Beaujolais to go with Christmas dinner (From York Press)

Beaujolais to go with Christmas dinner

12:23pm Saturday 3rd December 2011 in Tipping's Tipples By Mike Tipping

Beaujolais Nouveau is a no, no. A non, non. The wine, released on the third Thursday in November, only a few weeks after the grapes are harvested, is invariably undrinkable.

I say this, firstly because I’m opinionated and secondly because I am a relatively recent convert to Beaujolais that is not new. Where once I dismissed it, I now appreciate proper, not nouveau, Beaujolais, for its versatility and subtlety.

In the summer, Beaujolais makes a great hot weather red. It is brilliant served chilled from the fridge. Made from the thin-skinned gamay grape, wines from the region are usually low in tannins and light bodied but floral, fruity and tangy.

Yet Beaujolais can take a lead role in winter too. Tipping junior took a taste of one I had in a glass the other week, deciding it tasted of cranberries. Perhaps this is why I think Beaujolais is such a good match with turkey and the trimmings?

Of course you could also choose other wines to pair with the big bird. Pinot noir, a Rioja crianza or a weighty white, like an oak-aged chardonnay, all fit the bill. But if it’s going to be Beaujolais on the Christmas dinner table, I can recommend the following.

M&S has its own-label Beaujolais Lantignié 2010, Beaujolais Villages. Unoaked and approachable, this is a capable example, oozing cherry, strawberry and raspberry, with floral notes.

Domaine Pardon Vielle Vignes Fleurie 2010, is a little more upmarket and concentrated. Made with fruit from 80-year-old vines, it has a velvety smooth texture, with good food pairing acidity and long flavours of rosehip, cherry, cassis, violet and spice.

Drinking well now, Louis Jadot’s Château des Jacques Moulin à Vent 2007, will mellow and improve for the next few years in the cellar. Cherry scented and rich with red fruit flavours, hints of oak, floral and mineral notes, it has some structure too.

• M&S Beaujolais Lantignié 2010, Beaujolais Villages, £7.99 at M&S 17/20.

• Domaine Pardon Vielle Vignes Fleurie 2010, £12.49 from Laithwaites 18/20.

• Louis Jadot Château des Jacques Moulin à Vent 2007, £14.49 at Lindley Fine Wines (lindleyfinewines.co.uk) 17/20.