©2007, The Birmingham Post
As the countdown to Christmas gathers momentum, the best-organised tick off their checklist well in advance; cards, presents and guest-list amongst others. The more preparation carried out in advance, the less stressful the build-up. Is it not a time of fun, festivity and, above all, enjoyment?
Having decided on the Christmas menu, the focus is on the accompanying wines. Fortunately, the traditional feast is set out to a familiar pattern, and it's relatively easy to find something suitable, in terms of price and occasion. Yet, with so much to choose from, the task can become confusing and intimidating.
The best advice is to go for quality rather than quantity. The Christmas meal is more like a marathon than a sprint, so to maximise your enjoyment, pace yourself. Three or four quality wines are more than adequate from start to finish.
For greeting your guests, there is no substitute for Champagne. The sparkle adds to the party occasion, and it's a perfect match for those canapés. Aside from the big brands, growers can often give better value, and a Rosé can add a real Christmassy feel.
Of course, it doesn't have to be Champagne, as there are perfectly acceptable alternatives from other regions. English sparkling wine has been receiving some rave reviews, so why not be patriotic?
A crisp, dry white can also make an excellent aperitif, and be guaranteed to start the gastric juices flowing. Aromatic whites are always well-received, and the popular choice is Sauvignon Blanc. It's crisp and fresh, with mouth-puckering elderflower and gooseberry characters. The Old World classics are from the Loire Valley, such as Pouilly-Fume or Sancerre. From the New World, try Marlborough from New Zealand, and as a halfway house, there are some excellent examples from South Africa.
The beauty of Sauvignon Blanc is that it easily carries over into a fish or vegetarian starter. As a variety it works well with classic seafood dishes from oysters to sole, yet also combines well with peppers or tomatoes.
In spite of its detractors, there is no substitute for a buttery Chardonnay. This can be from Burgundy or further afield, but should possess some power and richness, as it will enable the wine to cope with a full flavoured hors d'oeuvres, such as smoked salmon, but will carry through to the turkey and trimmings.
Turkey is the perfect foil for any white or red, but there are two caveats. Firstly, the trimmings or sauce can be rich and flavoursome, so require a wine with a bit of weight. Secondly, the turkey's white meat can easily dry out, and this can seem worse when accompanied by an excessively tannic or oaky wine.
Red Burgundy is the classic combination, but so is New World Pinot Noir. The grape has a special affinity with turkey, as indeed most poultry, particularly because the wines are low in tannin. There are some out standing examples from New Zealand and Victoria.
Other low-tannin reds work well too. Grenache blends from the Southern Rhone, such as Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Languedoc and further afield, have plenty of body and weight to combat the spiciest of sausages, and are highly recommended. Likewise, Gamay, from less fashionable Beaujolais Cru, such as Moulin a Vent or Morgon, have a similar profile to Pinot Noir.
A fattier and more strongly flavoured goose probably works better with Syrah from the Northern Rhone, a Right Bank Merlot-based claret, ideally from St. Emilion or Pomerol, or even a medium-dry Riesling from Rheingau or Clare Valley. Roasted red meats favour more tannic reds, so the preferred choice would be Cabernet blends, such as Bordeaux, Chianti or Rioja.
The order of serving may affect the next choice of wine. If cheese is to follow the main course, then hard cheese like Cheddar is ideal with red or soft cheese with white. A salty blue cheese, such as Stilton, is the perfect foil to Sauternes, better, in fact, than Port.
That heavyweight of desserts, Christmas pudding, needs to be matched with a wine of similar weight and sweetness. Lightly fortified "vins doux naturels" from across Southern France push all the right buttons. The whites, in the main, use Muscat, and there are great examples from Beaumes de Venise, St. Jean-de-Minervois and Rivesaltes. Alternatively, the sweet reds employ Grenache and also work well. Try a Maury or Banyuls, these go well with chocolate, too, and are lighter than Port.
Of course, Port still remains a fitting end to the feast, and effortlessly matches pudding or cheese. Mature Vintage Port can be very pricy, but there are a host of great value substitutes from Late Bottled Vintage, Crusted or Single Quinta to choose from, and these are generally ready for drinking. By contrast, an Aged Tawny, though it has lost its primary fruit characters, is simply perfect with that Christmas combination of dried fruit and nuts.
Well, at least that's the wine sorted! Now, where was I with that Christmas check-list?