Pinot Noir a perfect guest for any Christmas feast
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THE first day of December means that Christmas is practically just around the corner. Today’s iDeal section delves into some of the exotic spices that are added to holiday drinks and dishes including nutmeg and cinnamon. Many families are already planning their holiday feast around a roasted turkey. An increasing number of my friends in Shanghai have also adapted the practice of eating turkey as well as other traditional Christmas foods from all around the world.
In Europe’s predominantly Catholic countries like Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria, meat is often avoided in deference to the Catholic custom of not eating meats on a holy day. Meals often commence with varying styles of fish soup followed by roasted or fried carp.
In France, Christmas meals are enjoyed after the midnight Mass and often start with fresh raw oysters, continue with other typical French delicacies like goose liver, escargots and roasted capon, goose or venison and almost always end with the classic Buche de Noel dessert cake.
Roasted Goose traditionally graces German tables on Christmas Eve while on the Iberian Peninsula classic dishes like bacalhau, dried cod, langoustines, roasted lamb and rich almond and chocolate desserts are typical Christmas fare. Many Spanish families will also serve the Paella rice dish.
So no matter what Christmas culinary tradition you’ll be following this year no festive meal is complete without the wine. This Christmas I’ll be serving red wines from Burgundy.
The great red wines of Burgundy are made with the noble Pinot Noir variety. This grape is notoriously sensitive to heat, wind, frost, planting density, pruning procedures, soil types, fermentation methods, yeast types and about every aspect of making wine. Pinot Noir vines are also quite susceptible to a variety of diseases and pests. Despite all the difficulties this variety presents to winemakers it continues to flourish in Burgundy. When mother nature cooperates, the Pinot Noir wines from Burgundy can be some of the most complex, intriguing and fragrant wines of the world with younger wines offering a broad range of fresh red and black fruit flavors and more mature Pinots having seductive earthy and savory qualities.
The earliest documented proof of winemaking in Burgundy was in 1 AD by the Romans, however it is now widely believed that the Celt tribes that inhabited the region before the birth of Christ were the first to cultivate vines. By the end of the 6th century the wines of Burgundy were famous throughout the Roman Empire and were often used as a currency for trading. In the Middle Ages, Benedictine monks composed meticulous instructions on the cultivation, pressing, fermentation and aging of Pinot wines.
From the Renaissance to modern day the commercial success and prestige of Pinot Noir wines from Burgundy has continued to grow and today they are some of the best and most prized wines in the world. They are also notoriously difficult for wine novices or occasional drinkers to understand. There are more than 600 appellations and sub-appellations and countless producers.
The simplest way to understand the quality levels of Burgundy Pinot Noirs is to understand that wines from smaller or more specified areas are usually better. The most basic wines are labeled as Bourgogne Pinot Noir and can be made of grapes from anywhere in Burgundy. Burgundy AC wines comprise over 50 percent of total production with grapes from less renowned areas and vineyards. Yield and other winemaking requirements for this generic level of Burgundy are also less stringent. These wines can range from well made and eminently drinkable to insipid and indifferent.
The next step up the quality ladder is village level wines that are named after villages like Pommard, Beaune or Chambertin. Approximately 35 percent of Burgundy’s Pinot Noir production is village level wines. The quality of Bourgogne AC and village level Pinot Noir wines ranges from decent drinking wines to some excellent wines.
The real liquid treasures of Burgundy start with Premier Cru wines. Premier Cru reds are produced from specific vineyards that have been rated high-quality vineyards and comprise about 12 percent of Pinot Noir production in Burgundy. The labels of these wines specify the village of origin and often, though not always, the name of a single vineyard. The best Premier Cru wines are often on par with Grand Cru wines.
The highest quality designation of Pinot Noir wines in Burgundy is Grand Cru. These wines only amount to about 2 percent of production.
Knowing the quality levels of Pinot Noir wines in Burgundy is a good start, but when buying these wines you must also know the producers. Top producers with wines at all quality levels available in Shanghai include Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, Bouchard Pere & Fils and Domaine de Montille, Domaine Leroy and Meo Camuzet.
Where to buy in Shanghai
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