Here’s your checklist for the 5 major drinks bases.
Are you ready for the festive season? As a social blizzard looms, you’ll need to be well stocked with party fuel, but don’t forget a few special treats to contemplate once the crowds have moved on. Your checklist for the 5 major drinks bases.
Christmas Day hasn’t really got underway until you hear the discreet pop of a Champagne cork. Set the tone with a bottle – upgrade to a magnum for a gathering of six or more – of something special. The red berry fruit of a blanc de noirs can be a particularly good fit for a cold winter’s day, as is a toastier style with generous lees aging.
You’ll also need a stash of party fizz that won’t break the bank for a crowd who, let’s be honest, aren’t really concentrating on the contents of their glass. Don’t drown the festive spirit with rubbish though. For Champagne style without the price tag, hunt down a good Crémant, perhaps from the Loire or Alsace. South African Méthode Cap Classique is another reliably good value bet. In fact, it’s an equally safe wager that most guests won’t even notice you’ve drifted some distance from Reims.
Let the spirit of Christmas spark generosity in your usually thrifty soul. Now is the time to pull out that patiently cellared bottle of serious white Burgundy. Other great white wines do, however, exist, and not just the exceptional Chardonnay now found everywhere from Margaret River to Oregon. The dancing richness of serious Alsace Riesling or Pinot Gris would be a decadent yet invigorating match for turkey with all the trimmings.
Don’t forget to have a reliable, inexpensive white in the fridge door for unexpected guests. It shouldn’t be anything so smart that you’d wince if it was adulterated with kir or soda. Austria’s Grüner Veltliner ticks the “dry, white refreshment” box perfectly, and quality is reassuringly consistent. Alternatively, Loire Sauvignon Blanc offers breezy refreshment with gooseberry, grassy vibrancy. Touraine offers softer, friendlier styles; for something more steely, consider appellations such as Quincy or Reuilly as canny alternatives to better known Sancerre.
If turkey’s the question, then Pinot Noir is an obvious answer. Burgundy is the classic choice, but why not nod to the bird’s American heritage with a plush, seductive Pinot from California? Gone big on the spiced red cabbage? Then keep it Teutonic with one of the very serious examples to be found in Germany’s Baden, Ahr or Pfalz. After all, this country is the world’s third largest producer of Pinot Noir.
Shunning turkey? Whatever your budget, the Rhône is another reliable Christmas bet. Whether it’s the roasted heft of a mature northern Rhône Syrah or generous, Grenache-based embrace of southern Rhône appellations, you and your rib of beef are in safe company. Meanwhile, more generic Côte du Rhône wines are a reliable bet for that moment when you need to reach for a crowd pleasing, good value, helpfully versatile red.
There’s no point asking whether guests fancy a glass of port or dessert wine at the end of a blow out meal. They’ll all be labouring under the delusion that they’re stuffed full, or that somehow sweet, strong wines are a dispensable anachronism. But open a bottle, or pass round a decanter and it’s amazing how quickly the contents evaporate. There are also few difficult relatives who can’t be mellowed by a sip of the nectar that is Mosel Beerenauslese or Ruster Ausbruch.
On the fortified front, vintage port is a great treat, but for something less wrapped in tradition and expense, try one of the many excellent single quinta expressions. Or seamlessly straddle cheese and dessert with a refreshing 20 year old tawny port, served lightly chilled. Once open it will keep for a couple weeks, although there’s little chance of it lasting that long. The same applies to madeira, too often overshadowed by port, but just try some invigorating, nutty Verdelho with your cheeseboard. Finally, few winter dishes, or indeed their chefs, aren’t improved by a splash of dry amontillado sherry.
Get the party started with a cocktail or wind it down with a meditative whisky, just make sure your drinks cabinet is well stocked with essentials. Gin today is a minefield of the novelty and niche: save those subtlest nuances for your G&T or martini, but keep something less fussy on standby to add kick to those negronis.
As for dark spirits, on a winter’s night there’s something rather magical in the simplicity of a good quality rum with a few squares of 70% cocoa chocolate. Take the same approach to whisky as for gin: a decent but inexpensive blend for those old-fashioneds or – perfect after a winter walk – whisky mac; but be sure to hide a special malt away for special friends. Or perhaps to hide with in the bathtub until everyone’s gone home.
