The Holly Jolly Holiday Issue
Sharing some delicious wine with friends at Le Swan in Toronto.
Dearest subscribers, it's that time of year again that's got me singing,
"Santa baby, slip a Sassicaia under the tree for me.
Been an awful good girl.
Santa baby, a '59 Mouton Rothschild too, will do.
Santa baby, I want a bottle of Cheval Blanc and really that's not a lot.
Been an angel all year.
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight!"
This is the Holly Jolly Holiday Issue, baby!
XO and HO! HO! HO!
Every holiday party needs a house red and I can think of nothing better to recommend for the job than this Grenache/ Syrah blend from Louis Bernard. It's packed with ripe red and black fruit flavours and aromas like black cherry, blackberry, and pomegranate. Add to that a little oak and spice, the pretty packaging, and the price - ($16.95!!) and you've got your self a real party pleaser!
This wine comes from grapes harvested from various sites within the Cotes-du-Rhône Villages appellation which is located in the Southern Rhône wine region of France. The Mediterranean climate produces full-bodied, high alcohol wines, like this, which are best served with food. I'd serve this wine with a variety of hors d'oeuvres like spinach and cheese stuffed phyllo rolls, Sweedish meatballs, and roasted Mediterranean vegetable flatbread.
Sancerre is the name of the wine region (appellation) within the Loire Valley of France, where Sauvignon Blanc is the reigning white wine grape variety.
The Sancerre style of Sauv. Blanc is typically, fruity, lively, and mineral. Often described as more 'restrained' when compared to New Zealand's Marlborough Sauv. Blanc.
This example, from Matthias et Emile Roblin, fits the bill perfectly. Subtle but zesty lime notes dominate on the nose and palate, followed by just-ripe pear, white peach. and a faint touch of chamomile and dandelion. It's mineral notes of crushed rock and flint add dimension while its time spent on lees gives it additional texture and weight.
At just under $40 this makes a great host gift or stoking-stuffer for the white wine lover on your list.
Pair with citrus shrimp and avocado salad.
This Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico is an excellent choice for the Italian or red wine lover on your holiday shopping list. The grapes used to make this wine come exclusively from the Antinori family's Tignanello estate. Yes, that Tignanello.
The Antinori name has been synonymous with quality winemaking in Italy since the mid-1300s. Pioneers in the industry, they were one of the earliest estates to eschew old world norms in favour of experimentation which lead to the "Super Tuscan" revolution of the 1970s.
This 2015 is a Sangiovese blend which means it will contain small portions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This wine, which retails at just under $50 has been getting really great reviews. You can expect a lot of fresh fruit character with this wine, raspberry, cherry, blackberry, plum, along with florals like violet and dried roses. This wine has great, structure and complexity and as such has the ability to stand up to rather rich dishes. I'd serve this bottle with grilled rack of lamb or, if you want to go all-out, Bistecca alla Fiorentina, a classic Florentine beef dish, essentially a grilled porterhouse steak, dressed with fresh lemon, sea salt, and extra virgin olive oil.
Müller-Thurgau is a white grape variety native to Germany where it was created by a gentleman named Hermann Müller when he undertook to cross the grape varieties, Riesling and Sylvaner. What he didn't know at the time, was that he mistakenly crossed Riesling with the grape variety Madeleine Royale.
Why would he do this, one might wonder. His intent was to combine the best of both grapes. The lauded flavour characteristics of Riesling with the heartiness of the Sylvaner variety. Crossings are not at all uncommon, they occur spontaneously in nature all the time. For instance, Cabernet Sauvignon is the result of the crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauv. Blanc.
For a long time, especially in Germany, MT had a very lackluster reputation as a flabby, waxy, wine that lacked the much-desired Riesling characteristics. While plantings of MT are not on the rise, the crossing has since been corrected to its intended Riesling x Sylvaner and there are a few producers giving it a go and making some truly interesting and well-made wines from the variety. This is one such wine. It's fresh, fruity, and unoaked and it's from one of my absolute favourite regions in Italy - Alto Adige. This wine is available for order, by the case, through Cavinona wine agency.
