Christmas Drinks Party

Mr Q and I had discussed holding a drinks party in the run-up to Christmas. We carefully compiled a guest list which included a suitable mix of old friends, new friends, work colleagues and neighbours. We spent many hours debating food and wine selection. Wine Goose threw herself into the task of wine selection with gusto, reading up on the subject and regularly bringing home samples for tasting. With everything arranged and only the choice of date and issuing of invitations remaining, we ran out of time. Mr Q was required to attend several 'unmissable' work related parties, and Wine Goose found herself, on more than one occasion, sitting at a restaurant dinner table with a group of mothers. Factor in Nativity Plays, preparing for Santa, and hosting the in-laws for Christmas Dinner, and it just slid to the bottom of the pile.

Wine Goose is possibly the only mother in Ireland whose threats of 'Santa won't come if you don't stay in your bed' ran like proverbial water off her 3 year olds sons back. Hence Santa almost didn't come as the children continued to run around, and their parents dozed on the couch in exhaustion, only getting around to assembling in the early hours of the morning. A quick leap on the top of the Green Bin (think grape pressing) to hide the evidence, then into bed for a short nap, before a fantastically excited little girl came running into the bedroom trailing a stocking. 'He came, he came'.

With another Christmas Day under our (now extended) belts, we decided to go ahead with our plans and issued invitations by the thoroughly modern method of sending a text. Nobody responded so we looked forward to a large turnout and planned accordingly. The morning arrived, and our fridge was bulging with the ubiquitous smoked salmon on brown bread, fancy nibbles that just required popping in the oven, and lots of white wine to accompany the food. Red wine was opened to breathe and soft drinks were laid on for those who had the misfortune of being designated driver. Then the phone started ringing - sick children, busy parents, cars broken down. All surely genuine excuses, but the numbers were dropping. Of course at this point we regretted not including a few of those we had balloted out because of space restrictions, but we'll know for next time.

The hour arrived, and Wine Goose busied herself introducing people, pouring drinks, serving food and enjoying occasional snatches of conversations. Mr Q poured himself a large vodka and tonic and settled down to enjoy the afternoon. The children wreaked havoc. Conversation flowed. Suddenly 3 hours had passed, the house was ours once again, and we were able to take stock of the situation. There was a lot of food left over, and thanks to the generosity of our guests, we now have more wine than we started with.

As wine is generally intended to be served with food, choosing party wine is a difficult task. Up to a few years ago, Old World wines would not have been considered, but modern winemakers and wine-making techniques have resulted in more fruit-driven wines, ideally suited to serving without a meal. Putting this theory to the test we served Chanson Macon-Villages 2006, a well-balanced white Burgundy combining floral, apple and honey tones, wrapped up in a crisp finish. The New World did win out when it came to red - Torbreck Old Vines GSM (Grenache Syrah Mourvedre) 2005 from the Barossa Valley. This Australian take on the traditional Cotes du Rhone blend combines ripe fruits and spice with a juicy richness. Lacking the structure needed for food it was an ideal choice. We have plenty of both left in our cellar. €10.99 and €12.99 respectively.

And a post-script. In his Irish Times column of 22 December, wine correspondent Joe Breen suggested Felton Road Pinot Noir 2001 as an ideal accompaniment to the turkey dinner. You read it here first.

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.