Turkey Wines for Christmas

Well, for all you procrastinators out there, you now have one week to get the job done. If you have already experienced the weekend's most dreaded question: "Make sure you pick up some wine for Christmas dinner," we are here to help.

Selecting Christmas dinner wines can strike fear into the heart of any seasoned wine buyer, let alone the casual tippler, especially if you failed to sign up for that food and wine pairing class you said you would attend after last year's Christmas dinner debacle. Fear not, we have the answers you need today and we've done our best to track down wines that are in plentiful supply.

There are no right or wrong wines to serve at Christmas dinner. It's true we have long eschewed great wines from old vintages that require attention to detail and frankly do not have the mettle to stand up to the confusion of large family dinners -- but that doesn't mean you can simply freelance.

Generous wines are always a hit. That means red wines with soft tannins and white wines with a reasonably fruity, aromatic demeanour. After that, as long as you consider the main course, be it the traditional stuffed turkey or perhaps a lamb roast, or a ham, or even a vegetarian supper, you should be able to enjoy some magical matches.

If ham, or any kind of charcuterie, is on the menu, think off-dry Riesling. The fruit and acidity is a perfect foil to the smoke and salt. Local Riesling options are plentiful and worth checking out, some in government stores, others at VQA stores. Names to look for include: St. Hubertus Dry Riesling 2009 ($15), Red Rooster 2009 ($16) and Ganton & Larson 2009 ($13).

Our feature pick is the Dr. L Riesling 2009 that comes off steep slopes and slate soil, giving it the elegant, racy style of the Mosel Valley in Germany. Look for crunchy, ripe, red apple fruit, citrus, mango and slate aromas. Fresh and crisp, it has enough sweetness to tame spicy dishes, but also enough zippy acidity to clean up after itself on the palate.

There is good news for vegetarians who seemed to prosper at Christmas thanks to the many meatless vegetable side dishes and trimmings that combine brilliantly with the emerging category of aromatic blends. That said, the same wines work just as well with turkey.

Local picks to look for include the Dunham Froese Amicitia White 2009 ($25), Herder Three Sisters 2008 ($20), Laughing Stock Blind Trust White +23/9 ($25). From around the globe Torres Vina Esmeralda 2009 ($15) and, Chat en Oeuf Blanc 2009 ($13) would be fine choices.

My first pick is the La Vieille Ferme Cotes du Luberon Blanc 2009, a delicious blend of Grenache blanc, bourboulenc, ugni blanc and roussanne. The attack is soft and fresh. The palate, delicate, with a hint of sweetness and pear, honey, lemon, butter, nutty, grapefruit flavours. Made for turkey.

Another good choice would be the Chat-en-Oeuf Vin Blanc de Pays d'Oc 2009. The mix is two-thirds Grenache blanc and one-third marsanne, which spawns a fresh mineral, floral nose and a palate with fresh acidity and more mineral citrus grapefruit and peachy notes. It's a wine that can easily shift from an appetizer role to an entree pairing. Fine value, too.

If lamb is on the menu, the slam dunk match is Syrah, but Syrah blends are equally welcomed. The theory is the big, gamy powerful meat flavours requires a similarly powerful red to subdue the proteins and soften the tannins. If you don't tell anyone, they will work with a fully loaded bird with the trimmings.

Sure bets include: Falernia Reserva Syrah 2006 ($18) and Santa Rita Medalla Real Gran Reserva Syrah ($22) from Chile; Three Winds Syrah 2008 ($14) from France; Porcupine Ridge Syrah 2009 from South Africa ($18) and locally the CedarCreek Platinum Syrah ($40) or the Township 7 Syrah 2007 ($25).

Our two Syrahs begin with a red blend Kuyen 2008 made with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere. Never too showy, Kuyen is a wine to contemplate. Grown biodynamically, the fruit is pure, its bay leaf, Maipo savoury minty aromas fresh and substantial. On the palate you get black fruit, olives and spice and floral earthy undercurrents. Great with lamb.

Yalumba Barossa Patchwork Shiraz 2008 is a dry firm earthy, meaty, savoury Shiraz from Down Under with fresh plum, peppery, licorice and coffee flavours. It has finesse and ripeness, but will easily tame the bird and all its trimmings.

Last up is a delicious bottle of Pinot Ata Rangi Crimson Pinot Noir 2008 from Martinborough, New Zealand. The nose and palate are in sync, sharing a spicy, black fruit character and a long silky smooth texture from front to back with moderate tannins and a dry, earthy, savoury note throughout. Perfect for drinking now.

I'm confident you will find most of today's picks in government Signature BC Liquor Stores, except for the Kuyen, which is special to Everything Wine. If you cannot find the exact match, store staff should be able to help you find something similar. Have a great holiday.

Dr. L Riesling 2009, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

Price      $19

UPC       00183103000013

Score    89/100

Remarks              Crunchy ripe, red apple fruit, citrus, mango and a touch of sweetness.

La Vieille Ferme Côtes du Luberon Blanc 2009, Provence, France

Price      $14

UPC       631470000049

Score    87/100

Remarks              Floral, pear, honey, lemon, butter, nutty, grapefruit flavours.

Chat-en-Oeuf Vin Blanc de Pays d'Oc 2009, Languedoc, France

Price      $14

UPC       3430560001686

Score    87/100

Remarks              A wine that can easily shift from an appetizer role to an entrée pairing.

Kuyen 2008, Valle del Maipo, Region del Valle Central, Chile

Price      $29 Everything Wine

UPC       007809590500005

Score    90/100

Remarks              Grown bio-dynamically the fruit is pure, fresh and substantial.

Wine Yalumba Barossa Patchwork Shiraz 2008, Barossa Valley, South Australia

Price      $26

UPC       009311789001395

Score    87/100

Remarks              Spicy, leather, cedar, peppery, blueberry, savoury flavours.

Ata Rangi Crimson Pinot Noir 2008, Martinborough, New Zealand

Price      $28

UPC       9421013421650

Score    89/100

Remarks              Silky smooth textures from front to back.