Wine Matching for Christmas Feasting
I’m a big believer in wine being a superb digestive aide; therefore it’s inconceivable that I’d be without a glass of something at dinner time whether I’m having fish and chips or feta-filled figs. Christmas is no exception. Problem is, there are so many different dishes and flavours going on, it’s hard to settle on one wine to suit the occasion. But if you want your guests to get the best they can from your feast, here are some winning combinations.
Upon arrival.
I’m bored senseless by that whole ‘waiting for a special occasion’ concept. I think the birth of Christ counts as a bit of an occasion don’t you? Don’t go letting money get in the way of treating yourself to something sensational. Affordable, delicious fizz does exist and my three favourites all appear to start with ‘L’. Lanvin et Fils Champagne, anything by the Le Brun’s at No.1 Family Estate and good old Lindizzle (I feel that I’ve built up a close enough relationship with Lindauer over the decades to add an ‘izzle’)
If Turkey or Roast Chicken arrives on the table then you’ll want a wine that works with all that rich, white flesh, buttery new potatoes, baby peas, green beans and fatty gravy. So I’d go chardonnay all the way – like the big, ripe, fruit-laden, oaky, creamy one like the Colombo Martinborough Chardonnay 2015 $35.
Tradition has it there’ll be Ham, and it will be glazed with all sorts of cellulite-inducing sweeties like marmalade, brown sugar and brandy. Choosing an appropriate wine for salty meat with a candied/savoury element to it was easy. Viognier. Pronounced Vee-On-Yay, it’s the perfect wine for yuletide swine.
Churton Marlborough Viognier 2014 $40 This gorgeous little wine has spicy, mandarin-peel, jasmine and apricot kernel characters abound. Tangy, dry and totally mouthfilling; it’s an absolute winner.
Up next, Pavlova. Fingers crossed your pav will turn out light, fluffy and deliciously sweet – so toast your success with something equally decadent like a honeyed, marmaladey, toffee-ish dessert wine to cut through that sweet meringue and compliment the fruity toppings and cream. These two stickies will please the crowds: Framingham Noble Riesling 375ml $40, Seifried Sweet Agnes Nelson Riesling $29.
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No.1 Family Estate Assemblé Methode Marlborough NV
Well jingle my jandals if this isn’t the very first bubbles released as ‘Methode Marlborough’. A 60:40 blend of pinot noir and chardonnay crafted by Daniel Le Brun, a Champagne-born champion of delicate, creamy, chalky citrus-laced loveliness. There’s a soft, almost cashew-like character in the mid-palate in this finely-tuned fizz and it’s seamlessly elegant. It’s also just the perfect thing to serve with those celebratory oysters or to simply toast the season…
Clos Marguerite Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015
This tiny, tinsel-tastic little vineyard in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley is one of the regions’ best kept secrets. Marguerite and her husband, winemaker Jean Charles van Hove, have quietly been crafting exceptional sauvignon blanc on their tiny 8ha vineyard since arriving from France in 1996. You’ll be forgiven for not having heard of them, they fly so far under the radar they’re practically subterranean. Fresh lime, wildflowers, basil and lemon verbena means Santa says it’s perfection with salmon blinis…
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Something red, something white and something sparkling…it’s pretty much all you want for Christmas right here…
Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Te Kahu Merlot Blend 2014 $27 (4.5 stars)
If red meat is on the menu this Christmas, then tell your guests to grab a goblet of this and giddy up! The rich, velvety blackfruited texture of this merlot-dominant wine wraps itself around the palate in a spicy, cocoa-driven cloak (or ‘te kahu’ in Maori) and leaves glorious, festively furry tannins on the finish. One sip of this will have you wishing there was actually a six pack in your stocking…
JK14 Mamma Manzoni Piave DOC 2015 $26.99 (3.5 stars)
“Just do what Mamma says, and we all stay happy…” it says on the front label of the bottle of this super-complex bottle of pinot bianco imported by John Kirwan and his daughter Francesca. The nose has a seriously floral perfume, almost pollen-like, with hints of your grandmother’s face cream. Sounds odd, but it’s oddly lovely. In the mouth there’s a richness and full, mineral spectrum, lemon pith and hints of honey. Deliciously dry.
Alpha Domus Cumulus Blanc de Blanc 2012 $34 (4.5 stars)
Crafted from 100% Bridge Pa Triangle chardonnay, this fantastic local fizz is heaving with clean, pillowy, almond, Huntly & Palmers cream crackers and brioche notes on the nose and layers of lemon shortbread and rising dough notes on the palate. With its fine bead, delicate, yet persistent mousse and biscuity length of flavour – it’s a super sip for the season.
