At
this time of year, as people plan to host family, friends and colleagues, they
often worry about making the right choices of wine. When asked, I suggest
deciding on the menu first and developing the wine list to follow, or vice
versa. My general advice, however, is bubbles first. And the best finish is the
sweet wines. For the middle of the meal, choose wines you prefer, whites or
reds, and everything will go swimmingly. (The simple rule for pairing a wine
with a dish: balance. One should not overpower the other. For example, don’t
pair a Chianti Classico with raw fish, as the taste of the wine will overwhelm
the flavour of the fish.) And so, in that
spirit, I offer some ideas for this season.
SEE YOU ALL IN
THE NEW YEAR!
Rachel’s Recommended Top Ten for the
Festive Season
Bubbles
1 Prosecco Conte Marcello Prosecco Veneto IGT, €15
A must for the
festive season, lightly fragrant and reminiscent of white flowers, seemingly
sweet at the beginning yet offers a nice, dry finish. Amazing price-quality
point for the holiday season in place of Champagne. An ‘anything’ bubbles you can take anywhere,
versatile and stylish.
2 Franciacorta Brut Contadi Castaldi Franciacorta DOC, €22.50
The little sister of
the famous Bellavista Franciacorta, considered one of the two top Franciacorta
metodo classico wines, along with Annamaria Clementi by Cà del Bosco. A
fantastic bottle of bubbles for a great price. The perlage pleasantly pops on
your tongue, with a light toasty and yeast flavour. You don’t need anything but
a toasted salted almond to stick in your mouth as these bubbles hold their own
and are good by themselves.
3 Ferrari Perlè Metodo Classico Trentino DOC 2004, €27
I have a
long-standing love affair with Ferrari Perlè. It lost it for me in the years
from 2004 to 2006 (release years) with its high level of acidity, but now it is
back on track and better than ever: on the nose it has the classic white
flowers, a very light yeasty and pleasant crusty-bread smell, then a long
finish, with a pleasant freshness that only a 100 percent sparkling chardonnay
can offer, as Ferrari Perlè is a blanc de blanc. Fantastic. This one is good with
food.
White and rosè
4 Vermentino
Guado al Tasso Vermentino Bolgheri DOC Guado al Tasso, 16.50
If you are having
turkey and all the trimmings and prefer to do it with a white, this fresh,
fragrant, crisp white wine produced on
the coast of Tuscany has a fruity yet not-sweet taste and a crisp almost salty
finish. If you are lucky enough to be serving cranberries, this Vermentino will
keep up its side. Great to cut the grease of the turkey.
5 Sauvignon Sanct
Valentin A.A.Saint Michel Eppan DOC
2008, €24.50
One of the few true
sauvignon blancs produced in Italy, Sauvignon Sanct Valentin 2008 offers all a
true sauvignon blanc can offer, rare to find in sauvignon produced in Italy:
the freshness of tomato leaves in the sun, the richness of passionfruit, the
pungency of cat pee on a gooseberry bush; yes, that is truly a term we use for
the quality of a good sauvignon blanc and this Sanct Valentin merits every bit.
If you decide to choose this as your holiday white, you need to make sure you
have strong flavours in your menu to stand up to this wine; then you will find
harmony.
6 Rosato del Salento Di Marco Rosato IGT Salento 2008, €15
From Salento in
Puglia, the most famous region producing Vini Rosati in Italy, this rosè adds
colour and flavour to any festive season. The price is very reasonable for such
a high-quality rosè. This rosato is a big wine with great aromas with a
surprisingly crisp clean finish.
Reds
7 Chianti Classico Riserva Principe
Corsini A101 Chianti Classico
Riserva DOCG 2006 Principe Corsini, €25
This Chianti
Classico Riserva has a lot to offer: it has the aroma of rich red berry fruits,
the mustiness of the forest undergrowth, yet it is very delicate, velvety
smooth. And at the second sip you can smell chocolate and a little bit of liquorice
coming from the 15 months of French oak. A very smooth and velvety
finish with soft tannins.
8 Rosso di Montalcino Collelceto Rosso di
Montalcino 2004 DOCG Elia Palazzesi Collelceto, €23.50
Always the
unassuming little brother a good secret to know is when to buy a wine that
costs half the price and offers at least two-thirds the quality of that
better-known and most-famous Tuscan wine, Brunello di Montalcino. This Rosso di
Montalcino produced by Elia Palazzesi is all about red plum in the early season
under the sunshine, cherries biting the stone to taste the seed, earth, spice,
and also offers a simple smooth and unexpectedly uncomplicated finish.
Sweet dessert
wines
9 Santo
Spirito Vin Santo Santo Spirito
Frescobaldi, €5.50 for a 0.375ml bottle
With the name of the Holy Spirit, Santo Spirito, this sweet
wine cannot be beat to dip your cantuccini in at the end of a holiday dinner,
or in the place of sherry and cake for afternoon tea when friends come to
visit. Simple, sweet and unassuming it is great for what it is, and the price
also portrays this.
10 Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ryè Passito di
Pantelleria DOC Donna Fugata 2007, €28 for a 0.375ml bottle
This is known to be the best sweet wine in Italy, for a reason:
it is the nectar of the gods. it is produced on the island of Pantelleria off
the southern coast of Sicily. You know when you have tasted it and gone to
heaven. A wine with an amazing personality, golden hues, honey and nectar with
a freshness that is not expected. A bit of almond paste. A bit of apricots
picked off the tree in full sunshine and ripped apart, a bit of ripe peach, and
in the end a freshness that gives this wine an amazing balance. And I could go
on… Worth every delicious drop. You need to serve only a tiny glass to each
guest.
