3 Festive New Year’s Food & Wine Pairings You’ll Love
While Christmas and festive feasting is top of mind, we’re building a wine list of true character to kick off 2023 with! Menu-wise, New Year celebrations are an opportunity to impress friends and family with generous grazing platters: think seafood, charcuterie and cheese boards. They are all crowd pleasers, and can make things more relaxed for the host.
To aid you in your plotting and planning, here are six bottles of Oregon Wine to pair with shellfish, cured meats and various cheeses. These are all unique, delicious wines that will not only make your food sing, but your guests too – with compliments!
Just remember, the key is to place your wine orders as soon as you can, to ensure your Oregon is with you on January 31st.
Seafood
A bouyant and citrusy chardonnay is a perfect partner to seafood. Oregon’s unique chardonnay ‘style’ has been described as ‘leaner’ than its Californian cousin. New York Times’ Eric Asimov commented that Oregon Wine had found its own “groove”, creating chardonnays, “with lively acidity and plenty of nuance.”
A crisp chardonnay sounds perfect for the prawns, oysters and dressed crab platter you might be planning to serve friends and family.
R Stuart "Love, Oregon" Chardonnay 2018, £23.85
https://www.99wwines.com/product-page/love-oregon-chardonnay
Tasting notes: Apple and citrus aromas give on to a fresh, lemon-driven taste.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon Roserock Chardonnay, 2018, £25.60
https://www.vinvm.co.uk/domaine-drouhin-oregon-roserock-chardonnay-2018
Tasting notes: The aromatics range from classic white flowers to tart lemon meringue. At its core, there is texture and energy, buoyed by bright acidity and well-integrated oak.
Charcuterie
Presenting a selection of cured meats will surely impress your New Years guests. And naturally, you’ll want to select a red wine to serve alongside. Of course Oregon is famous for its pinot noir – and there is plenty of variation within that varietal to pique the interest of those who prefer a medium bodied, complex red.
The following two bottles will stand up to the saltiness and smoked meaty flavours of a charcuterie board, with plenty of fruit-forwardness and spice. Notably, The Willamette Valley Vineyards Dijon Clone Pinot Noir 2019 scored 89 points with Wine Enthusiast judges.
A to Z Wineworks Oregon Pinot Noir, USA, Dundee Hills, £22.75
https://www.urbangrapes.co.uk/shop/red-wine/a-z-wineworks-oregon-pinot-noir/
Tasting notes: Concentrated depth and purity of fruit. The tannic structure brings balance to this classic, intense wine.
Willamette Valley Vineyards Dijon Clone Pinot Noir 2019, £28.45 https://www.99wwines.com/product-page/willamette-valley-vineyards-dijon-clone-pinot-noir-1
Tasting notes: Fruit-forward nose of ripe red cherry, raspberry and cranberry accented by subtle spice and a gentle earthiness.
Cheeseboard
Whether you’re considering serving a cheese board for pre-dinner nibbles, or as a meal-closer – you have two options: White, or red.
Selecting a low-acidic, peary white will go down a treat with soft dairy cheeses. Eyrie inclusion here represents deep history in Oregon. Eyrie Vineyard was one of the first planted in the Willamette Valley in the 1960s. Their 2017 Pinot Blanc was awarded 89 points by The Wine Advocate.
Similarly, Elk Cove is a founding vineyard in Oregon, with beginnings in the 1970s. Today, their Pinot Noir 2019 has been described as having a fruit-driven style with good intensity. It was awarded 90 points by the Wine Advocate, we think your manchego will pair perfectly with this pinot noir.
Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Blanc 2017, £24.95
https://www.vincognito.co.uk/white/new-the-eyrie-vineyards-pinot-gris-dundee-hills-oregon-2016-64ct9
Tasting notes: Gentle orchard fruits, particularly clementine and nectarine, dusted with pear blossom and honeysuckle.
Elk Cove Pinot Noir 2019, £32.50
https://www.amathusdrinks.com/b2c/elk-cove-willamette-valley-pinot-noir
Tasting notes: Aromas and flavors of blackberry, cherry compote and spices, with hints of woodsmoke and mocha.
We wish you a happy new year and a fruitful beginning to 2023.
