Wine with Andy Cronshaw
THIS week I’m talking turkey. Well, also wines for prawn cocktail, chicken liver parfait, winter squash soup or any other popular starters for the big day.
The classic recommendation for turkey you’ll see online is Burgundy but winemakers in Germany, famous for its Riesling, now produce wines of similar quality from Pinot Noir.
Chardonnay, both in its more mineral, linear form in Chablis and in its buttery barrelscented guise from Cote D’Or will cover both seafood and richer dishes such as paté respectively.
Pinot Noir is also perfect for turkey because it’s both light and slightly sweetish often with earthy undertones which can pair just as well with mushrooms.
1 LOUIS LATOUR LA CHANFLEURE BOURGOGNE CHARDONNAY 2020 (£15 Tesco) AN excellent affordable white Burgundy that will be versatile enough for paté, squash-based soups or seafood. Floral and peachy on the nose with a hint of almond, the palate is fairly tight but with butterscotch chiming in on the finish.
2 CHABLIS, 2019, DOMAINE MICHAUT FRèRES ‘VIEILLES VIGNES’ (£18.99, Majestic mix six) CHABLIS is increasingly expensive but this wine, while not cheap, won’t break the bank and offers superb quality for the money. As with the best Chablis, low yield from old vines is the key here. This wine balances excellent concentration and rounded fruit against delicate floral aromas and vibrant minerality.
CHABLIS PREMIER CRU, FOURCHAUMES, 2019, NATHALIE & GILES FèVRE (£29, Tanners)
A wine that will make for a great present to be laid down for future Christmases if not drunk this year. Fourchame is one of Chablis’ famous climats - smaller areas in the patchwork of vineyards that each offers its own peculiar expression. Here the wine offers intense lemon on the nose with a very taut, flinty, apple palate drenched in lemon acidity.
1 WEINGUT KNIPSER BLAUER SPäTBURGUNDER PFALZ 2016 (From £19.06 Great Wines Direct, Corks & Cru, The Great Wine Co) PINOT Noir from Germany at a great price offering lithe, perfumed fruit on the nose, crunchy raspberry on the palate and a very distinctive charred note melding into coffee. A great match for turkey.
LOUIS LATOUR LA CHANFLEURE BOURGOGNE PINOT NOIR 2020 (£15, Tesco)
A silky, sexy Pinot that’s worth every penny. Its intense yet supple cherry palate also offers a great match for veggie alternatives such as mushroom Wellington.
3 Oliver ZETER PINOT NOIR, PFALZ 2018 (£18.50, Connolly’s Wine)
AGAIN from vineyards in Pfalz and this time from sandy clay soils in Nussdorfer Bischofskreuz that grow particularly small grapes. Low yield makes for an elegant, fragrant wine that shows some spice over its cherry fruit. Another turkey dinner winner.
WINE OF THE WEEK
4 Yealands ESTATE, RESERVE SAUVIGNON BLANC, AWATERE VALLEY, MARLBOROUGH, NEW ZEALAND 2021 (£11.50 M&S, Waitrose) JUST on the shelves is this benchmark Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough. Incredibly intense nettley, blackcurrant leaf aromas and a delicious palate brimming with passionfruit. If you love this style of wine there’s nothing better at this price.