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| Holiday dinners means family, good friends and great wines! |
Holiday wines for all kinds of celebratory meals!
Over the holidays people will be getting together with family and friends to celebrate and give thanks to what we have with a big meal.
And despite what some wine experts say, New Year's Eve or Day, holiday, Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners are not really isn't that hard to pair wines with - especially if you a Wine Barbarian like me!
What's more - as Captain Barbossa put it in Pirates of the Caribbeans, they're more like guidelines than rules! So from the traditional turkey to turducken to tofurky fake bird to chicken to roast beef or prime rib to my favourite - rabbit in Dijon mustard cream sauce - the wine matches are really not too hard - and I'm hear to help.
Sparkling wines to start with appetizers
First - guests rule. If someone wants a beer, a gin and tonic or another cocktail, make it so.
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| Freixenet |
But if it's wine, I suggest a sparkling wine to start, especially for special occasions!
Fortunately sparking accommodates every price range - from budget bubbly to chic Champagne, we can do this. Click on links to find where you can buy this wine at BC Liquor Stores - all prices before tax.
Budget Bubbly - Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut is just $15.99 and is a nice, crisp clean Cava from Spain that is widely available.
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| Cipes |
Slightly Upscale Sparkling - BC has some of my favourites sparkling wines at reasonable prices. Try the Summerhill Cipes Brut at $27.99 or the Stellar's Jay Brut at $22.99.
And California makes some great sparklers - Mumm Napa Cuvee is one of them at $27.99. All widely available in BC.
Chic Champagne - Let's face it: nothing says celebration like real Champagne. If only it weren't so damn expensive! But if your Thanksgiving is one to show your family or friends you are truly grateful for their presence - or you just want to show off - make it Champagne.
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| Moet |
For me, the standard is Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial - at $69.99.
A classic Champagne from Epernay, scored 91 points by the Wine Spectator, this has good acidity, toasty poached pear and black currant notes and oh, those beautiful tiny bubbles!
If you are even richer than you think, vintage Champagne is another cut above the basic bottles. Try the Veuve Cliquot Vintage Brut 2008 for another $30 at $99.99. You will not be disappointed!
AND - if you really, really like bubbly, keep serving it with your holiday meal, because it goes with just about everything!
Alternatively, many people like a white wine with appetizers rather than bubbly - and nothing wrong with that because it also goes with your.....
Main Courses
Some wine writers say holiday meals are thankless for sommeliers - the French word for those who match the wines to food - because they have so many "complex and contradictory" flavours. And it's true that from appetizers to the range of foods at the main course - proteins from fowl to meat to meatless, starches from mashed potatoes to yams to parsnips, vegetables from asparagus to carrots to squash, gravy or mustard or cranberry sauce - it's a cacophony of tastes.
If you are serving a 9-course meal, that's no problem - you serve 9 different perfectly paired wines - because you are rich!
But for most of us, a choice of 2 or more wines at dinner makes it a special occasion. And many people don't drink either white or red wine [or both, poor souls]
So that's what we're going to do here - one white and one red - but you pick the bottles for your budget. And you can serve a white before dinner with appetizers if you don't want sparkling. Or red for that matter - be a Barbarian!
If you are serving fowl - be it turkey, turducken, chicken, cornish game hen, duck, goose or even quail - you really do have a choice of white or red. It's simply a question of what you like best and how it matches the dish and how it is prepared.
White wines to pair with main courses
Personally, I love Chardonnay. And for a special meal, it is your best choices because it can be lean or creamy, big and bold or a background beauty. Since Chardonnay is the world's favourite white wine, there are a massive number of choices for every budget.
But a nice Sauvignon Blanc will also do the trick and if you like Riesling, it's also a good choice.
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| Mission Hill |
Somewhat Cheap and Definitely Cheerful Chardonnay
You are in good hands with BC wineries. A never-wrong choice is Mission Hill Reserve Chardonnay 2017. At $21.99 [and on sale for $19.99 til Oct 26], this wine gives you classic creamy, citrus, apple and tropical fruit at an affordable price.
Another great pick is Quail's Gate Chardonnay 2017 at $22.99, as is Cedar Creek Chardonnay at just $18.99.
Want to go global? Then a personal favourite is J Lohr Riverstone Arroyo Seco Chardonnay 2017 from Monterey, California at $23.99 Classic Cali Chard - lush, tropical, white peach and melon notes.
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| J Lohr |
Or try Wolf Blass Adelaide Hills Gold Label Chardonnay 2015 from Australia - a great wine from down under at $24.99 [on sale at $19.99 till Oct 26!]
Still too much money? Then you will be happy with Alamos Mendoza Chardonnay from Argentina at $14.99 - good varietal character on a budget.
Charming Mid-Range Chardonnay
It's a special meal, with great company - so spend a little more and enjoy at lot more!
Back in BC there are some impressive Chardonnays from our Okanagan wineries. Try the Mission Hill Perpetua Chardonnay 2017 at $49.99. This is a big boy fighting it out with our California Chardonnay cousins - and holding it's own. Bold and luscious with pear, lemon curd and oak and a long finish!
