Monday 9 December 2013

Winejaw - Christmas and New Year wine

This year I feel obliged to write about Christmas and New Year Wine. I quite like Turkey but not at Christmas. Normally,  my wife and I either go to France at Christmas where Turkey is not on the menu or we stay at home and just have some friends round and you've guessed it Turkey will not be on the menu.

 The Turkey

I have eaten Turkey enough times to know what wine goes with it. My preference for a well cooked Turkey, which is not dry but succulent, would be a bottle of red Burgundy. If you have cooked the Turkey yourself and can guarantee that it will be juicy and succulent then go for several bottles of Majestic
Louis Jadot 2012 Mâcon Rouge 'Les Roches Rouges'. Louis Jadot is one of my favourite negociants and produces good standard quality wine.

If you are cooking such a big bird, I am assuming that you are having lots of guests and that is why I recommend several bottles.


If you are cooking the Turkey with sweet and acidic sauces then I do not recommend red Burgundy as it is a little bit too delicate. Try the Turkey with several bottles of a  Rhône  red  such as Côtes du Rhône 2011 Vidal-Fleury also from Majestic. Better still, forget about the Cranberry sauce and use the juices of the Turkey instead and pour in a glass of the red wine for an extra kick.


Alternatively, you could try a Pinot Noir from Australia, New Zealand or Washington State  each of which is more fruity than red Burgundy.

Christmas is the time of year when you might be invited to a party by someone who cannot cook and will serve up a dry Turkey. You probably know this will happen but you go along out of politeness but in the mood for some conviviality. In this case I recommend beer. Waitrose do some good beers and for Turkey I recommend Goose Island India Pale Ale from the USA or St Peter's Golden Ale and these will at least quench your thirst.

Most restaurants will also ruin Turkey especially at Christmas and the work party will be spoilt as far as food is concerned. So, unless you have been invited to a Michelin starred restaurant I would stick to bog standard Côtes du Rhône or better still a nice lager. If you are going to a top restaurant how about a bottle of Chambertin provided the sauces are savoury?

Turkey is of course a traditional American dish and if you are guaranteed that the Turkey will be cooked properly then why not push the boat out and buy a bottle or two of Qupé. This is one of my favourite wines and should go well with a free range Turkey. It really will add a bit of class even if it is a bit expensive. It will also go well with red meat. Try 2010 Qupé Syrah, Central Coast, California from Berry Brothers.

http://www.bbr.com/products-9298-2010-qupe-syrah-central-coast-california

You are not just limited to red wine with Turkey so why not try a good "oaked Chardonnay" from Australia or Chile. I am also certain that White Burgundy will go with Turkey . You will also need white wine to baste your Turkey with to stop it getting dry.

Winejaw  food and preferences for Christmas and New Year


Luckily my wife and I have similar  tastes when it comes to food and wine and I shall have little difficulty persuading her to eat one of the following for a main course:

Rare roast rib of Beef,

Game birds,

Roast Duck or Confit de Canard from a tin.

My favourite would be the Confit de Canard from a tin but I know that my wife will think that it is not special enough for Christmas day especially if we have guests.

So here is my ideal menu:

Aperitif: non-vintage Champange -R Renaudin brut or Benoit La Haye brut.

Starters:  Oysters washed down with Chablis from Jean-Marc Brocard.

Main Course: Rare roast rib of Beef - it is difficult to choose a red wine but I have a bottle of Torres 2006 Mas La Plana Cabernet Sauvignon from Catalonia which is the perfect red wine for beef. This red wine is of really superior quality and is not that expensive - oh well it is the festive season. It can compete with the top cru of France.



We could also try a bottle of Coriole 2005 Lloyd Reserve Shiraz; this is great wine from South Australia. If you can find it, it is a real treat. Forget about points scores and "The Ashes" as  this would go in my top 100 wines. It is made from very old vines in McLaren Vale - as the Australians would say it is a "beut".



If my wife insists that we go for French wine, which is quite likely,  then  2008 Château de Pressac St Emilion Grand Cru. This is an award winning wine and although it is cheaper than my other main course selections I expect that it will be of similar quality.



Cheese: It really is better to have the cheese after the main course and not at the end of the meal. We shall probably have Ossau-Iraty, Brie de Meaux, Long Clawson Red Leicester and Long Clawson Stilton.  Good English cheese can  easily  rival good French cheese. The Long Clawson Red Leicester is one of the best cheeses I have ever eaten. If all the main red wine is gone we shall probably drink Red Burgundy - Epineuil.

http://www.britishcheese.com/members/long_clawson_dairy_ltd-18

http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Dairy-farmer-given-royal-approval/story-12083681-detail/story.html

If Prince Charles gives his seal of approval to a cheese then you know it will be good.


My Wife's Apple Tart and Vanilla ice cream: I shall insist that my wife makes an apple tart and she will not get away with anything else: delicious. Our next door neighbours have supplied us with a lot of cooking apples from their garden. Try Apple Tart or Tarte Tatin with vanilla ice cream  and Château de Monbazillac sweet white wine from the Dordogne.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/tarte_tatin

http://www.chateau-monbazillac.com/uk/

Wine Prejudice

You may well think that I am prejudiced towards French wines and of course I am; my wife is French and I spend a good proportion of my time in France. My French family serve up great food and wine. I buy most of my wine in France. 

My next blog will have a good list of excellent wines which are not French. I am also planning a blog on an antidote to Christmas fare which was inspired by one of our good friends who is fed up of eating dry Turkey and Brussels Sprouts every year; so more to come.

Three cheers to conviviality and happy wine drinking and happy eating.









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