Christmas wine for your dry bird: How to pick the perfect festive bottle
It is the festive season, and we will soon be shoving turkeys into ovens to feed the masses, but turkey is a notoriously dry bird and calls for the right wine to help wet our whistles.
Though traditionalists may feel the classic Bordeaux is always acceptable beware of drying tannins. A wiser choice if you are opting for a red wine is one with a light to medium body and lower tannins. Try the supple, elegant touch of a Pinot Noir from Oregon or Sonoma in the States or Otago in New Zealand. A fruity Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône or an unoaked Grenache is an excellent choice to compliment the meat but also the many side dishes like tart cranberry sauce, salty bacon and earthy parsnips.
With poultry you may prefer a white wine in which case I would urge you to try something with roundness and depth that can also hold its own against all those delicious trimmings. A buttery New World Chardonnay, classic white Burgundy or my personal preference, a South African Chenin Blanc, will be a beautiful pairing for any plump bird. You could also look to the soft succulence of a Pinot Gris, which works wonders at elevating Boxing Day’s turkey sandwiches.
If Uncle Derek has brought a bottle of Bordeaux from his cellar however, all is not lost. The longer a wine ages in the bottle, the more the tannins will soften and integrate, and it can be a great pairing for that festive fatty, the goose.
Christmas is a celebration and for many that means fizz. Thanks to its combination of bubbles, fresh acidity and rounded toasty notes, traditional method wines such as France’s Champagne and Crémant, Spain’s Cava, Italy’s Franciacorta, South Africa’s Cap Classique and most English sparkling wines are incredibly versatile. I find Cava one of the most food friendly wines, but people have been burned by the sweeter, courser stuff of student days. If in doubt stick to established houses such as Codorníu, the oldest family-run business in Spain or the award-winning Pere Ventura, who only create premium, single-vineyard wines.
As a rule, the dryer styles of sparkling such as Brut Nature or Extra Brut pair excellently with seafood and lighter, citrus dishes. Brut and Extra-Dry feel generally fuller and rounder and can pair with heavier dishes, like roast ham or steak. Sweeter styles like Sec, Demi-Sec or Doux could take you right through to Christmas pudding and mince pies but with the spiced nuttiness of these I would select the rich, nutty sweetness of a tawny port.
A port comes in handy with the Stilton too, Christmas often being the only time blue cheese makes it to the family table. A fortified or dessert wine delivers that perfect sweet and salty combo of the unctuous honeyed wine and the savoury pungent cheese.