Christmas comes but once a year. “Thanks heavens!” I hear some of you say.
At the Christmas table, there are often several generations and lots of different palates making choosing the perfect wines a bit of a nightmare so here we’ve got a few suggestions to offer that may help you navigate your way through the day putting a smile on people’s faces as you go.
To get the party started some fizz always goes down well so we’d suggest a Cremant de Bourgogne - Domaine du Bicheron in the Maconnais. It’s not Champagne but most people wouldn’t know the difference. It’s a Blanc de Blancs made purely from Chardonnay so it has good bright fruit flavours, crisp refreshing acidity with some citrus hints too. It makes a brilliant aperitif and doesn’t cost a fortune too so you can afford to be a little heavy-handed as you pour.
For the starters, a Soave Classico Cimalta from Corte Adami would be a great choice. It goes with so many different dishes thanks to its bright fruit and minerality. The palate and aromas are fresh and zingy making it the perfect companion to shellfish, seafood and other fish but cheese too is a marvellous partner as would be something like Turkey for a main course.
For the main event, I can’t think of anything finer than Fleurie from Alain Coudert which is most certainly a contender for our wine of the year. Ripe, peppery and fruity with loads of dark cherry fruit with mulberry notes behind. Put it with beef, turkey, pork, salmon – you name it, it’ll probably match it and delight everyone in the process.
Last but not least there’s cheese and dessert. Maury Grenat - Domaine Fontanel in the Roussillon is just the ticket here for both things. Made from Old Vines Grenache that impart a ripe and luscious quality to the wine, cheese is a given and even strong blue cheese such as Stilton or Roquefort will work so well but with Christmas pudding it’s a revelation. The sticky raisined sweetness combines so well with the wine and even if you don’t manage to finish the bottle it’ll stay open for a good week or so after opening, so roll on the New Year!
Whatever you’re drinking, we hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that
this small selection of wines will help you enjoy the day even more.