Something from the bar: The perfect drink selections this Christmas

Wondering about wine for the big day? Leslie Williams has all the options, for every taste and budget.

Christmas is all about tradition in my house and we have largely eaten the exact same meal since around 1996 (smoked salmon quiche, bronze turkey, free-range ham and Christmas pudding).

The one thing that does vary every year is my wine choices. Don’t let anyone know I told you but wine and food matching is a very inexact art (I would never call it a science).

While it is true that some food-wine combinations match better than others there are very few that actually conflict.

I’ve successfully matched turkey with the following over the years: Bandol from Provence, Napa Valley Cabernet, Cru Classé Bordeaux, Red and White Burgundy, Chateauneuf du Pape, Barossa Shiraz and vintage Champagne.

So if you have a favourite wine this is the time to open it but below I offer some suggestions that I feel work brilliantly.

Non-Alcoholic Options

There has been a huge rise in the availability of non- alcoholic options in the last year and surprisingly some taste quite good.

Removing alcohol and retaining flavour and texture is not easy but some new techniques and strategies have helped considerably.

Pictured is wine writer Leslie Williams. Picture: Nick Bradshaw.

I’m not a fan of non- alcoholic ‘gins’ which tastes like water with a few herbs added so for non-alcoholic cocktails I stick to elderflower cordial ( Richmount), diluted with Poachers Tonic.

Ein Zwei Zero Rosé Pinot Noir, Germany - €11.95-12.95 Stockists: JJ O’Driscolls, O’Donovans, Matsons, 1601 Kinsale, World Wide Wines, Vintry, www.wineonline.ie, The Ein Zwei Zero range is from renowned German winemaker Johannes Leitz and includes a good sparkling rosé and a crisp dry riesling.

The alcohol is removed by a complex process involving a vacuum evaporator but crucially the wine is only heated to 27C.

A touch of sweetnessin this helps with texture and the fruity strawberry aromas and flavours are quite charming.

Yellowbelly Designated Diver Soda, 33cl - €2.50 Stockists: Bradleys; Bierhaus; Ardkeen; Stephens St News; O’Briens.

This lemon and pear soda from ultra-creative brewers Yellowbelly in Co Wexford has been made interesting with dry-hopping from Citra and Huell Melon hops adding a bitter-sweet kick to the tart lemon and rounded pear flavours.

First Course - The Fizz

First course is always paired with champagne or cava and I recommend you do the same.

While champagne is often served as an aperitif, it comes into its own with with oysters, smoked salmon and seafood in general, it also matches light soups - for richer soups or paté try dry Lustau Oloroso Sherry (see East India Solera stockists below).

Albet i Noya Petit Albert Classic Brut, Penédès, Spain - €23.99: Stockists: Ballymaloo Cookery School; Taste Castletownbere; Organico Bantry; Quay Co-Op; Mortons Galway; Olive Branch Clonakilty; Little Green Grocer Kilkenny, www.marypawlewines.com

This excellent organic producer’s wines are widely available in Munster. Pear and citrus aromas, touches of brioche mixed with creamy lemon, textured and crisp on the palate with soft boiled lemon sweet hints, brimming with character for the price.

Louis Roederer Brut Premier Champagne, France - €59.99 Stockists: JJ O’Driscolls, O’Donovans, Galvins, No. 21 Group, Vintry Rathgar, McHughs, Independents.

This was the Gold Medal winner of the 2019 Champagne of the year in the National Off Licence Association Irish Wine Show. One of my favourite champagnes — exotic tropical tinged aromas mixed with brioche, focused and fresh and lingering long on the palate.

The Bird

Turkey has a delicate but rather bland flavour that matches with almost any wine, but the rich leg meat of a quality turkey such as a free-range Bronze calls for fine quality pinot noir or nebbiolo. These days decent Burgundy costs over €50 so I’m recommending you look to Barbaresco.

I also suggest a budget pinot noir from Aldi and an excellentalbarino. All will work with the ham and even with goose or pheasant.

Castello di VerdunoBarbaresco 2016, Piedmont, Italy - €44 Stockists: Sheridans Cheesemongers; Galway, Dublin and Meath.

This gorgeous wine has a dark ruby hue, aromas of dark chocolate, blackcherries and herbal touches (thyme, rosemary), silky and smooth on the palate at first but with a solid kick of taut tannins that even out which quickly morph into other textures. Delicious.

Rebenmeister Pinot Noir, Baden, Germany - €7.99 Stockist: Aldi Baden is a great source of German pinot noir but I’ve never seen one at such a good price This has red plum fruits, bright juicy cherry on the mid-palate with an underlying earthy tinge plus a touch of structure to make sure it works with food.

Lagar de Costa Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain - €16.95 (was €20) Stockist: O’Briens. This beach-fronted 6haestate in the Salnés sub-region of Rias Baixas in Glaicia is a fine illustration of why we are now in world’s top 10 drinkers ofalbarino. Clean salty peaches and lime/lemon aromas, fruity and soft with textured apple fruits, crisp and fresh on the finish.

Budget albarino is also widely available.

Christmas Pudding Cheese and Chocolates

Fortified wines should be consumed all year round given their outstanding quality-price ratio but at Christmas they become essential as useful on the dining table or with trifle, mince pies or chocolates in front of the TV.

Lustau East India Solera, Jerez, Spain, 70cl - €29.99 Stockists: Bradleys; Mitchell & Son; Vintry; Corkscrew; Drinkstore.ie

This is a total crowd pleaser a complex blend of dry oloroso matured with sweet pedro ximinez — a fascinating sweet wine that retains its acidity while matching everything from tiramisu to Terry’s chocolate orange to Christmas pudding.

Nutty sweet fig aromas, viscous complex raisins and dates on the palate and a splash of acidity on the finish.

Offley 10-Year-Old Tawny Port, Portugal - €32.99 Stockists: Clonakilty SuperValu; Blackrock Cellar; McHughs; Terroirs, 64 Wine; The Wine Centre Kilkenny; Wineoline.ie.

Offley is an underrated Port House for whom I have always had a fondness.

This can be served with the pudding or with cheese, especially blue cheese and mature hard cheeses.