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| Perpetua |
Other BC Chardonnays are equally impressive - but harder to find. The Quails Gate Stewart Family Reserve at $39.99 is also great but a bit rare right now other than at the winery or some private stores.
But it's hard to beat the French. A personal go-to is the Domaine du Chalet Pouilly - Pouilly Fuisse 2017 at $37.99. This is simply a delicious Chardonnay from Burgundy with crisp acidity, pear and kiwi fruit. Mmmmm!
Chardonnay for Kings and Queens
Okay, we are entering the price range of Champagnes - but if you love Chardonnay then you know why it's worth trying the good stuff!
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| Rombauer |
The Rombauer Carneros Chardonnay 2017 is everything you can ask for from a California wine, at $63.99. Spiced apples, almond croissant, honeyed peaches and baked pear are just some of the flavour notes critics have found. You'll find it delightfully delicious!
For those like me who think Chardonnay is synonymous with Chablis, there are loads of choices in BC. I recommend the Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis 1er Vaillon 2016 if you can find it - currently in five stores - at $57.99. If not, any Christian Moreau Chablis available is worth buying. Like all good Chablis, this has the mineral taste of the region, with flint, citrus and white flowers. Perfect with turkey, chicken or other fowl!
And if price is of little concern, it has to be a Meursault - the Pierre Brisset Meursault Charmes 2015 at $175.99 will be superb! Says British wine guru Jancis Robinson: “Richly scented... This is utterly delicious! Gun flint and tarragon and spearmint and green-crystal fruit. Like tasting liquid green glass. So fresh! So focused. So direct. Stunning.”
If you have it, please invite me!
Red wines to pair with main courses
For many of us, white wines are great - but they are simply not what we want for any main course except fish. While this approach is simply wrong-headed, the only thing worse is not drinking whatever the hell you want! Red it is!
Reasonable Reds
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| Road 13 |
Back to BC first - because we have lots of good picks. Road 13 Honest John's Red 2018 is a blend of up to 6 grape varietals but dominated by Merlot - and always a great value wine. Easy drinking and easy on the wallet at $19.99.
Another standby is Nk'Mip Cellars Merlot 2017 - at $21.99 you will be impressed by it's cherry fruit flavour and tamed tannins.
On the lower budget end, Cono Sur Organic Pinot Noir from Chile at just $15.99 will do the job just fine. In fact, any Cono Sur wine is always my first recommendation if you are either low on cash or buying in bulk for a big party. And this one goes well with fowl in particular.
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| Pey La Tour |
No, it's not Mouton Rothschild - that would be $1,800 a bottle - but it is a lovely Bordeaux Superieur that's a great introductory Bordeaux with all the attributes I love in that region. And ranked 88-90 points by Robert Parker!
Robust Reds
Robust in both flavour and getting up there in price, these are the reds you serve when you want to impress the relatives!
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| Osoyoos Larose |
Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin 2015 at $47.99 comes from BC but tastes French - because it is part owned by the Gruaud Larose winery in Bordeaux! Like Bordeaux, this is a red blend with mostly Merlot but Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Always fabulous at a special occasion.
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| Domaine Drouhin |
And you can't go wrong with Italy - Sette Ponti Crognolo 2016 is a blend of Sangiovese and Merlot that always satisfies at $39.99. Cherries and blueberries with a long finish to a fine meal!
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| Herve Laroque |
And for a Bordeaux choice, try a personal top pick, the Chateau Herve Laroque 2010 at $49.99 - amazing taste and value for a 2010 Bordeaux from Fronsac. It is full bodied, the BC Liquor Stores and the Chateau have aged it already for you and it will be amazing with whatever you serve!
Reds For The Really Well Off
Let's be honest - if you can afford it, an expensive red wine with Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner is astonishing.
And once in a while, it's worth blowing the budget for. With that in mind.....
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| Beaucastel |
You can never go wrong with Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2016 - at $89.99 or any other vintage! This is a big beautiful wine from the Southern Rhone Valley of France - and a personal icon.
For a Bordeaux pick it is a bit more challenging as the selection is less consistently available.
But I'd be happy to find the Chateau Berliquet 2016 from St. Emilion at $85
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| Berliquet |
Alternatively, many wine experts demand a Pinot Noir with turkey dinner - and I can't argue against that find choice either. Pinot is generally a lighter weight than other varietals but so long as your turkey or other main is prepared without massive spicing or deep fried, it will do very nicely.
Burgundy is the French Pinot Noir choice and always a bit of a gamble in my experience. You may wish to stick to the lower priced Oregon Pinot above.
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| Domaine Taupenot |
But if not, I would go with whatever Gevrey-Chambertin you can find locally - and ask your liquor store consultant for advice. It's the one Burgundy that has been consistently good for me. One choice is the Domaine Taupenot Merme Gevrey-Chambertin 2016 - not widely available but more than others, at $95.99, and rated 88-90 by Robert Parker.
But whatever you do, big budget or small, have a great meal!
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