Drinking wine at Christmas time

As those of you who live at the bottom of the world along with me know, Christmas time is generally quite hot and therefore requires a very different wine list to our friends in the Northern Hemisphere.

Here are a few of my favourites to drink at Christmas time:

Bubbles, Fizz, Sparkling, Champagne

It is really all the same thing and in my opinion is something that can really be enjoyed all year round and on any occassion (except maybe a wake), however there is truly all the more reason to celebrate when everyone is getting on their festive cheer.

As a self proclaimed francophile I can definitely say that the French Champagne is close to my heart with some of my favourite brands consistently producing quality champagne including Veuve Cliquot, Moet Hennessy, Taittinger and Piper. These can be a little expensive though and are nice to keep for that special occassion or the first bottle for the evening. That said, when I was in Dan Murphy's recently I did purchase a few bottles of Piper for $35 per bottle which was a pretty incredible price! 

They have some great specials on at the moment, so if you can't go past the French stuff I recommend taking your car and stocking up. Dan Murphy's Champagne

For those of us who can only afford one special bottle never fear, local Aussie and other new world wine producers make some delicious bubbles that you won't even notice is not the original stuff. Some goodies include Jansz from Tasmania, Chandon - the little sister of Moet, and Grant Burge. Dan Murphy's Sparkling

White stuff

The Christmas parties are definitely in full swing now and the weekday lunches are beginning to fill up which is one of the best parts of the year. But what to drink? Generally I try to keep it light when eating out at a restaurant, especially when I have to go back to my desk and attempt to be productive in the afternoon. As a basic rule I usually pair light food with a light wine to try and make the flavour balance equal.

Wines that always come back in when summer comes knocking include a young Riesling such as the Pewsey Vale from the Eden Valley. This is a seriously easy drinking wine that subtly demonstrates the flavours without being too overpowering as I can sometimes find Riesling. I had this one last Friday at the new Merivale hot spot Mr Wong. It went superbly with our steamed ginger fish. I have also always loved a Pinot Gris but it is something that I am finding is becoming more and more brutalised as every Tom, Dick and Harry gets on the Pinot Gris train for a ride. Be careful when choosing this one and make sure that you get some advice if you don't have an idea of what you want. Some of the poor quality versions can taste watered down and tasteless.

Slurpable Red

The 'slurpable red' is a favourite term of my boyfriend who pretty much calls any resaonably priced tasty wine by this name. I quite like it myself as it says to me that I can have more than one glass when I am out without fear that I look like I am from the Twilight movies with blood-sucking teeth. No favourite brands at the moment but definitely feeling the medium bodied slurpable-ness of my friend Merlot.

Enjoy the festive season and until next time have a glass for me. Alex Mac!