Wine with Leslie: If in doubt about food pairings at Christmas - serve Champagne
Pic: iStock
I get asked a lot of questions about wine, and most of them have to do with wine pairing.
There are endless combinations and permutations of course, but if in doubt serve Champagne is my advice.
I was reminded of this in Rheims in September, having been invited there by Ruinart, the oldest of the Champagne Houses.
Whether it was Pâté en Croute with foie gras, veal with mushrooms and preserved lemon, or roast quail - a bottle of Ruinart (rosé or blanc de blancs) matched them all beautifully.
Ruinart was founded in 1729 by Nicolas Ruinart, nephew of the famed Benedictine Monk Thierry de Ruinart who studied oenology as well as the scriptures and is said to have encouraged his nephew.
Ruinart was also the first House to make a Rosé Champagne, called ‘oeil de perdrix’ (partridge eye) in their archives in 1764.
I tasted two vintages of their prestige cuvée Dom Ruinart Blancs de Blancs which is aged for at least nine years on its lees prior to disgorgement.
Dom Ruinart is stunningly good, drinking earlier than the equivalent wines from Dom Perignon, and I confess more to my taste and with a lower dosage (usually around 4g).
The Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 2013 was nutty, taut and creamy with tropical fruit and lime essence notes, green fig and spice touches.
The 2010 almost doubles down on these flavours with added depth and intensity and a longer finish, partly thanks to the extra years in bottle.
Dom Ruinart prices range from €220 to €260 depending on the vintage (e.g. Mitchells and The Corkscrew).
Three fizzes to recommend this week: a Ruinart of course, but also a fine Cava and a Crémant de Limoux from the Languedoc, a region making sparkling wine longer than Champagne.
A blend of 60% Chardonnay, 30% Chenin, 5% Pinot Noir and 5% Mauzac (Blanquette de Limoux must have 90% Mauzac) with 5-7g dosage.
Aromas of gooseberry and lemon, background croissant touches, lemony fresh with yeasty complexity mingling with soft, ripe, apple fruits with a lingering tang of preserved lemon. Excellent value.
Ruinart are the oldest Champagne house and their Blanc de Blanc is a perennial favourite of mine, I love its purity and verve.
Tropical fruit (guava?) and tangy, zesty lemon aromas - silky and supple on first sip, opening out with brioche and rounder flavours, lingering dried pear fruits. (€110 in Bubble Bros).
From a rigorously managed 9-hectare family-run estate in Penedès specialising in zero-dosage Cava.
A blend of Xarel-Lo, Macabeo and Parellada with floral, zesty, dried pear aromas, lemon drop and ripe apple flavours on the palate, texture and character with much more body than most zero-dosage fizz. Bargain.
This tasty new Irish lager launched on December 8th but is already widely available.
The Mo Chara Pub, Pizzeria and community hub in Dundalk Town came first, and now the trio behind the venture have created their first beer (brewed for now by Brehon Brewery).
This is gluten-free and pours a light gold with fresh baked bread aromas plus a touch of citrus - crisp and clean on the palate with a light maltiness and some noble hop bitterness on the finish.
See you in Dundalk!
