A versatile wine for Christmas

Poor old Beaujolais. Its glory days as the focus of frenzied activity in late November, as ‘Wacky Racers’ rushed to be the first to bring Beaujolais Nouveau to our shores, are long gone. The ripe and fruity reds of Australia and California have supplanted light, fragrant Gamay from this classic French region. Yet Beaujolais fully deserves a place at your Christmas table every year. With its charm, moderate alcohol level and alluring, scented nose it pleases even those who rarely drink red wine.

Not for nothing is Beaujolais still the preferred lunch time drink for Parisians, with their steak frites or their coq au vin. It’s a very versatile wine, which has enough acidity to counter rich meats and wine gravies. Why not choose it this year to pair with a classic British turkey and all the trimmings? Fleurie is one of the top villages for Beaujolais and long the British wine merchants’ favourite. Rather like fashion, sometimes it’s a good idea to invest in a classic, rather than slavishly follow new trends! At this price, this fine red wine is also exceptionally good value, which we are all seeking this particular Christmas season.

Bouchard Père & Fils Fleurie 2008, (down from £9.99 to £7.99 in Waitrose).

ROZ COOPER: BIOGRAPHY

Roz began her wine career in California, leading wine tours and tasting wines for a wine warehouse near San Francisco. She then ran her own California wine import business in the UK and subsequently became assistant editor of Decanter magazine, then wrote various books on wine including The Wine Almanac. Since then, she has written wine columns in many publications and edited books and magazines, including The Italian Magazine. She’s passionate about green issues including organic and biodynamic winemaking and also works on a voluntary basis with the Galapagos Conservation Trust.

Tags: Wine of the Week