Hello all — and Happy 2012! I don’t know about you, but I always feel a certain sense of relief once the holiday marathon is over. The feasts and the gatherings, the indulgent desserts, the sheer volume of traditions that must all be observed, the late nights with one more bottle of red wine than was really called for… I find myself longing for the simplicity of a “regular” work week. So this morning, I was all set to get back to my routine, when *zap* — no electricity.

My first thought at those moments is, still, “Crap, did I not pay that bill?” But once I’ve reassured myself that I am indeed past that phase in my life (knock on wood), I tend to wander out the front door in hopes of seeing other neighbors doing the same confirmation peek. Sure enough, there we all were, hands on hips, giving each other the knowing nod before circling back inside to report the outage. Turned out to be something about a line fuse going out, affecting several streets, with an ETA of four hours. So much for my resolution to kick off the sure-to-be-impressive 2012 levels of productivity. I considered going to an early showing of My Week with Marilyn before remembering that my car was inside my garage — the one with the electric garage door… Or maybe, I thought, I could get someone to pick me up and go to lunch. But it was only 10AM. So I just sat around fantasizing about what I would want for lunch, assuming I could find a friend/chauffeur. And the answer came quite clearly: oysters on the half shell.

Yes, my post-holiday cravings are for clean, bright, bracing flavors. And oysters on the half shell are exactly what I want. (Hey, I didn’t mean to imply that I was embracing some kind of spartan frugality.) I’ve never quite mastered the art of shucking oysters at home — and I have the ruined knives to prove it – so here are the kinds of oyster-friendly wines I’ll be looking for on restaurant wine lists:

Muscadet. The classic French wine pairing to oysters. From the far western, coastal side of the Loire Valley, the Atlantic influence making things cooler and wetter than the rest of the Loire. So the grapes take longer to ripen but still retain bright acidity. You end up with a briny minerality and juicy acidity that somehow perfectly mirror the briny, plump sweetness of the oysters. There are four appellations of Muscadet: avoid the basic stuff (just plain Muscadet) and concentrate on either Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine (you’ll see this one the most), Muscadet-Coteaux de la Loire, and Muscadet-Côtes de Grandlieu. In all cases, drink these wines when they’re young, and enjoy the low price tags! Here’s one I recently tasted:

Domaine Saint Martin 2009 Muscadet Sevre et Maine ($13). Tasty and easy to quaff, with a slight mineral/saline tang to the smooth apple and light citrus notes. As always, a nice match for shellfish. Ready to drink now. Locate this wine online or in your area. (12/2011)

Champagne/Other Bubbles. Well, sure. ‘Cuz Champagne works with everything, right? With oysters, especially, I prefer it to some other bubbly options — again, because of the classic mineral influence you tend to get with Champagne. Though there are also some California bubblies that I think are every bit as good as many NV Champagnes. And now that I think about it, I wouldn’t turn down a glass of crisp Cava with oysters, either…

Charles Heidsieck NV Brut Champagne Reserve ($55). Offers exotic, aromatic notes of sandalwood, ginger, preserved lemon and Earl Grey tea that accent layers of pear, green apple, toast, cream and mineral, with great length and finesse. Very nice. Ready to drink now and over the next 6-8 years. Locate this wine online or in your area.

Domaine Carneros 2007 Brut Carneros ($26). A lemony snap and aromatic baking spices add balance and interest to juicy apple and red berry fruit, with a touch of rich cream through the finish. Ready to drink now. Locate this wine online or in your area.

Sauvignon Blanc. I  hesitated on this one, because there’s just such a wide variety of Sauvignon Blancs out there. But I think most of them work pretty well, if differently from each other, with oysters. My personal preference would be something French, preferably Sancerre, but also wines at the Vin de Pays level or maybe one of those ever-more-appealing Entre-Deux-Mers Semillon blends. These will all have the crisp, stony mineral notes that I want. New World versions will tend to be more gooseberry-intensive (New Zealand), grassy (many California examples) and all around fruitier.

Guy Saget 2010 Sauvignon Blanc Vin de France La Petite Perriere ($10). Nice value here, with crisp, zippy lime, lime zest, lemon and mineral accents to the smooth nectarine notes. Ready to drink now. Locate this wine online or in your area.

Guy Saget 2009 Sancerre Domaine de la Perriere ($25). Nice! Offering green pineapple, mineral and citrusy accents to the smooth apricot character, with a lingering finish. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. Locate this wine online or in your area.

Chablis. Though I’m not much of a fan of other Chardonnays with oysters on the half shell, Chablis offers that same crisp, bracing, stony minerality that I’ve mentioned in the other wines.

Roland Lavantureux 2008 Chablis ($24). Nice value for Chablis — with plenty of crisp green apple and bracing, stony mineral and lemon notes that are entirely appealing now, but should also develop nicely over the next 4-5 years. Locate this wine online or in your area. (12/2011)

Here’s to a great 2012 — and thanks to you all for your interest and support over the past years. Cheers!