Pick the perfect wine before you sit down to dine
Whether you oven roast a turkey or order in Chinese, the right wine will only enhance your dining experience this Christmas
The countdown is on. Soon the madness will come to a peaceful pause, screeching halt or cranked crescendo — depending on the personalities around the table.
I’m talking, of course, about Christmas dinner — the meal that trumps all others and makes elastic-waist pants and body-concealing sweaters de rigueur. No doubt this is how and why the ugly Christmas sweater became a thing: It hides the waist line, appeases the moustached aunt who gifted it and makes the rest of the family titter — or at least think of the Griswolds, from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
But back to my point: Christmas dinner calls for wine. And with just six shopping days until you sit down to feast, there is no time to waste on research. Below is my choice of wines to pair with your choice of bird or beast.
For Turkey
Grand Cru Chablis from France Chablis is the quintessential unoaked Chardonnay. Though rich with extract, the taste is more mineral than fruity, so it doesn’t fight with any flavours of the feast — just makes them shine. Top-Notch Pinot Noir from Ontario Burgundian in style but locally made, the best Ontario Pinot Noir is perfect with turkey with its hallmark notes of cranberry, compelling complexity and sheer elegance. To buy 2010 13th Street Winery Essence Pinot Noir (VQA Niagara Peninsula, ON) Winery direct only $44.95 I loved this wine so much, I arranged a special deal for readers: Order a bottle with the code ESSENCE by Monday at 4 p.m. and the winery will send it anywhere in Ontario to arrive by Dec. 24, waiving the $12 shipping fee. This drop-dead deli- cious Pinot Noir unfolds with silky layers of violet and quiet strawberry dappled with beetroot, cranberry, minerals and more. Tastes like top-shelf Burgundy at a snip of the price. Lovely.
Score: 96
For Ham
High-End Californian Pinot Noir More fruit forward than Pinot Noir from Burgundy yet still offering interesting notes of herbs and spice to season the palate, this style suits ham well — especially if it’s studded with cloves. Gewürztraminer from Alsace This wine can be truly captivating its bold lychee and other tropical fruit flavours laced with baking spices such as nutmeg. Great match for honey roasted ham. To buy: 2013 La Crema Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley (California) Vintages 906404, $45.95 This finely crafted Pinot Noir from the heart of Sonoma County is a charming combination of New World exuberance and Old World restraint. A bright siren of raspberry fruit quickly turns to deep but muted notes of cranberry, black cherry, cola, bouquet garni, anise, white pepper, chalk and the slightest suggestion of clove. Quite a smart tapestry of aroma and flavour tightly bound with a spun silk mouth feel.
Score: 94+
For Beef
Amarone from Italy Made from dried indigenous grapes, this powerful wine is always a special pour with beef and ideal for those who like big, ripe reds with a savory, Old World appeal. Crozes-Hermitage from France From the Rhône Valley comes this rustic charmer made from Syrah. Flavours tend toward caramelized meat juices, black olive and black pepper, which amp up any roast. To buy: 2011 Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella (Veneto, Italy) Vintages Essential 413179 $47.95 (Reg. $50.95) Weighing in at 16.5 per cent alcohol, this full-throttle Amarone is an explosion of black cherry, stewed plum and melted dark chocolate lifted with bright summer fruits and nuanced with underbrush. The feel is sturdy, intense and carnal with a long black earth and bitter chocolate finish. For full expression, double decant it by pouring it slowly into another vessel and then back into the bottle.
Score: 95
Goose or Duck
Cru Beaujolais from France Beaujolais from the 10 top “crus” or growing areas drink like fine red Burgundy at a fraction of the price. Moulin à Vent, Brouilly, and Fleurie crus are among the best, so look for those names on labels. Magic with goose or duck. Red Bordeaux from France This dry, medium-bodied blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot sometimes seasoned with other red grape varieties lends poise and nobility to dark-fleshed foul. To buy: 2009 Château Pierre de Montignac, Médoc (Bordeaux, France) Released in Vintages December 12, #437954 $23.95 Brits like to serve goose and Bordeaux on Christmas Day because the match is marvellous. If you’re roasting goose, consider this bargain bottle that blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc and is drinking beautifully at six years old.
Enticing aromas and flavours of crème de cassis and blackberry jam, warm cedar and roasted hazelnuts, crushed slate and cigar box sing with a persistent resonance. Intriguing, plush, mid-weight wine with class — and a fetching French accent.
Score: 94 Chinese takeout Prosecco from Italy The salty, sweet and sour flavours of Chinese takeout call for this light, pearscented easy-drinking bubbly. The sparkle quenches, refreshes and adds a celebratory feel to the moment. Off-Dry riesling from Ontario Ontario riesling can be truly world-class with its powerful punch of stone fruit or lime purée, tart edges rounded off with a touch of sweetness. Works like a charm with the usual Canadianized menu of Chinese food. To buy: 2013 Megalomaniac Narcissist riesling (VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario) Vintages Essential #67587 $17.95 If you’re ordering in Chinese on Christmas Day, give yourself a little extra love with this bottled joy. Stony minerality underpins a steady heartbeat of bold grapefruit and lime. Then, a gorgeously textured, almost gritty note of chalk and grapefruit zest resounds on the finish. It’s off-dry, meaning there’s a kiss of sweetness, but the searing acidity ensures it finishes clean and dry. Perfect partner for fried rice, egg rolls and all the rest.
Score: 91+ Carolyn Evans Hammond is a Toronto-based wine writer. She is also a London-trained sommelier, two-time bestselling wine book author and president of the Wine Writers’ Circle of Canada. Reach her at carolyn@carolynevanshammond.com