Earlier in November I also had the supreme pleasure of tasting an extended skin-contact MT from Baden, Germany. This truly delicious, unfiltered, minimal-intervention wine from the 2017 vintage of producers Enderle & Moll is currently listed by the glass and bottle at Bar Piquette. You can also order it by the case through Group Soleil. Picture below.
One of my favorite holiday traditions is ordering Chinese food take-out on Boxing Day. And there is no better wine for Asian dishes than German Gewurztraminer. This 2017 Vintage from Ruppertsberger comes from the wine-growing region of Pfalz. It has a gorgeous bouquet of florals on the nose with additional notes of lychee, rosewater, candied ginger and spice.
This wine is off-dry. Its sweetness level and lovely perfumed aromas make it a perfect match for the heat and spice of many Chinese and Thai dishes like Singapore noodles, green curry chicken, pad thai, and egg rolls with sweet and sour sauce for dipping.
This Pinot Noir from the German wine region of Baden is very much fashioned in the Burgundian style. It's teeming with sour cherry and earthy notes like forest floor, damp earth, autumn leaves, and mushroom. This wine has been aged 12 months in French oak barrels- and boy does it show!
In addition to the lovely toasted oak, cocoa, cedar, and leather imparted by the oak treatment, this wine also features cherry, blackcurrant, and blackberry.
As is often the case with German wines, the bottle label may be a bit intimidating to the novice wine drinker. Allow me to help you unpack it:
Saptburgunder = Pinot Noir, as in the grape variety of this wine
Rotwein = red wine in German
Bötzingen = region (town of)
Eckberg= sub-region
Zimmerlin = the producer
Alte Reben = Old vines
I'd suggest pairing this wine with a mushroom shepherds pie or a wild mushroom risotto sprinkled with shaved parmesan and fresh parsley.
This would make a great Secret Santa gift for the curious wine drinker. Equally, it's a great wine to bring to a dinner party.
Appropriately, pictured empty, Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc is one of my all-time favourite go-to's for casual sipping and when entertaining guests. And, just in time for the holidays, it's currently $3 off the regular retail price!
The official tasting note is as follows, This wine displays ripe grapefruit, white peach, and
passionfruit aromas. The citrus character continues on the palate with lime notes and hints of kiwifruit. The wine shows mouthwatering acidity, and a light minerality, and finishes
with a pleasing fresh passionfruit note that lingers. I couldn't agree more.
As my friend Maddy, who happens to be the brand ambassador for Stoneleigh wines, likes to say, "If it swims in the sea, it goes with Stoneleigh!" I'd serve this wine with crab cakes or shrimp croquettes!
This lovely 2016 Chianti Classico from Istine is another wine available for order through Cavinona at roughly $30 a bottle, although you will have to purchase by the case. This certified organic wine is 100% Sangiovese, and, accordingly, has notes of fresh cherry, raspberry, balsamic, red plum, and herbs.
For me, this style of Sangiovese always calls for pizza or pasta with red sauce. I found this recipe for toasted ravioli with marinara sauce which would also work really well with this wine. What you're really looking for is the acid in tomato-based dishes.
I'll be saving a few bottles of this for the week between Christmas and New Year's. After all, is there anything quite like a hearty bowl of pasta and a good bottle of wine on a cold winter's night?
No matter what the sommeliers say, there are those who will still insist on sipping a Cabernet Sauvignon without a meal. This wine ,from Domaine Jean Bousquet, is for them.
Ripe, juicy, full-bodied, high alcohol, and brimming with cherry and currant. It also has a touch of anise and a little aged leather on the nose.
Certified organic and vegan-friendly, this is a solid cheap and cheerful crowd pleaser you'll want to keep on hand for those occasions that don't exactly warrant 'the good stuff' or for when your dinner party goes on longer than expected.
