Christmas Wines
First the simple stuff!
If you are going to drink any more than a glass of bubbles with the celebratory toasts, don’t drive!
If you are likely to consume a fair bit of alcohol, and it is Christmas after all, remember to eat food and drink water. On Christmas Day eating sufficient food is unlikely to be a problem but remembering to drink enough water often is, especially if you are out in the sun and heat or hiding indoors in the air conditioning, both of which will dehydrate you, even without the effects of the alcohol.
If you want Boxing Day to be a happy experience as well, then stay hydrated, drink lots of water, and importantly, the better quality wine you drink, the better you will feel the next day.
Remember this when you are making those tricky price versus quality decisions at the bottle shop.
Secondly the important stuff, what to drink!
Christmas is a time of celebration, which means bubbles! Serve with your canapés….
There are three basic choices.
- French champagne. With the Australian dollar being so strong, French champagne is at record low prices. Good quality brand name champagnes are available for around, and in some cases under, $50 a bottle, e.g. Veuve Clicquot, Moet, Pol Roger and GH Mumm. Make the most of it while it lasts. If your tastes are more expensive there are a multitude of choices, all good value given the Australian dollar.
- Australian or New Zealand Sparkling. Life must be tough for these guys with the above low priced French Champagnes on the market but there are some good choices in the $20-30 range and below. Grant Burge $18, Jansz $24, Petaluma Croser $22. One of the “new” varieties which you may not have tried or considered is Prosecco, lighter and sweeter than traditional sparkling wines. Try Brown Brothers $15 or Toi Toi $13.
- Sparkling red. A real Australian wine and classic Christmas drink that served cold is hard to beat. It is surprising how many people haven’t tried a sparkling red. There are many to choose from, we once went to a tasting which featured around 60 different labels. The first choice for us is always Rockford Sparkling Shiraz, if you can get it! If you can’t, which is most people, good alternatives are Leasingham Classic Clare Shiraz $49 or Ashton Hills Sparkling Shiraz $40. Further down the price ladder we recommend Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz $19 or Best’s Sparkling Shiraz $25.
After the bubbles some whites and reds to accompany lunch or dinner….
One big advantage of Christmas gatherings is that there are a group of people around, which means you can try a range of different wines. Perhaps ask everyone to bring a certain variety. A Pinot Gris is our favourite for a classic cold gourmet lunch or Chardonnay for some of the heavier flavours of a hot dinner.
Whites
With seafood there are many choices, we suggest Pinot Gris
or Riesling. Just about any Riesling from the Clare Valley or Eden Valley will
be good. We recommend the Jim Barry Lodge Hill Dry Riesling $22 which has one
seven trophies this year, or if you want the very best the Grosset Polish Hill
Riesling for around $50. For Pinot Gris we recommend The Ned $16 or Huia $25.
Reds
If you are having gamey meats, turkey or duck then consider
a Pinot Noir rather than a bigger Cabernet or Shiraz, it might help you feel
better later in the day. Unfortunately good Pinot doesn’t come cheap so expect
to pay $30 plus for something reasonable. If that’s a bit much then consider
some of the alternative varieties like Grenache or Sangiovese, which are
lighter and more easy drinking.
Our recommendations:
Pinot Noir Rabbit
Ranch $23, Ten Minutes by Tractor $35, By Farr Farrside $67
Cabernet Peter
Lehmann $16, Rymill $25, Vasse Felix $36
Shiraz St
Hallett Faith $16, Chris Ringland CR $21, Torbreck The Struie $50
With dessert
A bit like the sparkling Shiraz, the desert wines are often
overlooked. If you like the heavy old style ports that fine, but there are many
alternatives, in particular Muscats and late harvest Rieslings. A Wine Pourings favourite with Christmas
dessert is Tempus Two $14 or De Bortoli Noble One $27.
ENJOY the festive season, stay safe and enjoy your wines –
both the fun of selection and the serving!
