Your perfect Christmas wine
Like we always say the wine you choose for your holiday gatherings is very personal like all things wine related. What you and your family like, what you will be serving, whether it is a full blown dinner or just a party where wine will be served as an aperitif all influence your tastes and decisions. There are some standard main courses and appetizers though where classic pairings make the choices easier. Here are some of our favorites that we serve at this festive time of year.
We have talked over the years about our own Christmas Eve tradition of Dungeness crab salad, and we always enjoy a well-balanced Chardonnay with our crab. We have revisited some recently that we find delightful. After some years where the wine has not been so good Talbott from the area around Monterey in California has a new winemaker and the wines especially the Chardonnays are really fabulous again. Their oaked version, Logan, is lush and vibrant with apple flavors with an oak profile that is present but gentle, right up our alley and great with shellfish especially crab. The un-oaked Kali Hart is also a compelling choice and well priced at $17. If you prefer to drink from Washington state the Chardonnay from 3 Rivers remains a favorite at $14.
Whether you enjoy sparkling wine and Champagne for the festive quality throughout the holidays, or just on New Year's Eve, or if you like to pair it with Caviar for a special holiday treat, the choices for great bubbly abound here in North Idaho. We recently tried the Blanc de Blanc from Piper Sonoma which is the American property of the well regarded French producer Piper Heidsieck. We were very impressed with this sparkling crafted from all Chardonnay, and thrilled with the $18 price tag. Another great California choice is the Kenwood Yulupa Brut sparkling $9, making it a real crowd pleaser.
In traditional French Champagne we have always been fond of the Rose from J. LaSalle, and we remain so with the most recent bottling. The wine is delicious with light effervescence and lovely strawberry flavors making it perfect as a celebratory bottle and also great with Caviar $75 "spendy" and worth every penny. Also in the French grower Champagne category we are fond of the Duval Leroy Brut for $50 which recently received 92 points from the Wine Spectator and placement in their favorite Champagnes ranking.
Prime Rib and Turkey are two of the most popular main courses come Christmas day, and over the years we have gone back and forth between these two classic American meals. We never get tired of Turkey and all of the trimmings and when we have this as our centerpiece meal on Christmas we love to have Pinot Noir, the good news too is that if you have any poultry Pinot will work well. We have talked much over the last year about the Paraiso for $20, and at the risk of being redundant we cannot say enough about this wine its versatility with turkey and overall quality. If you desire a more opulent Pinot we suggest the 2008 Lynmar from the Russian River Valley $44. We have always been partial to producers from the "Russian" dating back to our time at Balletto Vineyards; the wines are unique and possess all we love about the varietal making them the perfect choice for the special gatherings around the holidays.
If you are serving Prime Rib the choices are abundant. The 2010 Fidelitas M-100 Bordeaux blend is perfect with hearty beef dishes like this for $22. One hundred percent varietal Cabernets are also popular choices, for a bigger crowd the 2010 Trim from negotiant bottler Ray Signorello at $13 is a big robust wine that came out of a very tough vintage. You would never know how hard the conditions were in 2010 when you taste this wine, lush with dark fruit flavors and firmly backboned. If your gathering is smaller the 2007 Sepps Estate Cabernet at $50 or the 2009 Spottswoode Cabernet $150 are excellent choices.
We understand that the prices on the Sepps and Spottswoode are "eye popping," but the wines are truly spectacular. The Sepps coming from the epic vintage of 2007 is a juicier and softer interpretation of great Napa Valley Cab, while the Spottswoode is the more traditional Napa interpretation possessing all of the heft and power this quintessential American appellation is known for, making both of the wines great to offer to your honored guests or to gift to someone special.
Whether your gathering is small or large, focused on close friends or family oriented, and regardless of your meal choice there are many unique wines to serve. Your best approach is to chat with your favorite wine professional, describe the group and result you are aiming for and you will likely come away with wine choices that are tasty and will impress your guests.
If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.
George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and writes frequently for the online version of Coeur d'Alene Magazine at www.cdamagazine.com. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.