MIPTC #26 - Holiday Suggestions!

'Tis the season, y’all! The break is finally here, and (I hope) most of you are now transitioning from let’s-close-this-never-ending-Q4 mode to omg-the-house-will-never-be-ready-before-the-inlaws-get-here mode. Congratulations!

As promised in the last edition, I thought I'd take this week's edition away from the typical one wine review in favir of a more holiday-friendly suggestion format. I'll therefore be sharing what I would pick to pair with what would be a typical Holiday dinner in my part of the world, which hopefully will translate decently to your own kind of menu as well.

In my neck of the woods, Christmas dinners always incorporate things like roasted turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, meat pies we call tourtières, cranberry sauce… all that great heavy, heart-warming stuff. I'll therefore make recommendations accordingly, but please don't hesitate to comment with your own flavor of Holiday feast and I'll suggest a thing or two - let's keep this inclusive as can be!

All right, let's start pouring!

Option 1: Domaine Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2021

Credit: SAQ.com

I’ve shared my love for Beaujolais a few times before as a light and no-fuss wine, so it might surprise a few of you that it would get a spot on my Holiday table. Yet, I find the more robust appelations of Beaujo like Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent to be incredible pairings with roasted turkey. Why? Because the lean nature of the meat can often make it feel kind of dry, and a full glass of fleshy and fruit-forward Beaujolais is often just what one needs to lift it up a bit.

What I love about this particular one is how clean it is while remaining super dense and interesting like a good natural wine should. Bunch of floral notes dancing with red berries and crushed peppercorns, medium-high acidity and playful, understated tannins. Delicious.

Option 2: Yalumba Viognier Eden Valley 2019

Credit: SAQ.com

You’ve probably heard of the oaky Chardonnay with turkey before. In fact, it tends to be one of the first exceptions to the age-old red-wine-with-meat rule most people tend to stick to. While it is a good one, I feel it is not always ideal - and especially when one doesn’t enjoy the buttery stuff and chooses a lighter, crisper style of Chard instead. Since Chard is basically what you make of it, I tend to stay away from blanket recommendations. In comes Viognier - a perfectly atuned white wine to take on your holiday celebrations.

Fleshy, peary and round, the varietal’s signature stone fruit flavors and floral, even honeyed undertones are ideal with tender turkey meat - but you might want to stay light on the gravy (which usually calls for a red).

In my book, best value Viogniers these days tend to come for down under, though the best quality stills comes from the Northern Rhone region of France. This one is all you’d want in a holiday wine at a killer value under 30$ CAD: white flowers, apricots, ginger, white pepper wraped in a fleshy, oily and yet still refreshing package. Very versatile pour, too.

Oh, and it’s pronounced vee-OH-nee-ay, folks.

Option 3: Coto de Hayas Garnacha Centenaria 2019

Credit: SAQ.com

Let me be clear: I think there’s a lot of great Pinot Noir and (especially) Bordeaux being suboptimally used. Pinot Noir does work, but it is often too delicate to stand up to all this densely flavored meat, and especially if you tend to season a lot. On the other side of the spectrum, Bordeaux is usually overpowering and full of coarse tannins (especially in its youth), which results in layers of dryness upon dryness that are not much fun. Just keep it in the wine fridge until your next steak au poivre, all right?

The real unsung wine of the Holidays to me, however, is Spanish Garnacha. A simple and cheerful varietal offering loads of red fruit flavors like strawberry (especially), raspberry and red cherry, it has a lovely and unassuming juicy quality that makes it so darn good with poultry dishes. Higher quality examples are also not short of complexity, with some offering a signature dusty quality along with forest floor, black pepper, and complex floral undertones.

This one is heartwarming and round, with a core of strawberries and tart cherries that could very well make it replace the cranberry sauce at your table! Great length and finish with no alcoholic burn (sadly a common fault with Garnacha - so try to keep it under 13.5% ABV if you can).

That’s it, folks! Hope you enjoyed the read and are now willing to step out of your comfort zone a bit before going on your holiday booze haul. I’ll see you next week to discuss New Years Eve bottle poppers!

Also, let me take a second to wish you all a very merry holiday season replete with good wine, chill times, and a lot of family and friends. This is the perfect season to enjoy what we take for granted all years, so let’s find a moment to stop the race and be grateful for a moment, shall we?