Wine with Leslie: What to drink on Christmas Day — and what I drink with pizza
What to drink at Christmas? Don’t be afraid to simply serve your favourite wine of any colour.
The big day will soon be upon us and you are probably wondering if I have a wine to recommend for Christmas Dinner. This is a difficult question as there are too many flavours on the Christmas dinner table to pick just one wine. Big wines are best — so think Californian Zinfandel, Gigondas or Châteauneuf-du-Pape or even aged fine quality Bordeaux. Also please don’t be afraid to simply serve your favourite wine of any colour.
Having said that, I will say that the brown turkey meat, especially on a bronze turkey, is a perfect match for Pinot Noir and does quite well with Nebbiolo (Barolo, Barbaresco, Langhe etc.) With this in mind, I recommend a delightful red Burgundy here, imported by David Whelehan. If you feel it is too late to order from David’s shop in Dublin, I am fairly sure you won’t be disappointed by another Marnages stocked by Bubble Brothers in the English Market from the exact same Premier Cru Climat in Maranges — Bertrand Bachelet Maranges 1er Cru ‘Les Clos Roussots’ (€47) — I haven’t tried their Maranges recently but Bachelet is a reliable producer.
Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo are also a match for goose and duck but the good ones don’t come cheap. So I also suggest a Beaujolais and and a basic Bourgogne here, as well as a bargain Godello that will match the white turkey meat (almost everything does) plus seafood starters or soup.
Christmas is not just about wine for the dinner, however: you also need aperitifs and pick-me-ups and for watching the telly. I recommend a white Port here as no house should be without it but I also believe you need Vermouth. Dry Vermouth such as Noilly Prat for martinis of course but also sweeter red and white vermouth for cocktails like the Negroni, the Boulevardier and the Manhattan. I had no room for a review this week but Australia’s Regal Rogue Vermouth range from Australia (Celtic Whiskey Shop €23) is also worth a try.
Dublin and Kerry have had their fair share of rivalry over the years but I’m pleased to announce that they have united to create the first Irish Negroni — a collab between Stillgarden of Dublin 8 and Valentia Island Vermouth. As usual, it took an all-women team to bring about this unification and you can order the pre-mixed cocktail made with Stillgarden’s Gin and ‘O’Maro’ Amaro plus Valentia Vermouth — €35 via Stillgardendistellery.com with €2 donated to Women’s Aid from each bottle
Stockist: Dunnes Stores
Regular readers of this page know by now that I adore Spanish whites as much as their reds so I had to mention this bargain from Dunnes. You will have had many an Albariño from Galicia but you also need to get to know Godello. Floral peach aromas, textured and slightly waxy on the palate with lingering bitter lemon hints and a sleek mineral core. Try with prawns, octopus or mussels.
Stockist: Dunnes Stores
It is a number of years since I found a Bourgogne Pinot Noir to recommend in the under €15 category as Burgundy has little need to discount its wines these days. Don’t expect this wine to taste like Volnay or anything, but I did like the bright juicy red fruits with noticeable clove and raspberry scents. Serve this cool (12-14°C.) with ham, turkey and cranberry sandwiches (stuffing optional).
Stockist: Tesco
This is usually €12 but reduced to €9 this month. Beaujolais has managed to change its image (in wine enthusiast circles anyway) from frothy pink raspberry juice you drank on Beaujolais Nouveau Day, to a solid fruity red wine for food, and at the Cru level (Fleurie, Morgon etc.) to a viable alternative to Burgundy. This is packed with uncomplicated and delightful cherry and raspberry fruits — chill it a little and order good pizza.
Stockists: Ardkeen, Rua Deli Castlebar, Sweeneys, Barnhill Stores, Vintry, Mitchell & Son mitchellandson.com
Spanish Vermut is sweeter in style but always balanced by bitterness and acidity. This blend of fino Sherry and sweet Moscatel has been aged with various aromatics to create a simply gorgeous drink — floral, citrus, and herbal aromas with a distinctly bitter-sweet palate and lingering grassy amaro notes. Lustau’s red vermouth is excellent — try on their own or flex your cocktail muscles.
Stockists: O’Donovans, 1601 KInsale, Limerick Fine Wines, Bradleys, Independents.
White Port is an exemplary aperitif and can also be mixed with tonic or used in cocktails but I like it chilled on its own or with cheese. Aromatic and complex with honey, vanilla and stone fruit aromas and just a touch of sweetness. Taylor’s Chip Dry White Port is a step up with more complexity and texture thanks to some oak ageing and worth the extra tenner.
Stockist: Whelehan’s Wines, whelehanswines.ie
Maranges is in the south of Côte de Beaune near Santenay and usually fairly priced. From a 4th generation winemaker, this is a fruit-driven Burgundy with bright black cherry fruits with a hint of forest floor — supple and creamy on the palate with spikes of structure and complex herbal-earthy notes lifting the fruit delightfully. Given its youth, perhaps decant this an hour before dinner.
Porterhouse Brew Minaw Collective DNE IPA, 8% ABV, 440ml — €6
Stockists: Bradleys, Martins, Independents, shop.porterhousebrewco.ie
Porterhouse Brewing Company has teamed up with the Minaw Collective to create a new tasty and artful Double New England IPA (DNE IPA). The all-female Minaw Collective of street artists designed the labels which can be (very carefully) peeled off and framed — so for a mere €6 you get a delicious beer and a limited edition artwork. Just 6,000 cans were released so get online or to your local shop pronto — prints are also available online.
This pours a hazy gold with citrus, pink grapefruit and orange zest aromas: creamy and citrus focused on the palate with lingering orange peel and herbal notes and a pleasing orange super-split finish.
