'Tis The Season For Gifts, Gatherings, And Great Wine
When it comes to entertaining at Belly, The Blue Room, and Central Bottle Wine + Provisions, we take the holidays very seriously. We are, after all, in the food and wine business, and isn't eating and drinking what the holidays are all about?
We decorate the restaurants with silver and white, sneak a few Christmas songs into the mix, grill even bigger pieces of meat at The Blue Room, and prep for our New Year's Eve bash at Belly complete with DJ, dance floor, and drinks poured through a bone marrow luge! But, like any occasion, the food is less daunting than the vino. Complete merriment can't be accomplished without wine, and good wine, at that.
Enclosed are a few of my favorite reds, whites, and bubbles to up the holiday ante. Plus, if you're in Cambridge, Mass., all can be found on the shelves at Central Bottle Wine + Provisions.
Christmas
White
Domino do Bibei Lapola 2011, Ribeira Sacra, Spain
This wine just blows my mind with how delicious, complex, and lush it is. It has all sorts of stone fruit acidity and a long, minerally finish. It's worthy of any ham or pheasant, and certainly any side dish. It tastes good by the fire, too.
Bruna Pigato 'Majé' 2012
This vino has a beautiful nose, a lovely mid-weight palate, lots of good acidity, and slightly unripe peach and pear notes. It's approachable, it's tasty, it's a touch unusual, and it covers all the needs of most white wine drinkers and most of your Christmas table offerings.
Red
Marchesi di Gresy Langhe Nebbiolo 'Martinenga' 2011, Piedmont, Italy
Christmas has us thinking of kings, frankincense, and myrrh. To me, the king of grapes is nebbiolo from Piedmont. In its most straightforward, accessible, and affordable way, it is nebbiolo from the Langhe area of the Piedmont. If you want to spring for more, drink barolo from Vietti or barbaresco, also from Di Gresy.
New Year's Eve
Bubbles
Laherte Freres Champagne "Brut Nature" NV
It's a new year. You should really start it off tasty. Best way to do so? Drink this champagne.
The Un-Bubble
Cleto Chiarli Vecchia Modena 2012, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
If you want to skip the bubbles, drink lambrusco! It's low in alcohol and tastes great with every light snack you'll consume to stay in your cute dress (tastes just as awesome with a cheese board in your PJs, too!). The low alcohol content also allows you to start drinking at 6 p.m. and still feel great when your kids wake you up at 6 p.m.