Turkey is famously difficult to cook well – and when it comes to finding a matching wine, life doesn’t get much easier.
You need something light enough to complement the white meat, yet rich enough to hold up to the more gamey brown.
Then there’s the pigs in blankets – so you need a wine with enough weight and viscosity to stand up to the extra fattiness there.
The bread sauce requires something with a creamy, buttery finish – which will also work well with the roasties.
(I’ll forgo worrying about the sprouts.)
For years, I’ve given up trying to find a white that works and conceded on red. Inevitably a burgundy or bordeaux – crowd pleasers yes, but they don’t half knock you out for the Queen’s speech.
But this year, I may just have found a white that’s up to the challenge.
Burgundy or bordeaux may be crowd pleasers yes, but they don’t half knock you out for the Queen’s speech
Giovanni Rosso may be more famous for its barolo, but its latest release of its Etna Bianco white is one of the most exciting wines I’ve tasted in a long time.
Indeed Wine Enthusiast Magazine included the new 2017 release in its top 100 wines of 2019. The Italian wine described by Kerin O’Keefe as “stunning”, was selected by the panel from more than 24,000 wines tasted.
The Rosso family has been farming vineyards in Serralunga d’Alba since the 1890s – and the family winemaker is now led by Davide Rosso, who took over from his father Giovanni in 2001 at just 27 years old.
Etna Bianco is made primarily from the carricante grape – and small batches of other local grape varieties. Initially, it packs a juicy lemon punch, followed by ripe orchard fruits, ending with a herby, salty finish. All the while, there’s enough latent acidity to make sure you can still enjoy it over the top of even the biggest helping of cranberry sauce.
It’s all you need for Christmas – an absolute cracker!
Giovanni Rosso Etna Bianco, £47.90 a bottle.
