White wines
White wines are often overlooked on Christmas Day, but they make for a delightful pairing with many a dish. Zingy Sauvignon Blancs harmonise with smoked salmon spiked with lemon juice and tend to make a fine accompaniment to the menagerie of fresh herbs one might incorporate into your starters and side dishes. Fuller bodied, creamy Chardonnays, meanwhile, help to lift the flavour of lean turkey meat, which can be prone to drying out.
Stonestreet Estate Vineyards, Aurora Point Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc
This wine hails from our Sauvignon Blanc Masters in 2015, where it took the position as the outstanding sample of the day, becoming the only entry to gain the title of Master: the ultimate accolade for the very best examples of their type.
Forget what you know about Sauvignon Blanc. This particular wine, a top-end, barrel-fermented Sauvignon, is more like a great white Bordeaux from Graves, with peach, passion fruit, and a touch of cleansing pink grapefruit, complemented by a lovely creamy taste and texture, along with a hint of vanilla. This is a wine that is both indulgent and cleansing, and a brilliant match for a range of tricky ingredients, from herbal garnishes such as dill, to buttery sauces on fish to white meat, or vegetables such as asparagus or the notoriously tough brussels sprout.
Medal: Master – The Global Sauvignon Blanc Masters, 2016
Price: £30-40
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