by Tom Dai, The Farmer’s Daughter
photos by Janis Jean
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is less than a month away, the air is cool and crisp, backyards are muted by the ghosts of lawnmowers, my tan is gone, and soon I’ll be blasting the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack on repeat.
As winter rolls along, blowing her chords of discontent, I can see my breath dissolving in the sunlight and I dream of snow floating across the tops of cities while contemplating, not jazz, but which wines to pair with classic holiday dishes, such as spaghetti drizzled in maple syrup or a three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich.
Upon further reflection, I realize wine actually pairs better with everything, so why stop at just food? If, baby, it’s cold outside for example, why not try a big and powerful Barolo – the so-called “King of Wines” with its royal tannin bomb exploding in your mouth – to warm your cockles? Just don’t forget to decant and let it breathe, otherwise you’ll find the wine tighter than Ebenezer Scrooge’s purse strings.
If you’re roasting chestnuts on an open fire, then I would recommend a smouldering Syrah from the Northern Rhône, with the smoky notes of cedar from toasted oak aging pairing nicely with a woodburning fireplace. Especially if that wood is cedar.
But if you’re thinking of which wines to pair with your holiday fare with their myriads of flavours, the answer is simple and obvious: we are going to pair our wines with cheese!
So, without further ado, here is a short-list of wines we recommend for enhancing your holiday cheese board experience:
Fratus, Franciacorta Brut, Lombardy, Italy NV – the Franciacorta region is Italy’s answer to Champagne, and similarly revered for producing the country’s finest sparkling wine. Made by the same traditional method, Franciacorta is aged on the lees for a minimum of 18 months (compared to 12 for Champagne), giving the wines a round and creamy mouthfeel, with subtle notes of brioche.
Pairing this with a fresh goat cheese such as the Crottin à ma Manière from Quebec, brings out the wonderful texture and hazelnut flavour from the cheese, and complements the citrus and mineral notes of the wine, with the bubbles and high acidity tying it all together harmoniously.
A nice glass of bubbly pairs well with just about anything, so they are an easy go-to when you have company, perfect for those surprise visits from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.
Domaine Rolet, L’Étoile Chardonnay, Jura, France 2020 – a good example of the old adage “what grows together, goes together,” as we pair this Chardonnay from the Jura region with its most famous (and my personal favourite) cheese – Comté. There’s lovely fruit and beautiful texture to this wine as well as a toasty almond note that pairs perfectly with Comté’s trademark nuttiness. The L’Étoile appellation in Jura is aptly named after its Pentacrine soil of star-shaped sea fossils, and the five hills that surround the region like a star, so it’s an inspired pairing with Comté, often the star of any cheese board!
Domaine Nico, Grand Père Pinot Noir, Mendoza, Argentina 2021 – elegant and classic, this is an extreme high-altitude single-parcel Pinot Noir from Argentina. Inspired by the great wines of Burgundy, it has intense fresh red fruit, forest moss, a textured savoury palate, with bright acidity, silky tannins, and a lengthy, layered finish, making this wine a brilliant pairing with the Régal de Bourgogne aux Canneberges from Burgundy, a soft and creamy cheese covered in dried cranberries. To me, you are perfect.
Château La Rame, Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, Bordeaux, France 2018 – long in the shadow of the world-renowned Sauternes, Sainte-Croix-du-Mont lies directly across Sauternes on the right bank of the Garonne river, and benefits from the same micro-climate that engenders the rare Botrytis Cinerea or “noble rot” that desiccates the grapes and concentrates its sugars, flavours and complexity. This luscious dessert wine, with notes of apricot, poached pear, honey and marmalade, has enough sweetness to satisfy your inner elf. The classic pairing here is with Roquefort –
a crumbly and creamy blue from France. The sweet and salty interplay is divine, and every time you take a sip and bite of this heavenly combination, an angel gets its wings.
While all these pairings can be sublime, the most important thing to remember during this holiday season, is that no man or woman
is a failure who has wine!
