Tag Archives: Christmas

Holiday Roundup, Part Three: Christmas Extragavanza

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My family is pretty unorthodox when it comes to cooking for special occasions. I suppose we’re fairly unorthodox by default, since we don’t observe any religious dates anyway, but suffice it to say we never pass up a good holiday meal. If it’s on the calendar, why not?

Typically, we forgo the traditional turkey or ham and opt for maximum indulgence instead, such as T-bone steaks, duck, or tenderloin. This year, my mother showed an unprecendented amount of frivolity and decided to make a gigantic five-pound lobster our Christmas dinner centerpiece. I, in turn, volunteered several tasty bottles from my collection.

Unfortunately, this post is not accompanied by any photography, as we ate on December 22nd, and I didn’t know about or open my digital camera gift from Sean until Christmas Day. Needless to say, I was in no condition to take a clear photograph that evening anyhow.

The Menu

  • Pan-Seared Diver Scallops with Kale and Dragonfruit
  • Roast Chicken with Savoury Pumpkin and Apple Stuffing
  • Baked Lobster with Bacon and Herb Cream Sauce

The Wines

My white and red were pretty much served back to back, and I had the chance to try both the chicken and lobster with each of the wines. I decanted the Bordeaux for two hours prior to serving. The late harvest was served following the meal with chocolates, when my huge, rich dinner caught up with me and I fell asleep watching The Usual Suspects, glass (empty, of course) in hand.

Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris 2007

I first tasted this in November 2008, when it initially hit the market. It was very fresh and fruity then, and I can’t say it’s changed too much since.

Light greenish lemon in colour. A lively nose of core fruits and a bit of starfruit with a zippy but juicy palate of apples, melon and pears and a tiny bit of minerality. No oak influence in this light-bodied patio sipper. I think I would have been happier with a Chardonnay pairing with regard to the chicken and lobster courses, but this went very well with the scallops. $20

Château Rozier St. Émilion 2005

Took a chance here by opening one of my 2005 vintage buys for the first time ever, suggested by my colleague out of the list of Bordeauxs I showed her. Good value in this lower-end St. Émilion. I had first tried this in September 2008 at a tasting; it’s since subdued in all the right places. My mom’s dining room was a bit too cold for the wine, however, and it tasted probably a bit more closed than it should have.

Darkly purple, almost opaque in colour. Plummy black fruits with some oak and spice on the nose. Rich, velvety tannins coat the mouth along with more black fruits on the palate and some vanilla. A predominance of woody oak flavours suggests that this medium-bodied, Merlot-based red still needs more time before opening. Luckily, I still have another bottle waiting for me; I’ll keep cellaring that one for another year or two yet. $29

Hillside Estate Late Harvest Kerner 2007

This was a purchase from the winery during my Okanagan road trip last July. The winery has a fantastic tasting room where a few bucks gets you a handful of samples and possibly a couple of bonus wines like I did. Hillside Estate produces a lot of varietals, so it’s well worth tasting your way through their portfolio!

Light gold in colour. The nose was a heady bouquet of citrus and sweet flowers with hints of tropical fruit, honeyed but not at all syrupy or like icewine. Medium- to light-bodied, this shows lots of citrus and crisp acidity on the palate with apricot and other stone fruit flavours, with quite a refreshing finish for a sweet wine. $20

Holiday Roundup, Part Two: Fonseca Bin 27

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If there were any wine I could drink to get into the spirit (figuratively) of Christmas, I’d have to say Port. With its typically heady nose and warm, spicy dried fruit flavours, who needs mulled wine or hot rum punches? (Although those are nice in their own respect.)

I’d already enjoyed a local version, La Frenz Tawny, at the end of November. A delicious finish wasn’t the only thing lingering on my tastebuds after that bottle was emptied – there was also a burning desire to continue my Port journey!

The world looks pretty nice through a Port-coloured lens.

Fonseca Bin 27 used to be the wine kept privately by the Guimaraens family (who own and run the Fonseca Port house) for personal consumption, released worldwide as a Premium Reserve label in 1972.

If you’re relatively new to Port and want to dabble in a taste of the real stuff, Bin 27 gives a nice general impression of what to expect, while going easy on the pocketbook.

Tasting Notes

Tasted late November – early December 2009. Rich purple-black and nearly opaque in colour. On the nose, dried prunes, raisin, ripe black fruits and a bit of warm spice (clove, cinnamon) emerge. The palate is rich and round, with medium tannins and bunches of sun-ripened blackberries, grapes and sweet dried prunes continuing right through the finish. For an Asian dessert pairing, try red bean-filled glutinous soup dumplings. A nice savoury match, if you chose to go that route, would be sweet teriyaki-braised beef shortribs. $23

Holiday Roundup, Part One: La Frenz Tawny

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Lots of wines ahead, so I’m going to post everything separately for easier reading.

La Frenz Tawny NV

Purchased at the winery in July 2009, opened during the week of November 27, 2009.

A fortified wine made in the Port style by a great little winery in Naramata Bench, BC. Sadly, I can’t tell you what varieties are in this, and La Frenz’s website doesn’t disclose anything either.

Sean called it “Christmas in a glass,” and I simply couldn’t disagree.

Wisely, the winery put its address right on the main part of the label (740 Naramata Road, Penticton, BC), in case one needs to go back for more wine. And cheers, by the way, to Mike and Amanda, my friends etched on their wedding wine glass!

Tasting Notes

Deep bricky brown in colour, with aromas of fruitcake, dried dates and some warm spice (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg). A syrupy texture coats the mouth with equally Christmassy flavours but finishes pleasantly dry. $20

I enjoyed this very much on its own, but would certainly have loved an accompaniment of sticky toffee pudding or butter tart with mincemeat.

I’m also going to go out on a limb with my ethnic food suggestion and propose Szechuan honey beef Honey Garlic Beef! (Thanks to Szechuan Chongqing restaurant’s online PDF menu for giving me the translated name! On a side note, in Cantonese this dish is called HAA SEE mutt, and it’s a slightly spicy, honeyed beef served with little white steamed buns.) I think it’d work.