Christmas Turkeys

Christmas is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. This celebration clashes with a visit to children from Santa Claus. It's a very busy time for suburban housewives, and it's very easy to lose sight of what the Spirit of Christmas is all about. Distractions include endless rounds of office parties, all of which seemingly cannot be held without Mr Q; supermarkets forcing us into overeating with non-stop advertising; and frenzied scenes in shopping centres all over the country as we wantonly part with our cash to buy presents for people who probably already have enough clutter in their lives. A Dutch friend who lived here for several years, but only spent one Christmas in the country, remarked quite seriously that the endless queues and empty shelves reminded her of Russia during the Communist era.

Following last year's disaster (broken leg and sick children), we are definitely staying at home for Christmas Day. As soon as we reached that decision Mr Q assumed that the rest would look after itself. Wine Goose is therefore left to look after card writing and sending, menu planning, present buying, tree decoration, school baking etc etc etc. All that in addition as the usual day to day running of the household, not forgetting her part-time job in a busy wine shop. All he had to do was complain about how much he hates Christmas and how busy a time it is for him. Withering look.

In anticipation of the 'which wine is best with turkey' question I have conducted a bit of research into the subject, and unfortunately have to report that the so-called experts all have different suggestions ranging from Rhone Whites through Riesling to New Zealand Pinot Noir. My own feeling is that turkey alone is an ideal match for a crisp Burgundy Chablis. But the turkey that we eat at Christmas Dinner is not a simple dish, and therefore it is a reasonable rule of thumb that you increase the 'weight' of the wine according to additional flavours on your plate. Consider a Macon or a Meursault to tackle the additional flavours of stuffing, sprouts, bread sauce and gravy. If you insist on red (and let's face it most of us do), it is advisable to go for something light or juicy such as a Fleurie with a simpler meal, moving up to Pinot Noir (either Burgundian or the fuller flavoured New Zealand version) or even a plummy Merlot dominated Bordeaux (St Emilion or Pomerol) as you add the trimmings. If you are a fan of tannic Cabernet Sauvignons I suggest you consider goose for your meal (sob) as it has a higher fat content and requires a more robust wine to counter its flavours.

Other tips include tipping the bottle of sherry that's been lurking at the back of the cupboard down the drain and investing in a dry manzanilla. Serve chilled with nibbles. Don't serve anything other than smoked salmon on brown bread with Champagne. Salted snacks ruin the fine flavours. Decant red wines. A jug will do, all it needs is some air to allow the flavours to develop. Change to a dessert wine as soon as you serve Christmas Pudding as the sweetness of the dessert will cause the wine flavours to taste bitter. As an alternative to port consider Recioto della Valpolicella, a traditional Italian dessert wine with excellent concentration. It also matches well with hard cheeses so you can polish off the rest of the bottle as you enjoy the escapades in Killinascully.

Mr Q has not yet decided which wine will accompany our Christmas dinner. Wine Goose is pushing for Felton Road Pinot Noir 2001, an elegant, smooth wine, with intense fruit flavours, and a long, long finish. Price continues to creep up (Felton Road is to Pinot Noir what Cloudy Bay was to Marlborough). €38.95.