Christmas Meals: which wines to serve with the starters ?

Choose mineral wines to go with oysters
I love pure natural products, and tend to choose a wine with mineral notes to go with oysters. With the flat Cancale oysters, I prefer the finesse of a Riesling Grand Cru Geisberg from André Kientzler. A splendid match which emphasizes persistency, where the extreme purity of the Riesling accompanies the oyster to the very last sensation. You can also turn to an Austrian Riesling, with for example the Achleiten 2002 Riesling from the Freie Weingartner cooperative, which goes beautifully with oysters. This cooperative cellar works with grapes grown on terraced vineyards with silica and mica soils, which provide these wines with amazing minerality.

A zip of acidity with scallops ...
Scallops, with their soft, dense flesh and refined, delicate flavor are a true festive starter. Sautéed scallops develop flavors of almond and hazelnut which call for a Chardonnay. No need to go looking for a powerful wine - what you have to do is find just the right acidity to offset the smoothness of the scallop. I would choose a Pouilly-Fuissé from Michel Forest, or the Richou  2002, for its mineral notes which recall a chablis, and for its firmness. Another good recommendation is the Pinot Blanc 2003 Elena Wach from Altodige in Italy. 

Go for good balance with foie gras...
It's hard to resist serving a mellow white wine to accompany foie gras en terrine. But in addition to the mellowness, you have to look for balance, and I recommend turning to the Loire Valley whites. My first choice would be a Côteau de l'Aubance Pavillon 2002 from the Richou brothers. The acidity in the Chenin grape and the minerality which comes from the Aubance shale create fabulous sweetness and suave mildness yet do not saturate the palate or dominate the mouth. This lovely wine is not noble-rotted sweet wine, but a mellow wine !
I sometimes also recommend Hungarian Tokay with foie gras. The Tokay Azu 6 pouttonyos 1999 from the Oremus de Vega Sicilia is an excellent recommendation.

See the entire section of holiday wines in the December issue of the magazine "Cuisine et Terroirs".