That time of the year is upon us again with Christmas lights all around and last minute presents still to be worried about. It is also now the time to buckle down and get ready for the Xmas catering and pick some wines for the celebrations.
Many wine afficionados will have already picked out a list from their own cellar months in advance, but many of us haven’t so I thought I might put some tips to help make decisions on Christmas Wines.
Do Not Compromise
For any other time of the year there is normally some reason to only pick up “an easy drinker”, ie a cheapie. Christmas is one occasion each year where you have the best excuse to go out of your normal wine budget and get something a step up!
Whatever you normally budget on a bottle of wine…double it! Doesn’t matter what that budget normally is, if its $5 look at the $10 section, if it’s $100 go $200.
If you have something special sitting in your wine case I now officially give you permission to pull it out and share it with your loved ones. Special wines don’t just complement an occasion, sometimes they make the occasion!
Do not get me wrong, once things are in full swing you will need to have some ‘gluggers’ on hand to continue fueling the celebrations, but the spark should come with something special.
YEP, I am about to celebrate Xmas in Summer
In Australia it is Summer for Christmas, 30c and Sun. This means white wine, rose or bubbles. Generally you cant go wrong with bubbles and you can find sparkling wine to fit every budget. Do not forget Rosé! Now, you will be hard pressed to find a Rosé above $22 in Australia, and most around that price are pretty good.
However, for that ‘Special Wine’ you will make most people happy with a good bottle of biscuity bubbles. If it cant be intravenous, then some of the following bottles will help kick things off:
My Quick Tips for Sparkling to Impress With at Christmas:
Under $10: Jacobs Creek Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir Non Vintage
Under $20: Brown Brothers NV Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir
$20-$40: Chandon Vintage Brut or Brut Rosé
$40-$70: House Of Arras Grand Vintage
Over $70: Anything French and wherever you’re budget takes you. If no idea, my tips for consistent producers are Billecart-Salmon, Krug and Taittinger
What? you made me read about Summer…but I’m In The Northern Hemisphere And It Is Cold
Well bubbles is always good for all celebrations, but to celebrate in Winter a great idea is to get out something red or something fortified. These have plenty of Alcohol and Sugars to get the inner fire burning!
First things first: In Europe (and I guess in the States) you will have to go to a dedicated wine retailer or a very fancy looking shop. You will very very very very rarely find good examples of the following wines at Supermarkets or Discounters. They may look cheaper there, but they are NOT the same as good examples of the following wines and are ultimately you are wasting your money. Remember: 3 bottles of ordinary wine for $10 could have been 1 bottle of good wine and saved your liver some trouble.
Reds:
In winter you want something to warm you up and your country of origin choice is personal but look for place/ wine names like:
France…Chateauneuf Du Pape (or Languedoc Rousillon if on a budget)
Italy…Amarone della Valpolicella (Ripasso style if on a budget)
Spain….Gran Reserva of Rioja (or from TORO if on a budget).
America…Californian Zinfandel
Australia….Barossa Valley Shiraz like Penfolds Bin 28
Fortified:
Port!
People love port, they just don’t admit it or just haven’t tried a good one and it just happens to be one of the best value for money wines around. That doesn’t mean cheap! It just means what you get in the bottle would normally stack up in quality to wines from other areas which cost much more.
Look for a Vintage Port with at least 10 years of age from any of the big producers: Cockburn, Taylors, Fonseca, Niepoort.
For a bit of theatre: stand it upright on the xmas table from 23rd of December and decant it off the inevitable sediment on the 25th just after the main meal of Christmas. Another little ritual to make Christmas special!
It will be rich and purple and plush and everything you need to get warm and fuzzy with the snow falling outside.
If on a budget, look for ‘Late Bottle Vintage’ or even a Tawny style instead.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Christmas is a time for sharing, and a good bottle of wine is a great thing to share to make a memorable day.
I wish you all the best for Christmas and would love to hear what you selected as your wine for Christmas 2012 and all the best for the festive period!
- WINEDUCATION - 