{"id":36115,"date":"2014-12-22T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-21T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=36115"},"modified":"2014-12-22T00:47:29","modified_gmt":"2014-12-21T16:47:29","slug":"bubbly-or-pinot-noir-what-to-pair-with-turkey-fruitcake-or-a-gourmet-food-gift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2014\/12\/22\/bubbly-or-pinot-noir-what-to-pair-with-turkey-fruitcake-or-a-gourmet-food-gift\/","title":{"rendered":"Bubbly or Pinot Noir? What to pair with turkey, fruitcake or a gourmet food gift"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Alex<\/a>
Alex Brown \/ Flickr<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TORONTO\u2014The holiday countdown is on and Canadians are scrambling for last-minute gifts for their hosts and loved ones. Wine and food seem like a natural option at this time of year, but with thousands of bottles lining the shelves at liquor outlets, where does one begin?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d start with pairing the wine that you\u2019re going to bring to go with the dinner. Wild guess, might be turkey,\u201d says sommelier Natalie MacLean, editor of the wine review site nataliemaclean.com.<\/p>\n

She suggests a sparkling wine like Cava from Spain, a Pinot Noir from New Zealand, a dry rose from France or a Sauvignon Blanc.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are all great wines to go with turkey because they really whet the appetite. But if you\u2019re having something more full-bodied or robust like brisket for Hanukkah or you\u2019re going to have lamb or ham or some other sort of festive meal, then maybe you want to go with full-bodied reds. They\u2019re really robust, they\u2019re holiday favourites, they\u2019ll go well with anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or consider offering a wine to complement an accompaniment to the gobbler. \u201cIf I think about cranberry sauce, I think about Pinot Noir, liquid cranberry sauce in a glass,\u201d says MacLean.<\/p>\n

A festive Framboise from Ontario\u2019s Southbrook Vineyards is ideal sipped with a sweet, like gingerbread, fruitcake or chocolate.<\/p>\n

Jane Rodmell, owner of All the Best Fine Foods, says customers annually clamour for the Toronto store\u2019s plum pudding, which can be served with brandy butter or bourbon custard. \u201cIt\u2019s moist and it\u2019s filled with raisins and currants and almonds. It\u2019s a very British thing,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

MacLean notes that brandy or port are a good pairing with this traditional festive dessert.<\/p>\n

Rodmell says people ask for advice on what cheeses to take for a gift. A \u201ctotally decadent\u201d one to try is a seasonal treat from France\u2014Vacherin Mont-d\u2019Or\u2014a soft rich cheese that \u201cis my idea of heaven,\u201d she says. It\u2019s only available from September to April. Delice de Bourgogne, a French triple cream finished with creme fraiche, is popular any time of year.<\/p>\n

A sparkling Pinot Noir or a dry white wine pair with cheeses and crackers, says MacLean. But with the rich soft cheeses a slightly more acidic wine, such as rose or Sauvignon Blanc, is best to \u201ccut through the fat.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to match cheese to the right cracker or bread, Rodmell says. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to overwhelm the cheese with very strong crackers or flavoured crackers. I see sometimes people putting crackers out which are full of all kinds of garlic, too many seeds and you can\u2019t taste the cheese then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opt for a plain baguette or a simple cracker with texture and firmness so it doesn\u2019t break or mask the flavour of the cheese. \u201cIt\u2019s just a basis for the cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a charcuterie platter, choices range from pate and ham to little sausages from Spain and Niagara and duck prosciutto. \u201cThey could add Marcona almonds, the Spanish almonds that are really full of flavour and really wonderful,\u201d Rodmell says. Other additions are chutney with cranberry, port wine jelly, red pepper jelly and quince paste. Fresh figs are really festive and some people enjoy dried or fresh fruits.<\/p>\n

Chef and Food Network Canada personality Lynn Crawford suggests visiting local markets and vendors to shop for edible gifts or the ingredients to make them, whether it\u2019s barbecue or tomato sauce, chocolate truffles, vinaigrette or shortbread cookies.<\/p>\n

A local honey and an aged Canadian cheddar with some charcuterie or a bottle of olive oil make lovely gifts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s white truffle season right now. If somebody gave me a white truffle, then I\u2019d be very happy right now,\u201d says Crawford, who owns Ruby Watchco restaurant in Toronto.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other night I made up a batch of vanilla honey and I made up a homemade granola, so that\u2019s ready to go. I have 12 jars here. I made fiery peppers, oh my gosh, with some garlic and bay leaves and thyme, so that\u2019s a little hostess gift and I sealed it in mason jars. …<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember my friend Albert made some bolognese sauce, and that was the best bolognese sauce I\u2019d ever had and, like, what a gift. It\u2019s perfect with the homemade pastas that I\u2019m going to make,\u201d adds Crawford. \u201cSometimes it doesn\u2019t have to be this outrageous over-the-top thing. Our lives are filled with so many things that maybe we don\u2019t necessarily need and it\u2019s more of those pleasures and it goes back to sharing.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the wine you\u2019re presenting is not being paired with a meal or you\u2019re seeking a bottle to tote to a New Year\u2019s Eve bash, the most universal choice is sparkling wine. But you don\u2019t have to pay the big bucks for Champagne, which comes from the region of the same name in France.<\/p>\n

The name Champagne is trademarked, MacLean points out. \u201cEven Burgundy which is just underneath Champagne, makes sparkling wine, the same method, the same grapes, everything. They have to call it Cremant de Bourgogne or sparkling wine, just not Champagne. They\u2019ve done a good job of protecting their brand.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Champagne, you\u2019re going to pay a minimum of about $60 a bottle depending on the brand and vintage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe make excellent sparkling wines (in Canada),\u201d says MacLean, who is based in Ottawa. \u201cFor the most part we use the Champagne method so that means there\u2019s a double fermentation, the second fermentation happens in the bottle, that\u2019s where the bubbles get trapped. That\u2019s what they do in Champagne. We also use a lot of the same grapes. Sometimes they\u2019re identical. It\u2019s usually a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. …<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother option is a sparkling wine from New Zealand. Again, the method is the same. The grapes may differ, but the quality is superb. And when you\u2019re looking at sparkling wines from Canada, New Zealand, the U.S., you\u2019re probably looking at the $25 to $35 price range, so you\u2019ve come down quite a bit and yet you\u2019re not sacrificing taste.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you really want a budget bubbly but don\u2019t want to give up good taste, go for either Spain or Italy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spain produces Cava (meaning cave or cellar) using the same method as in Champagne but is much less expensive. Prosecco, which has its two fermentations in a stainless-steel vat, is a fraction of the cost at about $15 a bottle.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut don\u2019t worry it still tastes great. It\u2019s a great way to ring in the new year,\u201d says MacLean.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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