Perfect Wine Pairings for your Christmas Dinner

Often Christmas dinner is a fraught time; once the perfect ingredients have been decided on and put together with the ideal ratio of meat to stuffing and vegetables to potatoes you then have to set about getting the timing right so that all elements reach a cooking crescendo of perfection all at once. You’ve put in so much time, effort and energy that if the end result is anything less than exquisite you feel a little pang of disappointment.

Make sure that your food isn’t ruined by the selection of wine at the dinner table! Consider pairings that will complement and enhance the overall dining experience, marrying food and drink together with maximum impact.

Restaurants should always have a good choice of wines on offer as even if your servers or bar staff offer knowledgeable and educated suggestions, guests may still stick with what they know rather than leap into the unknown. Champagne and sparkling wines are a necessity, after all Christmas is one of the year’s major celebrations. Reds and whites should be chosen carefully with suitable suggestions being made to guests relating to the meats on their plate; certain properties of the wine need to reflect the characters of the meat. Servers with a good understanding of how wines impact food and who can confidently offer little nuggets of wisdom will often be able to turn a good experience into a great one.

 

Top Christmas wine pairing tips;

• Full bodied wines complement heavy, rich foods
• Intensity of flavour between food and wine should be equally matched e.g. full flavoured Sauvignon Blanc will compliment flavourful asparagus
• Consider the fruity notes of the wine e.g. flavours in Pinot Noir will enhance duck in a similar way that a fruit sauce would
• High acidity wines will cut through the greasiness of fatty meats achieving a perfect balance
• Textured, chewy foods such as fatty duck should be paired with wines that have high tannin levels
• Salty foods should not be served with tannic wines
• Wines should have a greater sweetness than the food

 

Wine suggestions;

Pairing with turkey

Reds; Pinot Noir, Shiraz/Syrah, Beaujolais Nouveau, Zinfandel

Whites; Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier

 

Pairing with ham

Reds; Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Beaujolais Nouveau, Zinfandel

Whites; Riesling, Gewurztraminer

 

Pairings with red meat

Reds; Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Zinfandel, Shiraz

 

Pairings with duck or goose

Reds; Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Red Burgundy

Whites; Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay

 

To keep your white wines perfectly chilled it is vital to invest in a quality wine chiller to guarantee results. To ensure that you find the ideal piece of equipment for your business take a look at our helpful buying guide.