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A Festive New Year’s Eve Celebration at Home

Although I love getting dressed up and going out, New Year’s Eve is my absolute least favorite night of the year to do so.  The weather is always miserable, transportation a hassle, and places I usually enjoy tend to be jam packed and over-priced.

Last year, we decided to invite a few close friends over to celebrate at home and it was the most fun we’ve ever had! This year, we went for a repeat, and once again had a ball.

A roaring fire, music and a festive table set the tone for a celebratory evening in. I created a simple centerpiece with submerged greenery, berries and a floating candle, pulled out the monogrammed table linens, silver champagne bucket and called it good!

I’m into low-key entertaining that focuses on the food and wine, but couldn’t resist a few simple touches to make an evening in seem a bit more special.

Although I always love starting dinner parties with a sparkling rosé and a charcuterie board, for New Year’s Eve I upped the ante with a Grand Cru Champagne.

Cooking at our house is always a group effort, and we’re fortunate to be friends with some excellent gourmands who always contribute their talents;  this year was no exception!

We looked to our collective southern roots- and our new Green Egg- when menu planning. Although last year’s New Year’s meal was a little more high-brow, this year we hickory smoked a pork butt. The traditional sides of collards, black eyed peas and corn bread were also there representing health, wealth, wisdom and luck in 2014.

Although the meal is traditionally eaten on the New Year’s Day, I also enjoyed leftovers.  I figure I have 2 helpings of the traditional virtues coming my way in 2014!

We enjoyed red, white, rosé, and the requisite bubbles over the course of the evening.

After enjoying copious amounts of cheese and cured meats, we delved into two Spanish wines from Priorat for the main course.

Although I knew the Menut would stand up nicely to the hickory smoked meat, I wanted to compare it to another vintage, and so I picked up Zaumau from the same region.  Guests were split on which was the favorite- some enjoyed the spicier and more fruit forward notes in the younger Menut, and others the slightly more subdued qualities of the latter.  It will be interesting to see how the Menut continues to develop as it ages over the next 2-3 years.

For professional comparative reasons, I had a glass of each with my meal;) These hearty reds from Spain stood up nicely to the BBQ and it’s definitely a pairing I would re-create.

For midnight, I decided to go with a large format bottle of Premier Cru Champagne.  Although many shy away from large format bottles, there’s something festive about this indulgence (and if you’re going to be consuming multiple bottles, it actually saves a few bucks!). This blanc de blanc was 100% Chardonnay. While I sometimes find these to be a bit one dimensional, the extra time allowed on the lees (or yeast) really rounded the Larmandier-Bernier out with gorgeous notes of champagne toastiness, almond and a fine mousse of bubbles.

Finally, we enjoyed a Late Harvest Petite Manseng from Linden Vineyards; a bottle purchased on our last visit to the esteemed Virginia winery. The sweetness of the dessert wine was balanced by firm acidity and notes of honeyed apricot- absolutely divine in front of the fire and a perfect way to end the evening!

We skipped watching the Times Square ball drop or making resolutions, but the combination of fantastic friends, food and wine made this New Year’s Eve an absolute success!

Did you enjoy any particularly great bottles of bubbly during your celebration?  How did you celebrate this year?