WineTime Liverpool’s Jon Atkinson looks at what libations you should be sampling over the festive period

BEING IN THE WINE TRADE, December is our busiest time of year and as ever, I’ll be working seven days a week. Invariably, by the time Christmas arrives I’m ready to firstly, catch up on some sleep and secondly, enjoy the wonderful excesses of food and drink as we push the boat out once again!

On Christmas morning, we are usually up reasonably early and start the day with tea and toast ahead of a nice long walk with the dogs. Once back from our walk, breakfast ‘proper’ will be scrambled eggs with either smoked salmon or kippers. Either way, it will be accompanied by fizz, be it Champagne or a decent quality sparkler from elsewhere – the only way to start the day’s festivities in my book!

We have the excellent Crémant from Bollinger owned Langlois Chateau on offer throughout December, down from £19.95 to just £11.99. If it has to be Champagne, then the stunning wines from Champagne Boizel start at just £29.95 and are highly recommended, indeed at £29.95 their Brut Réserve was awarded a platinum medal at last year’s Decanter World Wine Awards – the biggest & best wine competition in the world.

My next port of call will be Sherry – not terribly popular, but I am a huge fan and always enjoy a chilled glass (or three!) of bone-dry Fino or Manzanilla. I adore these wines but am aware that they are something of an acquired taste, but for me, they are a superb aperitif. If you are starting to feel peckish at this stage, give it a try with some salted almonds – a marvellous pairing!

Our choice of white and red wine will inevitably be dictated by what we are eating, but the white is almost always Burgundy. This much-fabled region in the centre-east of France produces the best Chardonnay (and Pinot Noir for reds) but will usually set you back a pretty penny because it’s deemed to be the best and the region is relatively tiny. This has been exacerbated recently by a series of ‘challenging’ vintages which has resulted in considerably reduced yields; however, we have a parcel shipped from the venerable house of Chanson which includes a delicious, suitably mature Rully for a bargain £13.50.

If turkey is the name of the game then Burgundy of the red persuasion will definitely fit the bill, and our friends at Chanson have come up with a lovely Savigny-les-Beaune that we have at a very reasonable £18.25 – light, delicate and full of red fruit character. However, many people opt for something fuller flavoured at Christmas such as goose or rib of beef. If that’s the way you are rolling then something more robust is called for. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a perennial favourite and an obvious candidate, but it does come at a premium.

If you enjoy this style of wine, then there are plenty of good alternatives from around that area of the southern Rhône and my personal recommendation would be Grande Réserve from Walter McKinley’s superb Domaine de Mourchon. A fabulously rich, concentrated and savoury blend of Grenache, Syrah & Mourvèdre that would put many a Ch9 to shame.

I don’t have a particularly sweet tooth (although I do love dessert wines), but for many people, Christmas wouldn’t be complete without Christmas pudding, cake and mince pies! The received wisdom on a wine pairing is that the wine should be at least as sweet as the dessert, ideally sweeter.

With festive puddings you’ll need something with plenty of gumption and I think that the Leone ‘aged tawny’ from Lou Miranda Estate in the Barossa Valley is just the ticket! Being made in Australia, this can’t be called ‘Port’ but that is essentially what it is, albeit a lot sweeter and richer than a conventional Tawny from Porto!

Whatever you decide to go with for your festive drinking, I hope that it goes down well and makes for a wonderful feast – Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

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