I well remember the Mateus but I didn’t realise it still exists, may have to buy a bottle for old times sake 
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It’s the late 70s, went to an Italian restaurant with my girlfriend and had a bottle of Mateus Rose with lunch. Still have the empty bottle sitting on the fireplace now. Not sure I’d want to consume a bottle today though…
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those bottles looked lovely when turned into candle holders… with the wax dripping down the sides… seen it done with different coloured candles and looked fantastic… ahh… memories…
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Yes, that’s what this ones used for.
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That’s quite a different thing to what I wrote. Not only is there nothing wrong with the Blanquette but, as I said, most people would be unable to distinguish between it and Champagne.
My preferred sparkling wine, especially in the summer months is Clairette de Die Tradition, you’re unlikely to confuse that with anything else.
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Equally I wasn’t trying to say you were wrong or that Blanquette or Cremant were especially inferior to Champagne - just less well known in the UK. Actually I probably couldn’t tell Blanquette or Cremant from Champagne either (in fact will buy them in preference for that very reason).
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In Germany the wines from around Würzburg are sold in similarly shaped bottles. I have probably drunk more Mateus Rose from bottles with the cork pushed in than drawn out. Obviously corkscrews weren’t something that I’d discovered before I became an adult.
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The difference between Blanquette and Crémant is the grapes; the former, generally is Mauzac with Chenin Blanc and the latter, Chardonnay. There can be variations. Both great with nibbles. For turkey, any decent red is probably good. Happy Christmas…
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Thanks. And a very merry Christmas to you.
my wife tells me its selling like hot cakes.
Sometimes here in Southern Burgundy we are served our local Cremant with dessert.
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One thing that has come up before is that many people don’t like Champagne or get a reaction to it where the same people don’t have a problem with the Limoux wines. My other half being a good example, so just as well we live at Limoux!
Don’t worry too much about it, whatever you serve I’m sure your guests will enjoy it.
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As others have pointed out, it is fairly rare to drink champagne as the main alcoholic accompaniment to the meal, or any other white sparkling wine for that matter, but hey, go with it if it floats your boat.
As to French people not being able to tell the difference between a Crémant, a Clairette, a Blanquette, and a Champagne, I beg to differ (but I am a bit of a wine snob). In some cases, the grapes are not only different, but the terroir on which they grow is also very different. My personal preference is for Champagne over the other types, “avec modération, naturellement”, as I tend to find the non-champage sparkling whites have too much sulfite in them (used to clarify the wine during sedimentation), and indubitably cause me a huge migraine (Sekt, Prosecco, and Cava included). Then again, others have said that the converse is true for them with champagne, so your mileage may vary.
Can’t beat a nice red to go with roast turkey though - take your pick out of any of the reds from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire, Côtes du Rhone, Côteaux du Languedoc, Côtes de Provence, Fitou, Madiran, etc - the choice is limitless and it is hard to go wrong these days. I suppose serving a sweet, dessert wine with your turkey might get you looked in askance, but hey, it is Christmas, let you hair down and do your own thing 
One thing to remember if you’re using “British-style” stuffing, e.g. sage and onion, the taste can be quite strong and not really marry very well with rounded reds…in that case, you might want to consider a more corpulent red with a bit of oomph, like one anywhere from Toulouse to Perpignan up to the Rhone valley to give the stuffing something a run for its money.
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Yes, Anna. You can serve it as aperetif and right through the meal.
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We’ve been given cider with a 4 course meal on several occasions… it actually goes down a treat…
I’ll be interested to hear how things go… I’m sure you’ll all have a lovely time.
We have arranged for Boxing Day evening so I will let you know how it went once I have recovered!!
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Only one thing to know about wine, do you like the taste or not; it’s that simple. Hedgerow, fruit flavours are simply a marketing ploy jumped upon after that crass Jilly whatsername Golden spoke spherical not lyrical about plonk. Here endeth the lesson. Cava just as good.
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Maybe I’m a bit of a heathen, but sometimes I prefer a cold beer 
or 2
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Hi Alex
I have said that a light red wine with the turkey would go down well.
I have never said that French people can’t tell the difference between a Crémant, a Clairette, a Blanquette, and a Champagne.
Think you may be confusing ‘posts’, maybe you have had a glass or three while reading them
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Problem is that I don’t drink alcohol and I don’t know what any wine tastes like. Will be going with whatever hubby likes.