Clockwise from top left: Chantelle Pabros, Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen, Lisa Rongren,
Andrew Harris, Inez Ribustello, Maximilian Kast.
The One Wine For the Holidays
What the Pros Would Bring
TASTE - December 16, 2009
"If you could only serve one bottle of wine at a holiday dinner, what would it be and why?" Nationwide, members of the Guild of Sommeliers' answer our question with their special occasion picks.
Lisa Rongren, John Howie Steak, Bellevue, WA
Wine: Owen Roe 'Sharecroppers' Cabernet, Columbia Valley, 2007 (~$15)
This holiday season my friends and family have been rethinking how we celebrate the season. One of our pledges this year has been to support as many local merchants and food producers as we can. My must have pick, in keeping with all things local, has full bodied, brooding dark fruit, and an easy finish. It's versatile enough to go well with a holiday cheese platter as well as the bounty of roasted meats and vegetables on the Christmas table.
Maximilian Kast, Fearrington House Restaurant, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Wine: Domaine Tempier, Bandol Rouge, 2006 (~$40)
This wine is a celebratory wine and a contemplative wine, something which I think the holidays represent equally. We celebrate life and also contemplate the year that has passed. It is best decanted. Aromas of raspberry, rosemary, cyprus, clove, leather and orange rind fall perfectly with the sensory experience of the holidays, bringing warmth and a cozy rusticity. It is perfect with lamb, goose, and duck (all favorite holiday fare at my house). It is complex yet with no pretention, just like the guests you want to have around for the holidays.
Chantelle Pabros, L2O Restaurant, Chicago
Wine: Bartolo Mascarello Barolo, pre 1990 ($150+ for older vintages)
My first instinct is Champagne. Not because it's festive and fabulous, but because I truly enjoy Champagne. But I am going to have to go with a Barolo. About five years ago I attended a Christmas party where our host so graciously opened a magnum of 1964 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo. At that moment, it became so vividly clear what Nebbiolo was all about. The memory of enjoying that wine, will rest in my heart forever, as if Bartolo, or his father Giulio who actually made the 1964, had given me the secret code...certain aromas would reappear - roses, wild strawberries, honey, aged balsamic and a touch of white pepper. I felt like all of the puzzle pieces suddenly fit together.
Andrew Harris, Maestro 2300, Auburn AL
Wine: 1997 Giacomo Borgogno Barolo from Piedmont, Italy (~$60)
At my uncle's for Thanksgiving I was lucky enough to have a bottle with some close family. This is the perfect wine to share with family for the holidays because it has a wonderful acid component that makes it a perfect match for almost all of your holiday feasts! A beautiful expression of Barolo, it has a racy acidity and is huge on the palate with a finish of finesse like that of fine silk.
Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen, Wild Ginger at the Bravern, Bellevue, WA
Wine: Thierry Puzelat 2007 'La Tesnière' Pineau d'Aunis, Touraine, Loire Valley (~$20)
Living in the Pacific Northwest, my family and friends look forward to sharing a bottle from the cellar and roasting local salmon at our holiday gatherings. The perfect holiday wine has a story to tell. First planted in the middleages, now biodynamic, this wine compliments the salmon and finds the balance between easy drinking and thought provoking. Its obscure origins will peak the oenophile's interest, while satisfying the novice with vibrant wild strawberries and peaches enveloped in peppered purple flowers.
Inez Ribustello, On the Square, Tarboro, NC
Wine: Pannier Brut Rose NV (~$69)
I would enjoy Pannier Brut Rose NV, a pink, festive Champagne that is medium-bodied with delicious flavors of wild strawberries and tea rose. The finish is lively and crisp, making your tongue continue to sparkle. Of course, it is very difficult to choose one wine to drink at a celebration dinner, but this fabulous rose Champagne can kick off the evening with a bang, sail through each course, regardless of what it is, and continue to be bubbly with dessert.
Wine mark-ups and prices vary, and, as such, Wine Country Minute 00:60 cannot guarantee the accuracy of the listed prices. Please check around to find the best price and availability.
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