Wines and SpiritsWhite (or Red) Christmas
But this is not about what wine to serve for the big meal. Since the Christmas dinner is not as consistent as the Thanksgiving dinner, it is more difficult to offer suggestions. Sure, some still roast a turkey, but more and more, people are dining on roast beef, roast pork, ham or, this being Southern California, Mexican dishes are often the norm. If you need help with pairing your food with the perfect type of wine, La Maison Gourmet has done all the work for you right here.
This is all about two major issues that come up each Christmas Season. I am not referring to gifts for the family, but how to handle the wine choices at the company holiday party, for one. And if you should be so lucky, what wine to serve at the holiday party you agreed to host; the one that sounded like such a great idea when it was planned during Thanksgiving dinner.
So here you are at the company Christmas party, or perhaps a friend or co-workerð€™s home for a cocktail party. There is little chance that the wine you normally would enjoy will be served. Thus, you are not surprised when you get there and donð€™t recognize the wine being served.
What better way to venture off on a different path than when your only other choice is to not drink wine at all?  And this way, you donð€™t have to spend your own money while you experiment.
Now be honest with yourself ð€“ donð€™t you often say you love to try different wines, and yet stick with your favorites? This is not the time for a rum and Coke©, this is an opportunity to expand your horizons. You may be surprised with the results. This is how I enjoyed my first Pinot Grigio.
So, for you red wine drinkers out there, saunter up to the bar and order a Chardonnay. And those of you who canð€™t understand the appeal of red, ask the bartender if he would pour you a small taste of that Central Coast Pinot Noir, and then you may understand why the movie Sideways became so popular.
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Planning your own party evening presents itself with a whole new set of problems. You remember what you went through at the party you attended, right? Well, now the shoe is on the other foot and it is up to you to serve wines that would be worthy of your own palate, yet not break the bank.
Sure, you could go the least expensive route and buy cases of wine that might cost less than a single bottle. Or fill up with the ð€Çsalesð€Ý from the local warehouse wine outlet who are often offering wines that they have not been able to sell because the big, mass production wine companies made too much. You may save some money, but nobody will leave your party commenting on your wine choices.
This is not about impressing your friends, but the perfect time to realize that you donð€™t have to bust the budget on your wine offerings. With so many great choices available, I could not begin to list them all here. I am going to try and keep it as simple as possible by offering three types of wine, offering suggestions only for reference.
For starters, a white wine that is easy drinking and blends well with almost anything. As a bonus, white wines are often less expensive than reds, so you can often trade up and get a nice quality wine for half of what it may cost in red. You can get great deals from all over the world, with the Aussies and New Zealanders doing great things with Sauvignon Blanc. If you want to stay with domestic, Hoopla Chardonnay from Napa is a great buy right now, and the white wine lovers will thank you.
Choosing the red wine selection for the evening can be a little trickier. You may have noticed that I said two red wine choices. Red wine sales exceed white wine, and it may surprise you, but even among women. So you need to be able to serve a wider spectrum of tastes, and satisfy them with only two choices, not an easy task. Here is where you may want to consult with your local wine merchant, and I canð€™t recommend anyone more highly than these two. Not only will they give you honest answers, they fully understand the meaning of the word budget!
To get you thinking of some options before you talk with them, let me offer my thoughts. First, you want a red wine that is easy to drink, light and accessible. One that immediately comes to mind is Pinot Noir, as mentioned above. Those from Washington State or the Central Coast of California are always winners. Forgetting the old days of ð€ÇHearty Burgundyð€Ý, you could also try original Pinot Noir, the wines from Burgundy, France.
Staying in France for the moment, Beaujolais-Villages wines are also delicious, fruity, easy drinking red wines that fit perfectly in a casual evening party setting. And for those who like their wines slightly chilled, like most white wine drinkers, Beaujolais can be lightly chilled. Beaujolais has been called ð€Çthe only white wine that happens to be redð€Ý. But please, do not mix up this wine with Beaujolais-Nouveau, a wine that is released one or two months after it has been harvested, normally, the third Thursday in November.
The third choice would be a more substantial red wine, the one that your guests would choose after they have tried the others. Of course there will be those that choose this style first, but that would be there mistake. By skipping your other choices, they would have lost out on a great opportunity to try new wines.
Here you have even more choices than you think. Of course Cabernet Sauvignon will be on your list of options, and rightfully so. But this could be used as a time to introduce your friends to wines from other parts of the world. Both Chile and Argentina offer excellent value in Cabernet, as well as Malbec and Syrah.
In California, winemakers seemed to have discovered the beauty of Syrah. They have caught up with the Australianð€™s in that respect. Sure, the Australian version is called Shiraz, but it is the same grape. Just be careful, as there is much Shiraz on the market that really should be sold as bulk, or jug wine.
I could go on, because I have not even mentioned the great values coming out of Spain for example. Or the wines of Oregon, Italy, Germany, South Africa, even Canada. Heck, I hear the wines from the Niagara Peninsula are great, and I am looking forward to trying the wines from the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Then there is the emergence of wine growing in Eastern European countries ð€“ is anyone ready for a Tokaj wine from Hungary? Maybe next year!
Salut and Joyeux Noël!