#9: LAST MIN XMAS WINES 🌲
The pressure is on to make everything ✨ perfect ✨ at this time of year. Multiple guests, events, dietary requirements and picky eaters are enough to look out for. A few picks from me:
We’re writing our work out of offices around now, but not quite peeling potatoes and jumping on bins to compress used wrapping paper. In panic mode about Christmas? About now is just the time to panic, and beef up for the dreaded village/supermarket/shopping centre run before Sunday hits.
Online shopping has stalled, and I hope that at least your food has been organised for you - or you’re willing to brave the elements of a supermarket sweep. Wine can stress people on what to have on the table for the day for months, but it can also be a stash and grab number. I’ve popped together a shortlist of some wines that should fit the bill when you need, as there’s a lot of uses. I’ve tried to stay on high street names for suggestions to prevent you going around the bend, or else look out for the grape name in bold if needed.
For impromptu parties and celebrations 🎉
There’s no other time for it to be socially acceptable to knock-and-invite-yourself-in on a neighbour or relative unannounced, so it’s good to have a bottle of fizz or two at the ready, just in case. If you’re not sure of what brand you generally stick to, Prosecco Superiore (emphasis on the Superiore) is basically the Ferero Rocher of the fizz world: reliable, good quality, brings about an elegant waft about you.
An alternative would be a South African Methode Cap Classique will bring you a class above, as it’s made with the same grapes and style as Champagne - for just about a tenner. If you’ve somewhere that’s doing natural or low intervention wines, grab the nearest Pet Nat that you can.
THE Dinner Wine(s): Winter Edition
We have a few layers to this one, depending on your decadence, so bear with me:
Fizz wise, get a Crémant. Loire, Alsace or Bourgogne regardless, each region generally makes a simple, creamy fizz that will go on its own or with basically any food. It’s also an excellent vehicle for Mimosas or Bellinis, and at Prosecco prices.
If you’re going veggie or poultry roast, Pinot Noir is probably the best choice for red. My pick would be a Chilean (ideally Casablanca Valley) or New Zealand (ideally Central Otago) as they’re a bit more full, but not going to overpower anything. A Burgundy or Californian Chardonnay are the ultimate white wine to pair as well here (or if you want something a little more aromatic, Sancerre or Touraine Sauvignon Blanc will do too).
You don’t have to get a desert wine as any of these or something off your drinks trolley can do as a nightcap. If you must, grab a Sauternes - not crazy sweet, it’s the least likely to divide opinion.
THE Dinner Wine(s): Summer Edition
Not all of us have cold Christmases, so in the name of inclusivity!
Making massive assumptions here, but generally Christmas is a little more barbequed and light with richer meats when we’re talking a warm Christmas which I’ve had in mind for these. A Malbec or a Shiraz (Barossa if you can get it) are going to be rich, heavy-yet-silky reds to get your teeth into. For whites, I’d go with a Pinot Gris or a Viognier - ones from the New World are going to be a little more fruity and thick on the palette which can hold up to a lot more flavours.
Fizz and dessert ones could merge into one here, and I’d suggest a Moscato d’Asti for a wild card. It’s an off-sweet, lightly fizzy wine that isn’t to all tastes but cool and fresh compared to the warmth of some desert wines.
Wines to Gift
A bottle of wine can have so much thought behind it, but can be the impersonal gift you don’t know what else to give to someone. These tokens of appreciation can have the pressure of not choosing the right one and God Forbid, you tell the person that you think this is a good bottle of wine. No need to confirm, let the recipient be the judge of that.
Thinking in the 20ish mark of price point, a Rioja or a Barolo generally go down quite a treat. Barolo has a bit more assurance of quality, while Rioja can need a bit more digging to get to the gold. A Gran Reserva will generally let you know that the wine has been aged for quite a bit in oak, so will be more complex to enjoy.
Not sure what whites to grab? An Alsace white or a Gruner Veltliner from Austria are good, unusual wines that people generally find are not too dry, not too fruity and a good overall pick.
Need a more specific recommendation, or found a bargain you’ve been buying by the case? Pop a comment below to tell me and all of Dosage’s fellow readers!