Wines For Christmas Dinner

Today's picks will be hot commodities this weekend but I've named some suitable replacements in the story just in case. Should none of the wines be available by the time you make it to the store, be sure to seek some assistance. Whether you are in a government store of a private wine shop, my experience is the staff will be happy to help you find a satisfactory replacement.

The best wine to serve with turkey is the question everyone wants answered and my response is the same as it has been in past years: it all depends on how you prepare the bird.

With the exception of its darker hind quarters, turkey is essentially just another white meat and, as such, its flavours are easily manipulated by whatever you put into it.

The biggest single flavour-izer with turkey is the stuffing. No two birds will taste the same so it's important to assess the major flavours that mark your personal stuffing recipe, and then think about selecting a wine to complement those flavours.

Our first pairing involves roasted turkey with classic bread and sage stuffing. This combination calls for chardonnay or viognier in the soft, buttery style with hints of green apple and herbs that pick up on the pungent aromas of the dressing.

Locally, I like the Sumac Ridge, Quails' Gate CedarCreek and/or See You Later Ranch chardonnays, each sells for less than $20. As for viognier, regular readers will know the Yalumba Y Viognier is a great choice, as is the Bonterra from Mendocino and Jackson Triggs Okanagan if you can find it.

My pick is the Cline Viognier 2001 from Sonoma County. It's brilliant honeysuckle nose with orange, honey and buttery brioche notes should mesh perfectly with the sage dressing. It has a rich, round entry with mineral, honey, buttery, spicy sausage flavours and some citrus rind and melon notes too. A delicious show-stopper for the table.

Turkey with pork sausage stuffing means a cacophony of spices and seasonings led by fennel, paprika, chili, clove, ginger, garlic, peppercorn, sage and ... well, just about everything on the spice rack is fair game.

To counter the fiery, spicy flavours turn to the cool fruity gewürztraminer and its equally beguiling fragrant, spicy fruit and often strong, lychee nut fruit flavours.

Locally, Gray Monk and CedarCreek are good bets but if your stuffing is particularly spicy and intense and you may need a gewürztraminer with more power, so think Alsace.

Pierre Sparr Gewürztraminer Reserve 2001 fits the bill with its spicy, sausage, honey, mineral aromas streaked with lychee. It's intense and round with a big buttery palate. Lots of mineral, honey, butter, sausage and dried lychee flavours permeate the warm, soft finish.

Turkey with oyster and bread-crumb stuffing, sometimes described as oysters Rockefeller in a pouch, calls for a crisper, drier white. In B.C. un-oaked or lightly oaked pinot blanc or pinot gris should do the trick.

Best bets for local pinot blanc include CedarCreek, Sandhill, and Gray Monk but my pick for the bird is Tinhorn Creek Pinot Gris 2002 from south Okanagan winemaker Sandra Oldfield. Look for a mix of mineral green apple and honey notes with a nice twist of pie crust in the background. More mineral and apple skin flavours mark the aftertaste. Balanced and ready to drink it will have wide appeal.

An earthy, mushroom and bread stuffing calls for the dried, black cherry and barnyard nuances of pinot noir. And we have two excellent pinots to choose from.

From California it's difficult to pass up the Cambria Pinot Noir 2000 from Santa Barbara County. Look for an intriguing mix of tea, strawberry jam, spicy, barnyard and leather aromas and raspberry, strawberry, spicy, licorice flavours. Round and warm it slides down effortlessly and has just enough acidity to cut into any oily bird meat or stuffing.

The local favourite is Inniskillin Okanagan Pinot Noir Dark Horse Estate Vineyard 2001. The nose is a mix of licorice root and tar with plenty of black cherry and vanilla. Smoked tea and black cherry fruit dominate the palate with just a dusting of tannins in the finish. Delicious.

Finally, turkey with fruit stuffing be it plums, figs, apples, cranberries, prunes, or raisins screams for big fruity, peppery wines like zinfandel or Cotes du Rhone reds or a B.C. merlot.

Mission Hill Merlot Reserve 2001 fits the bill with its minty, bell pepper nose streaked with black cherry and currant fruit aromas. The entry is supple, round and warm with more peppery, black fruit flavours. There's a touch of tannin but it should dissipate with the food.

Next week it's Champagne and sparkling wine. Merry Christmas all.

WEEKEND WINE TASTING: Wines for Christmas dinner

Wine: Cline Viognier 2001, Sonoma County, Calif.
Price: $24.99
UPC: 098652180027
Score: 16/20
Comments: Honeysuckle orange, honey and buttery brioche notes.

Wine: Pierre Sparr Gewürztraminer Reserve 2001, Alsace, France
Price: $24.99
UPC: 97871001632
Score: 16/20
Comments: Mineral, honey, and dried lychee fruit flavours.

Wine: Tinhorn Creek Pinot Gris 2002, Okanagan Valley
Price: $14.95
UPC: 624802981024
Score: 15.5/20
Comments: Green apple and honey notes with a nice twist of pie crust.

Wine: Cambria Pinot Noir 2000, Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Price: $22.95
UPC: 26319000548
Score: 15.5/20
Comments: Raspberry, strawberry, spicy, licorice flavours.

Wine: Inniskillin Okanagan Pinot Noir Dark Horse Estate 2001, Okanagan Valley
Price: 16.99
UPC: 20654624768
Score: 15.5/20
Comments: Vanilla aromas with smoked tea and black cherry fruit.

Wine: Mission Hill Merlot Reserve 2001, Okanagan Valley
Price: $19.95
UPC: 776545983138
Score: 15/20
Comments: Supple and warm with peppery, black fruit flavours.