Jouluviinit. Alkon parhaat viinit jouluksi: Punaviinit

And finally… mostly to enjoy at New Year’s Eve, considering how late I post the article 🙂 : red wines. There is a lot of possibility in Alko’s selection, though I must warn you that choosing a red wine with Finnish Christmas food is a big risk. It will absolutely work with the pork, but it will fall short on the salmon, whether it is graavilohi or savulohi, it will also have difficulties with all the salads, peruna, rosolli… In case I would serve a fine red, I would split the dinner into two parts : first part with the salads and then with the joulukinkku and the various laatikkot.

This time, I give you a list split between medium and powerful wines and then by order of  increasing price.

MEDIUM BODIED (wines that I would favour for the pairing with Christmas food).

Spain: Pares Balta, Savia Viva 2010 (471587) 7,98€ : Simple but efficient.

Argentina: Amalaya 2011 (485797) 11,90€ : A surprisingly good blend from Argentina. Spicy and fruity but with a nice structure in the mouth. This is one of my nowadays « top buy » in Alko. Best served not too cool and can be drank right after opening.

New-Zealand: Brancott Estate, South Island Pinot Noir 2011 (466047) 11,99€ : Entry level and yet delicious Pinot Noir. Sure, it lacks a bit structure, but at that price point, it is a bargain.

Italy: Zenato, Valpolicella Superiore 2010 (450187) 12,99€ : Standard but elegant Valpolicella. Thousand times better than the ugly Masi example of the kind.

Chile: Leyda, Las Brisas Pinot Noir 2011 (475537) 13,98€ : Pinot Noir is definitely the best option when it comes to Christmas dinner. This is a good and affordable example. It will benefit from an early opening. (a couple of hours before drinking).

Austria: Rabl, Blauer Zweigelt Vinum Optimum 2011 (496847) 13,99€ : light, fresh and fruity. Almost no tannins. This is a dream of a wine for delicate palates. 2011 being an outstanding vintage in Austria.

New-Zealand: Vicarage Lane, Canterbury Pinot Noir 2009 (435547) 15,95€ : Much more dense. Spicy. Clean. A very nice Pinot Noir, more balanced and fruity than the Leyda Las Brisas.

Spain: Muga Reserva 2008 (449177) 17,61€ : One of the best Rioja of the selection. Surprisingly balanced and elegant.

Italy: Villa Antinori rosso 2009 (006861) 17,99€ : Modern, fruit and chocolate taste. A nice wine that benefits from an early opening.

Austria: Weninger, Blaufränkisch Hochäcker 2009 (407007) 18,14€ : One of the best value for money place in Austria. Spicy, with a strong character. And still very soft tannins. Very good wine.

Austria: Pittnauer, Pinot Noir Fuchsenfeld 2010 (452237) 19,96€ : Austria has started recently to produce Pinot Noir. This is an interesting example.

New-Zealand: Te Kairanga, Runholder Martinborough Pinot Noir 2009 (408487) 19,98€ : One of the good Pinot Noir from Alko. If you find 2007 this will be even better. 2009 will require a little bit of breathing time.

USA: Boedecker Cellars, Oregon Pinot Noir 2011 (455397) 20,40 : From the coolest climates of the USA. A very well defined and nice to drink Pinot Noir.

France: Chapoutier, Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers 2010 (429967) 21,00€ : A very good example of nordic Syrah. Great vintage. The wine is however very young and need 2 to 3 years to open. If you have it for Christmas. Either decant 2 hours, either open 24h before drinking (take a few centiliter away and leave the bottle opened).

Italy: Luigi Einaudi, Barolo Terlo 2007 (476267) 39€ : The top of Alko’s selection. This is an outstanding wine, not even expensive. This wine has years in front of him but it is already enjoyable. To be decanted 2 hours before.

New-Zealand: Felton Road, Bonnockburn Pinot Noir 2010 (429367) 50,30€ : A fantastic wine from New-Zealand. Felton Road is THE reference of the country. Still young but enjoyable.

FULL BODIED, POWERFUL WINES (for those who look for a big kick in the mouth!)

Chile: Tabali, Reserva Especial 2009 (407507) 15,99€ : Very concentrated, very ripe, very powerful. A decent to good wine, but it might overpower the meal. Still, very pleasurable if this is the kind of wine you are looking for.

France: Château Cesseras, Minervois la Livinière 2009 (424377) 16,99€ : Powerful and yet fresh with a hint of grassiness that often lacks in super ripe similar blends from Australia.

Argentina: Norton, Privada 2010 (432417) 17,89€ : Much more powerful and concentrated. It is not a wine with a strong personality but it compensates with its expressivity.

Australia: Rosemount, GSM 2010 (454607) 24,90€ : A southern Rhône blend from Australia. Rosemount is not the reference estate from the country but this wine is truely outstanding. Very complex and with a great balance. Not to be missed!

Australia: Yalumba, Hand Picked Shiraz-Viognier (463597) 28,70€ : An other Rhône blend (northern Rhône), the same that you find in Côte Rôtie. More concentrated, more generous with a more noticeable alcohol. An other very good wine.

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