Yahoo News How to choose wine for a Christmas party
Often when we talk about party wine, the assumption is that the host buys it but, to be honest, I don’t know anyone who foots the entire booze bill. Pretty well every guest brings along a bottle, some better than others, so what’s the etiquette?
There are two ways of approaching this, I reckon, depending on how unscrupulous you are. The first is to regard it as an opportunity to offload a dodgy bottle that you’ve been given – quite possibly at a party – then make a beeline for someone else’s altogether superior offering. Which is fine so long as you remember not to give the host back a bottle they’d brought you.
The other – and this is the route I favour – is to take along a bottle you actually want to drink yourself. Then, the only problem is to make sure you get to drink it. Pour a glass the moment you arrive (which, if it’s been chilled, is a good plan, anyway), then tuck the bottle behind the toaster to make sure it doesn’t get emptied before you can get back to it. Or, if you’re less Scrooge-like, share it with your best mates.
If you don’t want your host to squirrel it away for another occasion, don’t take along a bottle that looks conspicuously like a gift (I’m thinking champagne here). Magnums are great if you’re feeling flash and/or flush. Prosecco in a magnum seems more special than a standard bottle, and Sainsbury’s has a good one for £21 in its Taste the Difference range. Take care when opening it, though, because it will probably have been shaken up en route.
There are, of course, parties and parties, and a stand-up gathering with canapés and nibbles is a very different beast from a sit-down supper. I generally go for fizz with the former and a decent bottle of red or white with the latter, depending on whether the meal’s going to be a lasagne or a fish pie (ask!). And the traditional Boxing Day buffet of cold meats and salads needs different options (easy-drinking, crisp whites such as picpoul and fruity reds such as merlot) from hot food such as a casserole or pie (bigger, more full-bodied reds, though watch the abv – many are over 14.5% these days).
Another good reason for taking your own bottle is when you’re not drinking, because practically no one offers decent, alcohol-free options if they drink themselves. Personally, I’m into kombucha on such occasions – the cereal people Rude Health have a good range, available at Waitrose for £1.99 – the added bonus being that few of your fellow guests will be tempted to nick it.
Four bottles to take to a party
Crémant d’Alsace Brut
£8.29 Lidl, 12%. Ring the changes from prosecco with this appealingly smooth, sophisticated party fizz.
Villa Antinori 2016
£10 on offer on Waitrose’s current Ten-for-£10 deal (it’s normally £15.99), 13%. Posh-looking Tuscan red to take to a dinner party. Good with lamb or game.
£8.20, 13%. It’s easy to forget how delicious merlot is. The perfect red for a Boxing Day buffet.
Krasno Sauvignon Blanc Ribolla 2018
£8.49 on Majestic’s mix-six deal, 13%. Lush, fragrant Slovenian twist on straight sauvignon.
• For more by Fiona Beckett, go to matchingfoodandwine.com
