You’ve got the main course covered, the desserts chosen and your guest list ready to go…but what about the wine? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. This is a step-by-step guide on which wines to drink on New Year’s Eve, with everything you’ll need to pour from as soon as the doorbell rings, to until the very last guest has left the building. We’re leaving no New Year’s attendee thirsty.
Arrival
Despite its ‘summer water’ rep, rosé’s underlying savory notes make it great for the New Year celebration. It’s a nice way to greet guests, but not so nice that latecomers will think they’ve missed out.
Hors d’Oeuvres
Stock up on low-octane, dry Rieslings (choose ones labeled ‘Trocken’, the driest designation). This versatile white is a good match for spreads and appetisers from crudités to deviled eggs.
See also: Canapes for the Festive Season
To start dinner
Sit everyone down to a subtly sweet sparkling red. Effervescent wines are always right for toasting, and a sweet one will cleanse the palate.
Throughout dinner
Light and bright Gamay, the current ‘It’ grape, has a tart acidity that will balance the onslaught of heavy, savory sides very well. Pair almost anything with this delicious red.
After dinner
Have a sip of port. Great vintage ports can age for decades; but assuming you don’t have a temperature-controlled cellar and decades of patience, you might want something more immediately approachable. Said to be arguably the world’s greatest sweet wine, port will be the perfect finish to any delicious meal you or your guests might have just had.
See also: Investing in Wine: Bordeaux vs Burgundy
Right before the clock strikes twelve
That bottle you said you weren’t going to open because you were saving it for something special? Well with Coravin now you don’t have an excuse.
If you’ve ever opened up a bottle of wine, then you’re already well acquainted with the struggle. Everything from how much you’ll drink, and deciding between red or white, to how you’re going to do your very best not to destroy that cork with the corkscrew, all flash through your mind. After you’ve opened the bottle and settled in for an enjoyable glass of your favorite red or white, you start thinking about how you’re going to save the rest from spoiling and going to waste. You wonder if opening a whole bottle was even worth it in the first place! So why put up with the trouble, when there’s already a solution?
See also: What is Terroir in Wine Making?
The Coravin Wine System is designed to make accessing and pouring wine simple. The design allows you to pierce its needle right through the cork, granting you instant access to your wine. With the pressure from the 99.99 percent argon gas that you release into the bottle, you push your wine up through the needle and pour straight into your glass. The way the system is built, you’ll never find yourself picking out bits of cork from inside your glass.
Coravin isn’t about preservation—that’s a job better suited for the cork. When you use a corkscrew, after you’ve poured your chosen glass, you’re left with that feeling of regret because you know you just condemned the wine left over in the bottle to a trip down the kitchen sink. This gives you the freedom to drink wine with zero waste due to oxidation. You could taste any wine from your entire wine collection at any time, and evaluate how well it’s aging without ever uncorking a single bottle. A traditional corkscrew might give you access to your wine, but it won’t allow you to keep it for later.
You’ll never have to wait for a party or invite some friends over just so you can finally open and finish a whole bottle. With Coravin, you have the flexibility to have any wine whenever you want as often as you want. You’d be able to pair a different wine with each dish during a dinner course—no corkscrew could ever do that. And if you collect wine, you can also monitor how your wine is aging without ever disturbing the process.
Our thanks to Coravin for their assistance in the writing of this article.
Need more inspiration on the types of wines to drink on New Year’s Eve? Read more on the Master Chefs about Matthew Fort’s wine picks for any occasion.
