I have a question about sparkling wine. I’m very embarrassed because I’ve been in France for 10 years now and I don’t really know very much about wine because I don’t drink alcohol. I know, I know, I sometimes wonder what I’m doing here as well!!
So, we are having a few people for dinner at Christmas time and we are going full-on British and having a roast turkey dinner followed by homemade Christmas pudding. It should be amusing as they are French!!
I want to get something bubbly but we can’t afford Champagne so I’m thinking of something from Limoux at about 5€. I’ve seen a Crémant and a Blanquette and I’ve no idea what the difference is or even if either would be good with turkey. Alternatively, am I being ridiculous and likely to be laughed at if I serve either of these with the turkey and should get something else.
All help would be much appreciated to avoid embarrassment.
Most people won’t be able to tell the difference between a Blanquette de Limoux and Champagne. If you’re doing a British meal you should surely serve Mateus Rose.
Traditionally, so I am told (and I have done it) serve a good Beaujolais Nouveau slightly chilled. If it’s cold, just pop it outside on the doorstep for a couple of hours before your guests arrive.
There are no real conventions here about what wine to serve with specific foods but remember, if you’re having road turkey and all the trimmings, this will likely also involve recurrent jelly so the lightness of the Beaujolais will complement it quite well.
Not everyone in France drinks alcohol anyway… and we always chill a few bottles of sparking/bubbly (from the “alcohol-free” section of the supermarkets), as an alternative.
There is a wide variety of flavours too… raspberry is a current favourite of my OH and the green-apple one goes down a treat…
Some of this bubbly stuff is 2.5% rather than absolutely alcohol free…but that seems to be acceptable amongst our circle.
My wife is French by birth and several of our French friends also do not drink wine.
Now today got a rose wine fron intermache for under 3€ but told no one slipped it in with the other wines and it got opened tonight at dinner and everyone was asking if we had another bottle.
I even had a sip and not a rose wine fan even i liked it.
its called Very Franboise made and produced in france.
Hello Mandy
Quite frankly I find the cheaper type of ‘fizzy wines’ are very good value. The Kriter Dry white is inexpensive and extremly moorish, they also do a Rosé but I haven’t tried that yet ! I have been served Champagne, and it might just be my taste buds, but for me there isn’t a much difference in taste therefore it’s totally wasted on me !
There is a sparkling wine called Muscador, it’s under 3 euros and I like it. They do white, rosé and now have included a Mojito in their range. We were served a chilled Mojito recently as an apero and I found it made a lovely change.
For something like Turkey a light red will go down a treat… don’t stress about it too much, your friends will have a great time and a lovely meal too.
Please tell me you are serving Yorkshire puddings, these make a great talking point as the French think you will be serving a dessert with the meal:joy:. They have always gone down a treat when I have served them, despite my lack of culinary skills !
Just to digress a little…We were once, many years ago, invited to a meal given by an English friend who only drinks sweet white wine. There were some ‘posh pretentious’ English there as well. When our friend served sparkling white to us and sweet wine for himself the ‘lady’ said " Oh darling you can’t possibly drink that it’s a PUDDING wine", his reply, “my house, my dinner, my taste, I drink what I like”. They were never invited again !
I will be having a glass of Coke with my dinner, a very rare treat for me, so maybe I should just put a bottle of that on the table!! Seriously though, I’m thinking I will just get my hubby’s favourite and we will have that.
Lovely story Ann. I agree that you should eat drink what you like.
Of course I will be making Yorkshire puddings. No roast dinner is complete without them. Also, my hubby is a proud Yorkshireman and I would be in disgrace if they didn’t appear!!
I will also have a look out for the Muscador. My hubby is going to have a great time the next few weeks doing the taste testing of all these suggestions.
