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WINE COLUMN
Red is the Colour of Christmas
By Carolyn Evans Hammond, published in Outreach Connection and distributed privately on 4/12/09
Every wine expert I know will tell you the same thing: you don’t need to spend a fortune for a delicious bottle of wine these days. Global competition, the struggle for shelf space, and practical advances in winemaking mean a reasonable mid-week quaffer can be purchased for less than $10. And a tasty bottle to trot out on special occasions doesn’t have to exceed about $20—if you know what to buy.
Sure, you can pay more and get oodles of complexity, concentration and length, but most of that will be lost on most people most of the time. That $100 Bordeaux, Burgundy or SuperTuscan can be saved for those evenings spent with another jaded wine fiend bent on subtly and nuance.
This tidbit is important given it’s holiday season—otherwise known as wine season. There are wines for host/hostess gifting, wines for unexpected holiday drop-ins, wines for under trees, wines for around the trees, and wines to enhance the mistletoe, to stuff stockings and to slip Santa. Pour an expensive bottle at each turn and you’ll be, well, never mind. So, here’s the all-purpose Christmas wine list—to keep the budget in check. And since red is the traditional colour of Christmas, let’s stick with that hue.
Let’s start with a tried and true favourite of mine that’s $7.45 per bottle in Ontario--Citra Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2007 DOC, Abruzzo, Italy. Apparently, i’m not the only one who likes this wine; it is one of the 20 best-selling wines in Ontario. Such great value! Lush aromas of berries and plums lead to sweet-fruited black cherry and leather flavors with a soft, silky texture and fresh, palate-cleansing acidity. Medium-to full-bodied with 13% alc. This is a great wine to stock for holiday drop-ins—it’s a versatile crowd-pleaser.
Then there’s Beaujolais Nouveau: The wine made from Gamay in the Beaujolais region of France that’s released world-wide in one fell swoop the third Thursday of November each year. When the growing season is great, the fruit is handled with care, and you get to it while it’s young and nubile, you can expect a thrilling refresher. Such was the case this year. So, for $14.95, go straight to Georges Duboeuf’s Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau 2009 (LCBO 932780). It’s round, ripe, and juicy with a sweet lush blackberry and black cherry core and the hallmark hint of bubblegum. This is a fabulous post-shopping drink.
For that bottle to bring to a party or tuck under the tree, grab Ironstone Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (LCBO 537597 $20.95). It could sell for twice the price and would be a pleasure to receive. Cassis, black pepper, cedar, and a toasted wood finish. Classic, ripe and easy-drinking. And it works just as well as a cocktail as it does a the table.
And then, there’s turkey wine, which tends to call for Pinot Noir. You can’t go wrong with these two suggestions. The first is, Kenwood Pinot Noir 2007, Russian River Valley, California, USA (LCBO 943225 $25.95), a pale, elegant, Californian rendition of Burgundy’s flagship grape that offers incredible value. Smooth and creamy with cherry-vanilla, fresh strawberry, ripe raspberry, and violets. Hard to beat this Pinot Noir for the price.
The second suggestion is Oyster Bay Pinot Noir 2008, Marlborough, New Zealand (LCBO 590414 $19.95). Marlborough is perhaps best known for its full-throttle Sauvignon Blanc, but is seriously carving out a reputation for fine Pinot Noir too. And bottles like this tell why. It offers textbook Pinot Noir charm at a fraction of the price of red Burgundy. It’s beautifully smooth and graceful with warm red fruit, cream, and hint of dry earth—a steal at less than $20. Super Santa sipper—beats milk and cookies (or even a beer!) hands down.
The wines noted show their Ontario prices. If you live outside of Ontario, go to http://www.wine-searcher.com and search for a stockist in your area.
Carolyn Evans Hammond’s latest book, Good Better Best Wines, A No-Nonsense Guide to Popular Wines, hits shelves in April. Her critical articles and reviews have appeared in such eminent magazines as Decanter and Wine & Spirit International in the United Kingdom, as well as Maclean’s, Taste, and Tidings in Canada and her first book, 1000 Best Wine Secrets, earned critical acclaim and international distribution with the distinction of being a best-seller by Canadian standards. Qualified sommelier and seasoned journalist, Carolyn holds the Diploma from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and a BA from York University. Carolyn has lived in many cities in North America and Europe, and now resides in Toronto, where she was born.
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