John Wilson’s festive wine guide

I may have been guilty of following tradition a little too closely at Christmas in recent years. I have a set formula that works. I can put out a three-course meal with the minimum of fuss and stress. I even have a shopping list on my computer that I use every year. However, as the children mature, or at least grow older, the whole event has become a little less frazzled – 2015 may be the year I rethink my Christmas menu and maybe take a fresh look at the wines too.

For the past decade I have always cracked open a magnum of Champagne (usually Bollinger) to kick-start the festivities. This year, I think numbers will dictate a bottle instead of a magnum, and I may look a little further afield, possibly at Cava from Spain. The quality of Cava has leapt ahead in recent years, and it is now possible to find small producers making really good wines. The María Casanovas Brut is crisp and dry with lovely delicate brioche and peach fruits; it is very nicely priced too.

I will also make sure I have a nicely chilled half-bottle of fino sherry in the fridge. It is ideal for adding to gravy (at least that is my excuse), but doubles up as an all-important thirst-quencher for the busy chef.

For starters, instead of my usual smoked salmon, I am considering serving seared scallops. I could simply finish them with a knob of herb butter but I quite fancy combining them with a purée of butternut squash – it seems more wintery and easy to reheat at the last minute. I like the idea of topping it with some crispy smoky bacon crumbs. Chardonnay is a brilliant match for both scallops and butternut squash so this is a bit of a no-brainer – you could roll out a serious white Burgundy here.

But scallops go really well with a wide variety of white wines so feel free to experiment a little. Wines with plump, almost sweetish fruit are amongst my favourites, including Grüner Veltliner from Austria, or Rías Baixas from Galicia in Spain. However, Chardonnay it is for me, and instead of a fine Burgundy, I adore the Domaine Begude Etoile Chardonnay and reckon this will go perfectly with my scallops.

If you intend serving smoked salmon, the Etoile will do nicely here too. Chardonnay should not be served too cold; I will put mine outside the back door the night before, covered in case it rains.

Will I stick with turkey this year? I did try goose a few years back, and it went down a treat; it really depends on the final numbers sitting down to dinner. In my experience, it takes a very large goose to serve eight to 10 people, and there won’t be all of those lovely leftovers for the following days. Also, I am one of an increasingly rare group, or so it sometimes seems, who actually likes a nicely roasted free-range or organic turkey.

I am seriously considering including a ham this year. Five years ago, I bought half a happy free-range pig. I brined the leg in a cidery mix, creating a superb ham that kept us going for days. So turkey again but with a ham. I have served a Burgundy for the last few years, and may end up with a Pinot Noir again this year, but at the moment Samt & Seide, (velvet & silk in German) an Austrian Blaufränkisch, is the most likely choice. I served it at a tasting a few nights ago, and it went down a treat. It has the soft elegant fruitiness of a Pinot, combined with a lovely fresh bite of acidity. Both Pinot Noir and the Samt & Seide would go nicely with either turkey or goose. If I do choose a Pinot it is likely to be a Spätburgunder from Germany; I have stashed away a few bottles over the past year or two, including several from Fürst, one of my favourite producers. A few years ago it was impossible to find German Pinot Noir in Ireland. Now every decent retailer seems to have one or two options.

Sadly, they are never cheap; expect to pay about €20. I suspect I will end up serving both this and the Samt & Seide.

The real problem with Christmas dinner is not matching the wine with the meat, but the plethora of sauces, stuffings and vegetables that go alongside it. If wine is to form an important part of the meal, purists would steer clear of cranberry sauce. However, I find, provided you don’t follow a mouthful of one immediately after the other, your wine won’t suffer.

Some members of my family have a sweeter tooth than me, and they look after the Christmas pudding. With it, I serve a port of some kind, usually a vintage character, perfect with all its Christmas spice. However, this year I will eschew port (at least until later in the day) and enjoy a glass of sweet wine, drunk on its own, my own little liquid dessert. Lidl has the very delicious Sauternes Ch. Romer du Hayot for €17.99 per half litre bottle, but I intend sitting down with a glass (or maybe two) of the wonderful intense rich marmeladey Sainte-Helene 2011 Sauternes.

I also intend indulging myself in another little delight; a bottle of the superb dry Barbeito 10-year-old Sercial. This is not for the Christmas dinner, but as my personal tipple to enjoy with a plate of cheese and nuts as an evening snack. I don't tend to do much in the days following

Christmas, other than a few good walks, followed by leftover turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings. For this, I will buy in a few bottles of simple fruity red wine; something warming and Spanish sounds good. The Palacio del Camino Real would fit the bill perfectly.

PARTY WINES

Parties can be an expensive business if you have lots of friends. But one sure way to lose them quickly is to serve bad wine. I sometimes hear people say that nobody will notice. I disagree – I think they do. Our tax system is to blame, but I can assure you that once you go over €10, quality improves dramatically, and once you move in the direction of €15, you can buy a very decent bottle of wine that will have your guests humming with contentment. If you have a wine you think might work, buy a bottle and drink it before dinner or later while watching TV; if you don’t like it, chances are your guests won’t either.

For your white wine, try to choose something light to medium-bodied and oak-free, with plenty of refreshing fruits. Avoid anything too dry or austere; they can really grate on an empty stomach.

The same goes for red wines; light and fruity is always best; big powerful oaky wines are best left for when you sit down for dinner. Mulled wine can mask a lot of sins wine-wise, and can be warming on a cold winter’s night, but I find a substantial number of people don’t like it.