Thinking about what bottles to pick up for Christmas? Here are some suggestions
Champagne is the obvious place to begin, Christmas calls out for it, not just as celebration wine but for how well it goes with seafood and smoked salmon not to mention almost everything else.
At a recent Bollinger Champagne dinner in Les Gourmandises organised by Nicolas and Laura of O’Briens in Douglas I and a lucky group of others got to try out how well Bollinger Champagne goes with some classic French food.
Salmon Gravadlax with pink grapefruit, lemon creme fraiche and toasted brioche was served with Bollinger Rosé and it was a nigh-on perfect match, the red fruit flavours in the wine picked up by the grapefruit, the lemon cream and the wine’s acidity cutting through the fat, sweet-fleshed fish, the herbs adding character and the brioche notes picked up by the toasted brioche of course.
Bollinger Grande Année 2005 (€99 in O’Briens) has lots of rich almond and toasted bread aromas with textured depth so fitted in well with a tender-roasted guinea fowl with barley risotto.
Guinea fowl is often rather dense and chewy but this melted in the mouth — the creamy, earthy flavours in the meat and the mushroom sauce enhanced by the supple, textured almond-milk flavours in the Champagne; plus bonus pear, bruised apple and citrus flavours.
Finally Bollinger Special Cuvée (€55 in O’Briens — down from €65) was served with a spiced-plum crumble and showed even more proof that Champagne matches everything.
Wines this week include a couple with fizz, an autumnal red and three good value old favourites from the Veneto.
The Veneto is probably the third most important region after Tuscany and Piedmont and makes wines with admirable freshness and verve (even if they are 17% whoppers from Amarone).
For the diary: November 18, World Wide Wines Waterford Wine Fair and Tasting Night, Dooleys Hotel, 6pm-10pm; admission €20 — all proceeds in aid of the Solas Centre.
No. 21 Cork, Matsons Bandon and Grange, Brosnans EuroSpar Schull, Ardkeen Stores, Vintry Rathgar, Independents
This wine is in tribute to Verona’s most famous couple and in tribute to the thousands of messages left under Juiet’s window.
Made from a blend of fresh and dried (apassimento) Corvina and Merlot grapes with a bright juicy flavour of cherries and red fruits with lingering blackberries.
widely available, O’Briens stores nationwide www.wine.ie
The Masi family pioneered the Recioto style and their dried grape wines are all good but sometimes you want simple fresh fruits as found here.
Ripe juicy aromas of black cherries with some spicy touches. Lingering cherry and ripe plum on the palate and a solid fruity freshness.
O’Briens nationwide www.wine.ie
Bardolino is the less famous cousin of Valpolicella and uses similar grapes — this is from older vines with Corvina dominant plus a little Merlot and Rondinella and spends nine months in barriques.
Light brick red colour cherry, redcurrant and blackberry with an intriguing creamy texture supple texture.
widely available but on offer at this price in O’Briens stores
Bollinger is a pinot noir house and its rosé uses the grape well with enough perfumed red and darker fruits to give character as well as colour.
Besides the fruit there are the characteristic Bollinger brioche and baked- bread aromas and a rich, creamy texture perfectly suited to gravadlax or a lightly textured and smoked salmon like from the Burren Smokehouse.
Exclusive to O’Briens off-licences nationwide – www.wine.ie
This long-established Champagne Co-Op has 250 growers but with most growers owning less than a hectare.
Bright citrus and ripe apple-pear aromas plus a touch of toasted brioche and a clean dry lingering finish with a touch of lemon oil. This is one of the best value Champagnes around and would work well with a big bowl of moules mariniere or fish and chips.
Wine Direct Mullingar and Arnotts Dublin — www.winesdirect.ie
From a family-run estate near Montpellier in the Languedoc this is a blend of syrah with some carignan and grenache.
It is made in a ripe, fruity style with lots of bramble fruits and dark plum flavours to suit the colder turn in the weather and suited to game or warming casseroles.
