing but vibrant soft, pure, ripe cherry fruits, a developing gaminess, and a long, satin-smooth finish. A delicious wine. The same outlets will also have the softer, spicier 2007 vintage, but I loved the freshness and purity of the 2006. Stockists: On the Grapevine, Dalkey; Cabot Co, Westport; Market 57, Westport; The Wine Room, Pery Square, Limerick.
