Seasonal sips

Why else would Rudolph's nose be red?

Uncorked by Thor Iverson

My first experience with wine was at Christmas. It's a miracle that I ever had a second one, since that first experience was a glass of some horrid concoction called "Cold Duck." Many years later, I discovered that it tasted a lot like Manischevitz, which just goes to prove that bad wine knows no religion.

The holidays are a time of family get-togethers . . . which, as I noted a few weeks ago in my Thanksgiving column, means a lot of different people are gathered together and looking to you, the family wine geek, to impress them despite their wildly varying tastes. And chances are that some hardened oenophobes also populate your family tree, which means beating your head against a wine-shop wall looking for the One Perfect Wine is pretty pointless.

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You can just buy what you like and hope for the best, or you can find a wine or two that matches the food but won't confuse or unduly challenge the palates of your less adventurous relatives. Here are some suggestions for a few of the more traditional holiday meals (if your traditional holiday meal is lamb vindaloo, borscht, and lutefisk, I'm afraid you're on your own).

Large hunks of roasted meat are the quintessential American holiday main course. Turkey I've already written about, but other birds have been known to fly in for the holidays: chicken, duck, pheasant, guinea hen, and so on. There are three questions to ask when pairing wine with birds: How dark is the meat? Is it wild or farm-raised? And what's the marinade, sauce, or rub?

For lighter meats in restrained presentations -- say a chicken or guinea hen rubbed with herbs -- just about anything but a heavy red wine will do (though the French would probably serve a young red Bordeaux, which helps demonstrate that wine-food matching is a highly personal thing). It might be time for a lighter cru Beaujolais (such as a Fleurie), but I personally would stick with a white; either light and aromatic such as the 1996 Domaine Marius Delarche Pernand-Vergelesses ($16.99), from Burgundy, or weighty and "fat." The 1997 Mirassou Chardonnay Monterey County is a good bargain at $13, but the 1995 d'Arenberg Chardonnay "The Olive Grove" is even better at $15, thanks to its incredible richness.

Darker meats such as duck can handle a strong white Burgundy (if you can find any of the Meursaults from Domaine des Comtes Lafon for less than $60, buy them), but they go better with medium-weight reds like dolcetto (the 1996 Prunotto Dolcetto d'Alba at $15 and the 1996 Cortese Dolcetto d'Alba Trifolera at $14 are excellent), the 1996 Sanford Pinot Noir ($18), or the 1995 Patrick Javillier Savigny-les-Beaune "Les Serpentières" ($32). And anything wild or with an aggressive sauce needs a more assertive red Burgundy (1995 Louis Jadot Beaune Clos des Ursules is a steal at $35), a Spanish Rioja (1995 Ramirez de la Piscina Rioja Crianza at $12, 1995 Finca Allende Rioja at $19, and 1989 Bodegas Muga Rioja Gran Reserva "Prado Enea" at $30 are all incredible), or a wild wine from Italy's lesser-known regions (Umbria's 1996 Colli Amerini Carbio for $21 and Campania's 1996 Feudi di San Gregorio Rubrato for $15 are drinking very well).

From Seasons: taking the trouble out of bubbles.

If the slab-o'-meat is ham in a sweet glaze, then there are two classic choices: an Italian red made from barbera (Coppo makes two great '95s, a Barbera d'Asti Camp du Rouss for $18 and a Barbera d'Asti Pomorosso for $45, though bargain hunters will want the 1997 Prunotto Barbera d'Alba Fiulot for $13), or a medium-sweet white from Germany (try either the 1996 Friedrich Wilhelm Gymnasium Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese for $16 or the 1997 von Hövel Oberemmeler Hütte Riesling Spätlese for $19).

Other kinds of pork go with pretty much anything; try a 1997 Casa Castillo Monastrell from Spain's Jumilla region for $10. And while beef is tremendous with just about any red wine, the particular character of a beef roast (not as aggressively "meaty" as other preparations of beef, but soft and comforting) calls out for a wine from the Rhône Valley (the 1995 Châteauneuf-du-Papes from Château Fortia and Tardieu-Laurent are $20 and $40, respectively), a serious Italian such as the 1995 Nottola Vino Nobile di Montepulciano ($24), or one of the killer reds coming from Spain, including the 1996 Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza Casa Guada Cencibel (La Mancha) for $6, the 1996 Grandes Bodegas Marques de Velilla Crianza (Ribera del Duero) for $14, and the 1996 Abadia Retuerta Cuvée El Palomar (Sardon de Duero) for $43. If you're partaking of a meltingly tender prime rib, then red Bordeaux (covered a few weeks ago) or California cabernet sauvignon (the 1993 Heitz Trailside Vineyard is $48) are better bets.

If, on the other hand, your holiday meal runs more toward latkes and applesauce, then you'll want to put away those big reds and try something light and fruity from Alsace (the 1996 Hugel Pinot Blanc "Cuvée les Amours" is $12, while the 1994 Ernest Burn Tokay-Pinot Gris Goldert Clos St. Imer is sturdier at $27) or Australia (try the 1996 Peter Lehmann Semillon Barossa for $12). Those keeping kosher should try the 1996 Baron Herzog Chenin Blanc ($7) and Sauvignon Blanc ($9), or the 1997 Weinstock Cellars Contour ($11).

And if you survive the holiday wine experience intact, settle down in front of the fireplace -- or in front of ER -- with a glass of port, Armagnac, or (if you happen to be waiting for Santa) ice-cold milk. You've earned it.

Thor Iverson can be reached at wine[a]phx.com.

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