Roast turkey and Mencia

By now you might think I’d have explored all possible permutations with turkey but sommelier Jacob Kocemba was singing the praises of Mencia with turkey on Twitter the other day and as we had a magnum handy I thought I’d give it a try.

It was, admittedly a particularly good one - the Petalos Bierzo from Alvaro Palacios under the Descendientes de J Palacios label - in magnum which had more richness and depth than some younger mencias but stood up magnificently to the bird and all the trimmings - and to the cold turkey the following day. Majestic has the 2012/13 vintages on offer at a very competitive £13.86 a standard bottle at the moment if you buy any six bottles. It’s normally around £18.

Roast turkey and Chivite Coleccion 125 reserva 2001

A bit of a departure with the turkey this Christmas - a magnum of Chivite Coleccion 125 from Navarra we unearthed in a cellar sort-out the other day. It's based on Tempranillo with a proportion of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon - I'm not sure what the percentages were that year - but was probably at the optimum moment for drinking - the fruit still bright but super-smooth and beautifully in balance.

I know I tend to recommend other options with turkey but this hit the spot perfectly coping with a rich spicy stuffing and bright, sharp cranberry sauce.

What made it work? Three main things, I think: the level of alcohol (13.5%) - not too alcoholic but powerful enough to take on the many different flavours on the plate, pure, intense but in no way cloying fruit and smooth, integrated tannins. And a magnum is always fun.

Roast turkey and 2009 Beaujolais

We decided some time ago we were going to drink Beaujolais with our turkey in memory of the late Marcel Lapierre who very sadly died back in September. I thought his vibrant fruity 2009 Morgon would be ideal with the classic Christmas feast and so it proved to be, mirroring the tartness and fruitiness of the cranberry sauce.

We also cracked open a bottle of the charming 2009 Raisins Gaulois on Boxing Day. Just a shade lighter (we chilled it slightly) and intensely quaffable, it was perfect with our Boxing Day lunch of cold turkey and bubble and squeak (which I actually prefer to the main meal).

I wouldn’t extrapolate from that to say that all Beaujolais would do the job. Marcel’s Morgon is particularly full-bodied and generous and 2009 was an exceptionally ripe vintage. It certainly helped that both were young wines (I'm not a fan of venerable reds with turkey). And it does show that in a good year Gamay can do the biz.