Shelflife Special Tasting: Festive wines that won’t break the bank
Helen Coburn names tests the festive tipples that will help give your parties a little more glamour and glitz this Christmas
Print17 December 2010
The trade experienced its toughest pre-Christmas ever, as many consumers waited to see what the budget would bring before deciding on festive spending. Now that the worst is known, it’s clear that shoppers will be looking for value when selecting wine, so we’ve borne that in mind here. Drinkers will probably trade up from entry point for their special dinner wines – but only by a couple of euros. Promotion of premium wine will have to focus strongly on gifts. A decent wine is still cheaper than most of the gifts that people exchanged during the tiger years, so Christmassy descriptors highlighting that fact might help to shift bottles. Prices approximately retail.
With nibbles
Valdivia Amontillado Seco (Febvre €15). I tend to prefer fino or oloroso to amontillado but opening a fresh bottle of this recently was inclined to make me change my mind. Dry, nutty character with a richness added by limited oxidation, this is perfect with hams, roasted and spiced nuts, and olives. Good gift wine for enthusiasts.
Il Cortigiano Prosecco (Gleeson/Gilbey). This was the Noffla Gold Star sparkler in its class; light, lively spritz, laced with fresh citrus fruits, make this a perfect welcome drink for Christmas morning.
False Bay Chenin Blanc 2009 (Gleeson/Gilbey). Perfect budget starter wine with decent green and stone fruit character; a refreshing pre-lunch wine also ideal with starters of prawns, crab and all manner of salads.
Errazuriz Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Cassidy €9.99). Decent varietal character, with lots of tasty gooseberry and very good value. Aperitif or with starters.
Dinner Whites
Winery of Good Hope Chardonnay 2009 (Cassidy €10). Good value chardonnay, ideal with starters but with enough punch for white meats. Useful restaurant standby.
Innocent Bystander Chardonnay 2009 (Liberty €14). Some classic Burgundy notes on this Australian with more than enough body for Christmas turkey. Good gift wine.
Garofoli Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 2009 (Febvre €11). Lovely grapefruit streak makes this a lovely wine with salmon, ham, prawns and white meats.
Vinas del Vero Gewurztraminer Colleccion 2009 (Barry Fitzwilliam). Fresh yet exotic, this would be great with starters and worth trying with cheese as well, especially blues.
Torres San Valentin 2008 (Findlater €10). There’s a very slight off dry feel to this, making it a good bet for pates, foie gras, duck breast and oriental style starters.
Dinner Reds
The Bean Coffee Pinotage 2009 (Classic Drinks €14.99) No, there’s no actual coffee in here but there’s a mocha note imparted by the oak usage! Warm South African perfect for a winter’s night and good with game.
Carmen Reserva Pinot Noir 2009 (Dillon €11). It’s hard to beat pinot with turkey and this is very decent value, with nicely defined summer fruits.
Dona Paula Los Cardos Malbec 2009 (Dillon €9.99) This is a perfect turkey wine because it has rich fruit without the sort of firm tannins that can jar a bit with white meat. Good value.
Beronia Tempranillo Special Rioja 2007 (Barry Fitzwilliam €13). Traditional Spanish style with tasty spice and summer fruit flavours. Good with turkey and goose.
Rutherglen Estates Nebbiolo 2005 (Findlater €14.95). If you like Italian Barolo but can’t afford it, then this Australian is for you. Very decent varietal aromas of tar and roses; less astringency on the palate than its Italian counterpart, with approachable cherry and plum flavours. Could be good with goose.
Thorn Clarke Morello Nebbiolo Barossa 2005 (Febvre €20). If you can’t find the above, try this. Not quite as classic perhaps, but with very enjoyable cherry and berry flavours with just a lick of spice. Worth its price.
Chateau Magnol Bordeaux 2006 (Gilbey/Gleeson €19). As a gift or special treat, this is good for its price, with subtle lead pencil notes underpinning smooth plum and blackcurrant fruit.
Pudding and after dinner
By the time everyone’s reached this stage they generally don’t want too much alcohol but that’s no reason to serve after dinner drinks in miserable glasses even if the quantities are small. Much dessert wine is low in alcohol, so a reasonable portion in a properly shaped wine glass won’t do harm. Port wine always has a full, fruity nose- so suggest that customers use a large, decently curved glass that allows aromas to develop fully, giving them lots to enjoy even if they’re not drinking a lot.
Alois Kracher Neusiedlersee 2008 (Searson €11.50 half). This is good value for this classy Austrian dessert wine, made mainly from chardonnay. With fruit cake, cheesecake, fruit soufflés and pies.
Mount Horrocks Cordon Cut Clare Valley Riesling 2008 (Liberty €16). Delicious lemon and orange fruits, with lovely acid balance underpinning the sweetness. Try with soft cheeses, tarts and fruit desserts.
Warres LBV Port 2000 (Febvre €28). Fine LBV is always worth splashing out on and this was bottled in 2004 to give a lovely youthful style, loaded with berries and plum. Good with pud and cheese. Also excellent is Cockburns LBV (Barry Fitzwilliam).
Hidalgo Pedro Ximenez Jerez (Celtic Whiskey €21). Spanish sweet sherry, either from moscatel or pedro ximenez, makes the perfect Christmas pudding wine. This is model stuff. Others worth trying are Lustau Emilin Moscatel (Mitchells/Nicholson) or Barry and Fitzwilliam’s new offer, Gonzalez Byass Matusalem Oloroso Dulce (both around €15 half).
Party pink
Girliness has become a strong marketing tool over the past couple of years, so why not follow the trend and make the drink pink for Christmas or New Year parties?
Kick off with Marques de Monistrol Cava (Febvre €13), Jacobs Creek Rose (Irish Distillers €13) or, for a more unusual treat, Reserve de Sours Sparkling Bordeaux Rose (Gilbey/Gleeson €20). Move on to the good value Chilean Oveja Negra Rose 2009 (Classic Drinks €10) or Sablenay Rose d’Anjou 2009 (Cassidy €10) with its soft berry flavours. Finish up with Croft Pink Port (United Drinks €14.99) served with fruit mousse or jellies.
Croft Port tasting
Croft Pink Port (United Wines €14.99). Light after dinner style with lively berry and redcurrant flavours making it a good companion for fruity desserts, ice creams and meringues. Also good as an Christmas aperitif, with tonic or soda and a stick of red fruits to decorate.
Croft Triple Crown (€10.99). Sound ruby port with intriguing hints of leather underpinning cherry and ripe berries and quite a long, fruity finish. Good after dinner, but also great base for hot port, served with lightly baked apple slices and sprinkled with cinammon and cloves. Very good for the price.
Croft Late Bottled Vintage (€14.99). Gorgeous mellow flavours of ripe plum, dark cherry and even hints of blackcurrant. Alcohol is nicely in balance. Good with chocolately desserts, dried fruits and hard cheeses, especially Parmesan. Again, decent value.
Croft Vintage Port 2003 (Limited Availability) Deeply hued port with floral notes beneath aromas of red and dark fruit. Flavours of blueberry, forest fruit and plum, with beautifully balanced alcohol, and great structure and length. Surely one of the top ports of this vintage, with at least 20 years ageing potential from now.
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