There's no place like home for the holidays, so the song says.So I try to create an authentic French Christmas dinner each year formy husband, who misses his homeland most at this time of year. I'vegrown to love the traditional foods and enjoy matching them withFrench wines.
A fine toasting wine to kick off our holiday is Christian SenezBrut Champagne ($13-$15 at Sam's, 1000 W. North) from Fontette insouthern Champagne. This unusual 100 percent Pinot Noir sparkler ispale gold with a lemony floral nose, fruity berry flavor and finebeading that lingers through a long dinner.
A well-known alternative is Perrier Jouet Grand Brut non-vintage($26.50). More Pinot Noir than Chardonnay, this champagne hasobvious charms. It's easy to appreciate, forthright with a honeynose and fruity grapey flavors.
On Christmas Eve we usually share a fresh shellfish stew, lessheavy than a bouillabaisse and more like a San Francisco fish soup.It's well-matched with Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer Cuvee Theo1984 ($14). An atypical Gewurztraminer, this deep gold wine is morefruity than spicy, full of apricot, litchi nut and peach flavors. Italso compliments fish in cream sauces.
Sometimes when I add a bit of cayenne, a lot of tomato and anoverdose of garlic to my shellfish dish, a spicier, tannic wine isrequired for balance.
Cotes du Ventoux 1985 La Vieille Ferme ($5-$5.49) makes a greataccompaniment. The Cotes du Ventoux vineyards lie between Provence,my husband's home, and the Rhone Valley on the Vaucluse plateau.These wines are a cross between Provence and Rhone wine styles andare made from a blend of grapes from both regions: Grenache Noir,Cinsaut, Syrah, Mourvedre and Carignan. The cherryish and cassisflavors remind me of a Provence red and the solid, tannic structureis typical of the Rhone. What a great bargain this wine is. Let itaerate a bit in your glass to grow softer and fruitier.
One of my husband's favorite first courses for Christmas day isboudin blanc, homemade white sausages stuffed with a chicken mousseseasoned with thyme, bay and allspice.
Louis Latour Chardonnay 1985 ($7.49) makes a great partner.Light gold, this crisp Burgundy has the rich cheese and vanilla noseof an expensive Meursault from the Cote de Beaume. Yet it is madefrom grapes grown much farther south, in the chalky soil of Ardechenear Avignon.
Little known but definitely worth seeking out is Couly-DutheilChinon Les Gravieres ($10.49). Fittingly described as "taffeta wine"by French writer Rabelais, this northern Loire valley Cabernet Francpossesses an earthy, herbaceous nose. Soft, smooth, attractivelymauve, it is lighter in acidity than southern Loire Cabernet Francs.
Or try Haut Medoc from the St. Laurent region, 1981 Chateau LaTour ($11.49). The chateau, unique in Bordeaux, is a moated medievalcastle. The wine - a traditional Bordeaux blend of 53 percentCabernet Sauvignon, 33 percent Merlot, 10 percent Cabernet Franc and4 percent Petit Verdot - is well balanced with a beefy, cedar nose,rich berry flavor and long finish. Drink it through a cheese coursealso.
Always reliable, La Foret Pinot Noir 1985 ($9.29) from thefamous Burgundian Joseph Drouhin is light-bodied with an allspice andmace nose and cherry-berry flavors perfect with beef or even atraditionally American holiday entree, turkey.
With a buche de Noel (genoise sponge cake roll decorated toresemble a log or buche), try Piper Heidsieck Extra Dry ($26.50),which is frothy, apple-flavored and crisp with a touch of sweetness.
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