Crowd pleasers: The best Christmas party wines
Not sure what wine to choose for a Christmas party? Our expert is here to help with his choice of the best bottles for festive gatherings.
Not sure what wine to choose for a Christmas party? Our expert is here to help with his choice of the best bottles for festive gatherings.
What do you call something that’s not the best, but that is guaranteed not to disappoint?
It turns out there is a word for it. This is a “satisficer’”. The word was coined by American academic Herbert Simon in 1956, who theorised that we might prefer things that are “good enough” to those that are “possibly brilliant”.
It might not seem a revolutionary insight but it was enough to help win Simon the Nobel Prize.
As it happens, this is peak season for “satisficer” wines. Christmas parties – whether you’re hosting or bringing a bottle to someone else’s – are not the time of year to discover that the Lithuanian Chardonnay you fell in love with over the summer is not to everyone’s taste.
Far better to serve a wine that gives everyone a smile, rather than makes three people cheer and everyone else wince.
That’s why I will be serving satisficer wines like Trivento Reserve Malbec (12.5%, £8.75, most supermarkets) at my pre-Christmas drinks parties. It’s the UK’s best-selling bottled wine and a regular award-winner.
So it’s no slouch on the quality front, and has black cherry and blackberry fruit and lovely floral aromas. It’s extraordinary value too. And everyone likes it, even if it’s not anyone’s absolute favourite.
Gran Viña Sol (13.5%, £12.45, Ocado), from Torres in Spain, is my go-to, reliable satisficer white. It’s the big sibling of holiday favourite Viña Sol, but actually a completely different grape, wine and style. I’d gladly serve this to a Master Sommelier, knowing it would give them a smile. It’s a peachy, aromatic Chardonnay with bags of personality, and perfect with a herby roasted chicken.
Are there wider categories of wine that are dependable satisficer wines? The answer is yes. Up there for me is Dry Furmint from Hungary. Hungarian wines are a hard sell, so only their good wines make it here.
Like Patricius Tokaji Dry Furmint (12.5%, £11, Waitrose). It has the structure of Chardonnay and the aromatic lift of Riesling. Best of all, you’re serving a “Hungarian white”, which makes you look like a great wine expert. I’ve never had a bad Hungarian Dry Furmint.
Portugal works in a similar way. It’s not a classic region, so we get the good stuff at great prices. Porta 6 (13%, from £8.50 from most major suppliers) is a banger. Soft, ripe, juicy, fruity, and as trustworthy as an old friend. I love it.
For me, the Holy Grail of satisficer wines is a pair you can have at home – by the case – to serve as your “house wines”, whether at a dinner party or a neighbours’ festive get-together.
This is where you want The Black Pig McLaren Vale Shiraz (13.5%, £13.99) and The Black Pig Viognier (12%, £11.99, both Vintage by Saga). A ripe, meaty red, and a fresh, fruity white, they’re both versatile, endlessly reliable, and every vintage is a cracker.
Herbert Simon might not have been a wine expert, but follow his insight and you’ll make more people happy with your wine choices this Christmas than most wine experts will.
(Hero image credit: GettyImages)
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