Still planning the finer details of your Christmas dinner? Wine Editor MARY DOWEY has the PERFECT RED to order in for your turkey, the Tahbilk Shiraz, CENTRAL VICTORIA 2012
A traditional Christmas dinner isn’t the easiest thing in the world to match successfully with wine. Although you’ll get away with a weighty white, reds generally work better – but only if they’re sumptuous. Anything too tannic or oaky will make your dear old bird taste as dry as sawdust.
Lusciousness is required, with enough richness and depth to stand up to all the other flavours on the plate – from ham and sweet-sour cranberry sauce to clove-infused bread sauce and controversial sprouts. So my top picks are southern Rhône reds (Châteauneuf-du-Pape and its many Côtes du Rhône neighbours) and the suavest examples of Australian Shiraz – among which this famous classic is included.
Now in the hands of the fifth generation, Tahbilk In the Ngambie Lakes area of Central Victoria is one of Australia’s oldest and most respected wineries. The first thing I love about its Shiraz in a turkey context is that it actually smells of Christmas, with aromas of plums, cinnamon and cloves wafting out the minute a glass is poured.
Another plus is that, although it’s densely packed with ripe fruit flavours, this beautifully smooth red is elegant and juicy with a gentle squeeze of tannin rather than being overpoweringly muscular. This makes it brilliantly versatile: besides being turkey-friendly it will slip down nicely with most meats as well as with flavoursome vegetarian food.
Please don’t be put off by the screwcap, by the way. Welcome it instead. It has been firmly established that screwcaps have clear advantages over cork, keeping wines in a fresher condition for longer besides avoiding the risk of cork taint. It will also save any faffing around looking for an elusive corkscrew at the crucial moment. Click, pour, enjoy.
Alcohol: 13.7%
From Wines Direct, €20. For pre-Christmas delivery, orders must be placed with winesdirect.ie by December 22. Alternatively, drop into the Wines Direct outlet in Arnotts, Dublin 1.
Mary Dowey @MaryDowey
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