Mag-nificent for the Holidays
December 19, 2019Nothing makes you feel more welcome at a holiday party than walking in with a large format bottle of wine in hand!
Get supersized this holiday season by enjoying a selection of wines poured from large format bottles. Suitable for parties of all sizes, these bottles are sure to make a big impression not only based on their size, but also on the quality of the juice inside.
Advanced Sommelier Jenny Benzie offers a selection of magnums to maximize your year-end festivities.
FEAST OF FISHES
The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a much-anticipated Italian-American celebration of Christmas Eve with dishes of fish and other seafood. With the abundance of seafood around the island of Nantucket, this is a fabulous way to celebrate the holidays. Nantucket Oysters on the half shell to start, chilled shrimp cocktail with a dill lemon caper sauce as an appetizer, angel hair pasta tossed with Nantucket Bay Scallops for your pasta course, (are you getting hungry yet?), followed by a warm bowl of seafood chowder, then smoked salmon atop a Caeser Salad, with grilled lobster tails as your main course. Not sure if you would make a dessert out of seafood, however the classic no-bake Italian dessert of Tiramisu would be a winner for this meal.
Such a big meal requires a big wine – not just in size, but also in stature. Patz & Hall Chardonnay ‘Hyde Vineyard’ en magnum is a bold enough wine to pair with this entire celebration. Hyde Vineyard, owned by Larry Hyde, is located in Carneros, Napa Valley of California. This vineyard designated wine shows what makes Hyde such a grand cru-caliber site in the New World. Elegant flavors of tangerine, orange, blossom and honeysuckle all meld together nicely with a long, rich finish that lingers on your palate for quick some time. Your favorite Chardonnay drinker will not be disappointed in this class act!
YEAR-ROUND SUNSHINE
You don’t have to necessarily be in Florida or the warm tropics in order to experience sunshine in your glass. Rosé is a category of wine, just like white or red, and should be treated with the same regard. These wines are no longer the redheaded stepchild, thought to be cloying, sweet, and out of season once Labor Day rolls around. Indeed, the rosé wines that we see today should be consumed all year long based on their structure and pedigree, not just because they remind us of warmer days on Nobadeer Beach.
The flavors of Hecht & Bannier Rosé Côtes de Provence en magnum are quintessential of what one expects from a high quality wine of the region. This wine is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Rolle (the white wine ringer added to the mix!). It shows immense charm on the palate, with minerality and essences of fennel, anise and purple flowers. This is a perfect sipper to enjoy during the afternoon on sunny Christmas Day, after the presents have been opened and before you are heading into your main meal of the day. This crisp, refreshing, dry wine will be the palate cleanser you need to prepare yourself for the next part of your holiday!
BOLD + BEAUTIFUL
Y
ou spend weeks planning to prepare your gorgeous table décor and delicious holiday meal. This is the time of year where you feel confident in going over the top for all to enjoy. Your wine selection should look as bold and beautiful as everything else you have done to celebrate Christmas, with a gift to you in that it is very reasonably priced!
Château Castera en magnum is a leading classified Cru Bourgeois selection from the Médoc region of Bordeaux in France. This wine is a blend of 65 % Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5 % Cabernet Franc, and 5 % Petit Verdot.
It has a beautiful garnet color, with brilliant reflections and great intensity. The nose has hints of blackcurrants, with woody aromas of sweet spices. The palate is warm and silky, with moderate tannings that give it length and character. This well-balanced beauty finishes with a dominance of cherry notes and a lingering aftertaste. This would be an elegant pairing with your roasted lamb or beef tenderloin, along with matching well with turkey or baked ham.
THE BALL DROPS HERE
Whether or not you decide to stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve to say goodbye to the Old Year and ring in the New, your celebration can begin early enough for you to toast either direction with a glass of bubbly. It’s not every year that we celebrate a new decade (well, that would be for every ten years, to be exact!), so why not make it a special celebration this year?
A grand celebration such as this requires a grand Champagne. Your average bubbly just won’t do this year. Champagne Gosset Grand Reserve Non-Vintage en magnum is a sparkling wine made in the traditional method, where the secondary fermentation that causes the bubbles occurs in the bottle itself. It is made from a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Founded in 1584 in the village of Äy, Champagne Gosset is the oldest wine house in the Champagne region. Look for their famous trademark ‘antique flask’ bottles, a heavy, elegant style of glass that has become an icon and recognizable symbol of this premium house. Cheers to ringing in the New Year with style!
No matter how you celebrate the holidays, know that you are always welcome and have a home with us here at Épernay Wine & Spirits. Wishing you peace, love, and joy this holiday season, wherever you may be. Merry Christmas!
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