Matthew Boucher, of drinks shop Thirsty, advises on the best way to get merry this Christmas
Here is your Thirsty guide for choosing wines to drink on Christmas Day. Personally, I’ll be up early peeling potatoes, so I’ll be needing a cup of tea – but if you are lucky enough to be sitting down or still in bed, then the classic way to start the day would of course be with a drop of fizz. Champagne or Buck’s Fizz would do the trick. I don’t know why, but either go well with strong black coffee.
Next job is to get the sprouts from the allotment, which classically means a detour via the pub for a swift, cleansing half of bitter. Sadly there won’t be time for that this year, so I’ll have a couple of growlers of pre-prepared craft beer. Growlers, aka large containers for transporting draft beers, are enjoying a revolution across the pond and are increasingly popular here. I’ll probably go for something from Magic Rock or if there’s any left, some of my colleague Sam’s GlueBier – a collaboration between Thirsty and Calverley’s Brewery.
At some point, oven control technique sets in and whatever is going to be cooked will have to be ready to go mid-morning. With the stress of all this, a fortifying glass of the best sherry money (very little, in fact, for a half bottle) can buy is required to steady the hand. La Guita’s salty and dry manzanilla should work – any spare can go into the trifle, but that would be a waste.
“Go fetch that bottle you’ve been storing”
Posh types, I’ve recently learnt, eat smoked salmon for starters. Being quite posh myself, but ignorant of this habit, I’ve totally decided to take it on board. This is the excuse, if one were needed, to open a sauvignon blanc, chardonnay or better still the most expensive German riesling (check out espenhof, knevitz or rings) you can find.
On to the main course (turkey, beef, carp?) and really it’s got to be white wine and probably burgundy (invariably chardonnay). If you must have red wine, go fetch that bottle you’ve been storing for a special occasion, because you won’t have another chance. Better still, stock up with a six-pack of Fleurie from Manoir du Carra. This is beaujolais at its fruitiest, juiciest best.
Next is Christmas pudding. I can’t stand the stuff, but this does at least open up the option of a dessert wine. Have a moscatel from Portugal in the fridge such as Cla from the Douro Valley. You don’t even need the pudding to drink this, really. Mince pies anyone? If so, choose a lighter sweet wine like sauternes from Bordeaux. Château Bauduc is well on form just now.
If you’re cheesy like me then you’ll be requiring a drop of port with your Stilton. Amazingly there is still some late-bottled vintage 2009 from Quinta Do Noval (very soft and smooth) left, which may just last long enough for you to crack open those nuts as you ease yourself into the evening.
Having missed the Queen’s Speech and then spent time searching for it on iPlayer, maybe you’ll need a steadying glass of whisky from Scotland. Try Wolfburn, which is new – and you can’t say that about most whisky.
Merry Christmas, all!
