Wonderful Wines For The Christmas Table

Unlike Thanksgiving, when most Americans have a turkey dinner that requires a bit of thought as to what wine will best complement the meal’s flavors, Christmas dinners are far more varied. While turkey may well make another appearance, a standing rib roast is traditional, goose is a true treat and on Christmas Eve, Italian-Americans may celebrate La Vigilia (The Vigil), when seven seafood dishes are served (the number has many associations with Christianity). Given that variety, the wines chosen can be just as diverse, although many people will be a bit more liberal in their expenditure for finer bottles than usual. Here is a slew of wines I’ve matched to various dishes on America’s Christmas tables.

TURKEY with savory and sweet side dishes

Villa Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 2019 ($35)—Antinori has been making Chiantis for as long as the Tuscan appellation has existed, and its Riserva has a bigger body and mintiness that makes it so versatile with turkey or game birds. People who have forgotten the consistent charm of Chianti Classico will be reminded of how versatile a wine it really is.

Beronia Crianza 2018 ($15)—A delicious Rioja Crianza style made from 96% Tempranillo, 3% Garnacha and 1% Mazuelo. Slight oaky notes complement the spice tones and long finish, and it marries well with sweet condiments. Great price, too, if you’re having a crowd over.

Carlo Alfieri Barbera d’Asti Superiore 2015 ($28)—Few ever expected Barbera Asti to receive a DOCG appellation like its more prestigious sibling Piemontese Barolo and Barbaresco, but this well-aged example deserves the honor. Only 1,750 bottles of this wine were made by enologist Mario Olivero, after a perfect summer of weather to build up the polyphenolics. You could drink it just with roasted chestnuts and be very happy.

Cattleya Cuvée Number One Pinot Noir 2021, Russian River Valley ($65) and Cattleya 2021 Cuvée Number Eight Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast ($65)—Yes, these are young Pinot Noirs, sourced from a variety of Sonoma County vineyards, but for that they have a very pleasing middle-bodied freshness that will go well with dressing and winter spices.

Lynmar Estate Quail Hill Pinot Noir 2018 ($71)—California Pinot Noir styles vary widely, and it is telling that the Russian River Valley’s Lynmar Estate has had 40 years to focus its own style, based on 17 distinct blocks planted with 14 dry-farmed Pinot Noir clones and four Chardonnay clones, all individually fermented then blended by Director of Winemaking and Vineyards Pete Soergel. There’s elegance and finesse here, which binds well to turkey and game, and would be just as wonderful with a whole bowl of buttered mashed potatoes.

ROAST BEEF OR LAMB

Li Veli “Orion” Primitivo Salento 2021 ($15)—Located halfway between the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea, in the Salento region of Puglia, the estate enjoys a cooler climate than some other Puglian estates. Li Veli’s Primitivo (a variant of Zinfandel) avoids the overpowering, dark style the grape can produce in favor of a fruit-forward example that, at $15, is easy to drink throughout a meal of hearty components.

Ron Rubin Winery UN-Oaked Pam Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 ($16)—Made as a tribute to Ron Rubin’s wife Pam, this wine goes against the California infatuation with making oak a significant flavor component. Un-oaked, more of the grape’s essential flavors and acid comes through, with a little sweetness left, and at 12.5% alcohol and at $16, it is easy drinking for a long dinner.

Kalon Highest Beauty 2019 ($200)—If you’re going to splurge for guests who will appreciate the wine, this is a powerful 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, whose tannins are already softening. The alcohol is very high at 15.2%, but roast beef’s fatty richness will gain in the match. Kalon, which was founded 150 years ago, also makes a H.W.C 2019 ($250), with slightly less alcohol, from vines originally planted by Robert Mondavi in the 1960s.

Bertani Valpolicella Ripasso 2017 ($26)—The richer flavors and bigger body a Ripasso has, in contrast to simple Valpolicella, are evident in this example from one of the Veneto’s most distinguished estates. A blend of 80% Corvina Veronese, 15% Rondinella and 5% Merlot, with a lovely 13.5% alcohol, it is just shy of the robustness of an Amarone, at a lower price. Ideal with beef or lamb, as it would be in the Veneto this time of year.

CHRISTMAS EVE SEAFOOD

Clay Shannon Chardonnay 2020 ($30)—Clay Shannon started planting in 1996 in California’s mountainous Lake County, with over 2,000 acres, 1,000 of which use a regenerative organic farming system that greatly reduces environmental impact. This wine is a blend of Chardonnay from both High Valley and Red Hills grapes and its depth of flavor is a fine accompaniment to shellfish and strong flavors like anchovies.

FEL Savoy Vineyard Chardonnay 2020 ($52)—At this price for an Underson Valley district Chardonnay, you expect a fuller body and California’s sun provides the ripeness and 35% new oak a modest edge that goes with the sensible 13.8% alcohol. Lobster, especially fra diavolo style, would be wonderful with this wine. The vintage enjoyed an excellent climate in Anderson Valley.

Hat Strap Chardonnay Carneros ($25). Another fine match with fleshy fish like Dover sole or halibut, this is sourced from the Cline family’s J. Poppe vineyard, the oldest Sonoma vineyard on the winery’s estate on Wildcat Mountain. Says Fred Cline, “Winds come up from the San Pablo Bay, directly pulling in cooler coastal air. The wind is so strong that I need to hang on to my hat when inspecting the vineyard.” Hence the wine’s name.

Inama “Carbonare” Soave DOC Classico 2020 ($30); La Valentina Pecorino Colline Pescaresi 2021 ($18); Russiz Superiore Sauvignon Collio 2021 ($31); Garofoli Supèra Verdicchio Di Matelica 2021 ($16)—Importer Dalla Terra brings in all these unusual Italian white wines, each superior to the run-of-the-mill examples that have kept the varietals from gaining a better reputation. Each is distinctive but all are very good accompaniments to all kinds of seafood, especially a dish like langoustines in garlic and oil or blue crabs cooked with Old Bay Seasoning.