Wine column: The perfect bottle for Christmas turkey dinner

Benoit Gauthier will be pouring Chardonnay at his Christmas dinner table.

Not just any Chardonnay, but the premium and aptly-named 2020 King's Ransom Block 4 Old Vines Chardonnay ($50) he made for Noble Ridge Winery in Okanagan Falls.

"I love Chardonnay, especially this Chardonnay, because I prefer my turkey with cranberry sauce and the King's Ransom has good acidity and good depth that brings a buttery component to the sweet-tart of the cranberry," explained Gauthier, who's been the winemaker at Noble Ridge since 2016.

"Now, if you prefer your turkey with lots of gravy, the Noble Ridge 2022 Riesling ($24) is an excellent choice because the Riesling's acidity will cut through the gravy and complement the food."

Another extraordinary Riesling choice is the Fort Berens 2022 Riesling ($23) from Lillooet.

It just won a gold medal at the Global Fine Wine Challenge in Sydney, Australia.

The challenge is for wines made in the New World (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the US and South Africa).

Challenge judges were impressed by the Fort Berens Riesling's zesty aromas and flavours of green apple and grapefruit beautifully balanced by an off-dry, mineral-driven lushness.

Thus, an ideal wine to pair with turkey and gravy.

Christmas turkey dinner is a feast of contrasts.

The white meat of the turkey is fairly neutral and mild, the dark meat more flavourful.

The sides range from fatty gravy, creamy potatoes and buttery vegetables to sweet-tart cranberry sauce and herby dressing.

With such a cornucopia of flavours and textures you can pair the dinner with many wines from an aromatic white or subtlety oaked Chardonnay to a balanced Rose, light red, such as Pinot Noir or Gamay, or even sparkling.

So, as with any occasion and any wine, it all comes down to personal preference and taste.

Drink what you want, when you want with what you want.

It's the ideal wine-drinking mantra.

With all that in mind, here are eight Christmas dinner wine recommendations.

- Noble Ridge King's Ransom 2020 Block 4 Old Vines Chardonnay ($50) from Okanagan Falls

- Noble Ridge 2022 Riesling ($24)

- Fort Berens 2022 Riesling ($23) from Lillooet

- Nk'Mip Qwam Qwmt 2021 Chardonnay ($36) from Osoyoos (with a profile of lemon, butterscotch and grilled pineapple)

- Laughing Stock Viognier 2022 ($28) from the Naramata Bench (a lush aromatic white with aromas and flavours of pear and ginger)

- Roche 2019 Tradition Pinot Noir ($50) from the Naramata Bench (a premium Pinot with a cherry and forest floor profile)

- Blasted Church 2022 Syrah Rose ($26) from Okanagan Falls (when pink is a must for your meal)

- Blasted Church OMG 2018 Sparkling ($30) (this Champagne-style bubbly elevates everything, including turkey and all the fixins)

Fortify me

If you want to try something different over Christmas, Rara Avis ($45) fits the bill.

It's the first-ever fortified wine in BC to be made with haskap berries and it drinks like a velvety Port.

Haskap looks like a lumpy blueberry when turned into wine has a slightly sweet profile of blackcurrant and dark chocolate.

As you would with Port, drink this 18.5% alcohol-by-volume, fruit wine with cheese or dessert.

Rara Avis is Latin for 'rare bird,' which is fitting because it's a unique, refined wine.

Rara Avis is crafted at Kalala Organic Winery in West Kelowna by its winemaker, Tibor Erdelyi, for Echo Haskap.

It's available at the Kalala shop or online at www.kalala.ca and www.echohaskap.ca.

Steve MacNaull is a NowMedia Group reporter, Okanagan wine lover and Canadian Wine Scholar. Reach him at [email protected]. His wine column appears every Friday afternoon in this space.