Every year around this time, general magazines and some newspapers only remember the issue to publish a “wine special” that end up being as fake as the huge melons of some pornstars like Nicolette Shea (I hope you will excuse the comparison but it must be as vulgar as those “wine specials”). In some cases, it may turn out to be a pandering catalog, usually suggested by the advertising department for wineries to insert ads.
But now, speaking from one wine lover to another, are there really “ideal wines” for the holidays? It is logical that on such special dates wine acquires more prominence than in the rest of the year, but is there really one that stands out for these dates?
This is not the time to appreciate a good wine
If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it is that family gatherings are not by far one of the best scenarios to appreciate the personality and exquisiteness of a good wine.
In most cases, all family gatherings end up being crowded conversations where everyone talks about different topics, you have children screaming, running and playing all over the house, preventing you from sit down with all your senses to enjoy that glass of wine.
Not to mention that being the most important family gathering of the year, there is never a lack of discussions, sentimental breakups and an endless number of reactions and sensations that would overshadow the personality and character of a wine in all its splendor.
A strong wine with character?
At this time of the year, the hosts usually open the wish box of every glutton, putting on the table those delicacies that we all enjoy. From a platter of cold meats, to a good tuna pâté with slices of bread, to an exquisite dish with prawns.
In the face of so much culinary aggressiveness, only a strong wine with a lot of muscle can make a good impact and leave the diners focused on its flavor. Maybe it could be a Jumilla, a Priorat or better a Montsant that allows you to compete with the intensity of the delicacies you have on the table, but this could be more of a fight to see which flavor can do more… so for me this is not an option.
Undoubtedly, the special wine for this time of the year has to be a soft one, not the ideal one but the right one to take you from appetizer to dessert enjoying its flavor all night long. A sparkling wine is the right answer, forget about the fake huge melons that supermarkets want to sell you!
Any of the sparkling variants that are produced all over the world is a good choice, it doesn’t have to be a Cava, Champagne or a Prosecco. What is really important here, is to select one that is not more than three years old so that it is refreshing and even a digestive pleasure.
Selecting an expensive and high quality wine for these dates, from the subjective point of view we will feel satisfied, but from the gustatory point of view it is possible that the wine will pass without pain or glory.
