The holiday entertaining season is upon us and
that usually means it’s time to party with friends. Just remember, securing the
perfect suit or the perfect dress for the holidays won’t mean much if you are
caught serving or drinking yesterday’s wine.
Being hip doesn’t mean you have to give up
drinking your favourite merlot or cabernet sauvignon or even that chardonnay
you won’t let go of, but why not move away from the safe and familiar and pick
up some bottles that will set you apart from the crowd.
As I’ve said before, the good news about
shopping ahead of the trend or simply a few metres off the well-worn path
usually means the wines you are searching for will be available long after all
the critter labels are gone. Don’t forget store clerks can be your best friend.
They know where the wine is or even if it’s in stock. Better yet they can
suggest an alternative if they don’t have the bottle you are looking for.
We begin with the white, which IS the new red.
Nothing says you know more about wine than to be seen clutching a kick-ass,
glass of white wine in a room full of red wine drinkers.
Groovy grüner from Austria is the ultimate,
holiday season sipper so make sure you are seen clasping a glass of super
crisp, delightfully floral, groovy grüner. Top picks include
Jurtschitsch
Sonnhof Steinhaus
Grüner
Veltliner 2005 ($20)
which comes with a slick Vino-loc glass stopper closure ensuring it
is the ultimate in freshness. I love the
Rabl Grüner Veltliner Spiegel 2005
($16)
and its passion fruit and
granny smith flavours or
Hiedler Grüner Veltliner Loess 2005 ($17)
with its crisp, round, juicy entry and clean dry finish.
Aromatic white blends are just as much fun and
probably more versatile when it comes to food and large parties. In this case
sauvignon blanc,
sémillon
-sauvignon blanc,
riesling or viognier are all worth clutching and there’s a pile to choose from.
Under screwcap is the refreshing
Wirra Wirra Scrubby Rise ($15)
from Australia.
Cono Sur Viognier
with its orange mineral flavours selling at a mere $11 is, as the kids might
say, “stupid” value. Similarly priced is the French version from
Moillard
2004 Viognier Huges le Juste ($11.75).
Rieslings are made for stand-up parties and
lately the sipping is good. Best names bets here include:
Bonny Doon Pacific
Rim ($19)
boasting Washington, California and
German grapes;
Mission Hill Five Vineyards Dry ($17); Lingenfelder Bird
Series ($17); Loosen Dr. L ($17);
or the
Selbach
QBA Bereich Bernkastel ($15).
All of these are good
with spicy Asian or Indian food.
Chardonnay doesn’t really cut it unless its
über
-cool as in wild fermented, or it has an
irresistibly chic appellation appeal such as Leyda Valley (Chile), or Adelaide
Hills (Australia) or Kamptal (Austria) or even cool coastal California. A few
that fit the bill are
Errazuriz Wild Ferment ($22)
from Casablanca, Chile,
Benziger Los Carneros, Sonoma ($27),
Mission Hill S.L.C. 2004 Okanagan ($30)
or
Vergelegen
from Somerset, South Africa ($20).
I know it’s red wine you crave, all I ask is
that you move about the store and look at some new labels. Not everything has
to be made with merlot, cabernet and pinot noir.
Think blends from Australia, Chile and Argentina
and you will find some fine bottles at an attractive price. I have no problem
recommending the monster picks like
Henschke 2001 Mt Edelstone ($96),
d’Arenberg 2003 Dead Arm Shiraz ($70)
or the
St
Hallet Old Block Shiraz ($60).
But it’s the oddly named
Stickleback Red ($13)
made from a blend of
cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and grenache from South Australia that delivers big
value. You will love its easy-to-open, cork-taint-free screw-cap closure. Ditto
that for
De Bortoli 2003 Willow Glen Shiraz Cabernet ($12).
Argentine malbec and malbec blends make the “I
know what I’m doing” statement, so be sure to stock up. Top picks of this
juicy, savoury peppery red include:
Nieto Senetiner Cabernet Shiraz ($16),
Catena Malbec 2002 ($26), Clos de la Siete ($24)
and, if you want to go all out and spend a few bucks, look to the powerful
Cheval
des Andes Cabernet Malbec 2002 ($80)
.
Syrah from South America remains highly
underrated and one of the best new labels is the
MontGras Antu Ninquèn Syrah
2004 ($23)
, a delicious savoury, floral,
pepper-scented red that comes from the hillsides of the Colchagua Valley.
Budget sippers worth buying include
Finca Los Primos Syrah 2005 ($10), Adobe
Orgánico Syrah ($14)
or
Chakana Syrah ($15).
Spain is on a hot streak with consumers so be
sure to check out the ripest, maybe the sweetness yet
—
Castaño Monastrell 2005 ($9).
Note the price. Ditto for the
Gos Monastrell 2005 ($13)
and the
Vinos Sin Ley Zestos Especial 2004 ($16)
, a tempranillo/syrah blend. All will carry your party needs and
then do double duty as dinner reds.
Finally, pinot noir remains a hot item; the
problem is finding quality and value. The best value is New World; the best
spots are New Zealand, Chile and California. Here’s a short list of quick picks
that deliver that basic black cherry pinot character with some spicy
mouth-filling fruit:
Cono Sur ($10)
and
Casas
del Bosque 2005 ($20)
from Chile.
Main Divide
Pinot Noir ($32)
out of New Zealand
. Bel Glos
Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara ($45),
and
Saintsbury
Carneros 2004 ($46).
Remember, looking like you know what you’re
doing is half the wine battle. The other is actually knowing what you are doing
and with any of today’s picks you will have both covered. Have a safe holiday
season.
Anthony Gismondi is a globetrotting wine writer who makes his home in West Vancouver, British Columbia. For more of his thoughts on wine log onto www.gismondionwine.com
