Who’s Drinking What For Christmas?

By Alex Russell on December 11, 2012 in Food

It’s that time of year again – not only does the ‘good’ cutlery and crockery come out, the extended family also drops around and I can guarantee that everyone will need a ‘good’ drink to get through it. So what are you drinking for Christmas?

Whites

You’ve gotta love a Chrissy lunch in the middle of summer! It’s usually a pretty hot day so those nice crisp whites will go down a treat. Smash a Sauvy, slurp a Semillon or rip open a Riesling with (my favourite) prawn sandwiches in fresh bread rolls. Just don’t serve them too cold, or you won’t taste anything!

The 2012 Marlborough Sauv Blancs are looking pretty good from what I’ve seen so far. If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know I love my Hunter Semillons (Tyrrell’s, Thomas Wines, Brokenwood to name a few). A lot of people are pushing for Vermentino at the moment (e.g. Running with Bulls, $17-20), which will go well with that salmon on the barbecue or a fresh mango salad.

Chardonnay will also work here. Go French and try a Chablis (the 2009 and 2010 vintages are lovely), or grab something from down Mornington way. There are some particularly good specials around at various retailers at the moment.

Reds

Drinking red in the middle of the day is a recipe for an afternoon nap, which is one hundred percent fine by me.

My current mission is to perfect my homemade duck pancakes and there is nothing like a really funky Pinot Noir with duck. The same goes for turkey. Current favourites include Pike and Joyce (about $30), Ashton Hills (starting at around $33) and some pretty special top-shelf drops like the Bindi wines (hard to get, starting at $55).

Pinots do cost a bit, at least for decent ones, so you can always look at something like a nice WA Cab Merlot instead. Or, if you’re doing a lamb or beef roast, a nice spicy Shiraz or Grenache will match the spice in the meat. I tried the Arete Single Vineyard Greenock Shiraz the other night ($55) and it blew me away. You can also find some cooler climate Victorian stuff, such as the 2011 Best’s Bin 1 Shiraz, which just picked up a trio of trophies, including the prestigious Jimmy Watson trophy. At around $25, this is not to be missed. It drinks well now but will reward short to medium cellaring, so bring one out for the family at Christmas then save a few for the winter months ahead.

Bubbles

It wouldn’t be Christmas without bubbles. Just about every label goes on special at Christmas time. There will be the usual price war on labels like Moët and Veuve, but most retailers will be within a few dollars of each other. Remember, you don’t drink the label, you drink the vino inside, so try some Grower Champagne labels (Google search “The Beast Champagne Houses vs Growers).

On a budget? No worries! There will always be some French drops that aren’t from Champagne that you’ll be able to get for somewhere around the $15-20 mark. Think of the ever popular Grandin and various others.

Want to drink Aussie stuff? Great! Jansz has grown on me recently, along with some newish non-vintage labels from the likes of Croser and Clover Hill. Arras is brilliant too at $30ish for the entry level, $60ish for the Grand Vintage and about $200 for the EJ Carr Late Disgorged. Pricey, I know, but they’ve won over one hundred trophies so it’s definitely worth it. Also, don’t miss Yarrabank – it’s completely underrated by most consumers.

I hope you all have a great Christmas and holiday season. Thanks for reading my column. As for me, I’ll be spending the festive season over in Europe traipsing through Burgundy and hopefully Champagne. I’ll report back next year!