With Christmas fast approaching we have put together this pairing guide to help you plan the perfect accompaniments to your Christmas dinner. With wines paired to each course or something spectacular to accompany the main course, our wine guide will help you find something to compliment and accentuate all that hard work in the kitchen.

 

To Start

Smoked salmon or prawn cocktail are classic options for opening the Christmas feast.

Try pairing your seafood starter with something saline and mineral to complement and enhance the taste of the sea. 

Quinta Soalheiro Granit would be a great partner to any seafood dish, the taste is crisp, dry and persistent, with earthy and stony flavours. There is a sensation of saltiness on the palate, reflecting the impact of the granite soils on the Alvarinho vines.

The Showstopping main

If you are going for the classic roast turkey with all the trimmings for your main course then a Burgundian white is a match made in heaven. With and expressive nose with notes of white and yellow fruits, succulent flowers and touches of toast, Domaine Patrick Javillier Cuvee des Forgets is elegant and powerful.   This is an expressive and fresh wine with a long finish. Simply beautiful with a roast turkey.

For those that enjoy red wine with their turkey, you would want something subtle, savoury and complementary so the flavour of the turkey is not overwhelmed. An ideal pair and a personal favourite would be a Beaujolais.

The Château de Beauregard Fleurie Poncie displays strawberry and blackcurrant notes with beautiful floral and hay notes. Perfect with poultry and ham. 

Roast ham is another classic main course for the Christmas dinner, generally paired with red wines but we think a rich, Chenin Blanc is a great pair with ham and it also goes great with turkey.

The Domaine des Aubuisieres Vouvray Sec Silex is a great example. Rich on fruit with Apples, pears, peaches combined with a nice herbal element the freshness of the wine will cut through the salinity of the ham.

There will also be enough body to it so that it holds up to the overall richness of the dish.   

 

If your Christmas main is beef, be it Wellington or roast, Château Garderose Lalande de Pomerol from 2015 is a lovely option.

This Bordeaux blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon has elegant red and black fruit notes. Lovely structure to pair with beef and great tertiary notes of truffle and leather to compliment the meal.

This full bodied red is perfect with rich beef dishes.

 

For those vegetarian dishes like mushroom wellington, roast cauliflower  or the classic nut roast, the Forrest Estate Pinot Noir would be a great option.

Red fruit notes with savoury spice and earthy “forest floor” notes there is a lot of complexity here that compliments the variety of flavours that a vegetarian Christmas main can have.

For Dessert

The trick with sweet wines is to pick a dessert wine that is sweeter than your dessert to avoid any bitter aftertaste. 

The Sartarelli Passito a sweet wine made solely with Verdicchio grapes has a palate of candied fruit and quince, honey, salinity, sweet spice, anise and almond to finish.

It will be a beautiful match with the traditional Christmas pudding and others.  

For your Cheeseboard

Straight after dinner or later in the evening a cheeseboard is a great addition to the Christmas meal offerings. With so many cheeses to choose from and so many options for wine pairings we have chosen a few of our favourite pairings.

Ruby Ports are the ideal partner for a cheeseboard, chocolate dessert or even an intense Port wine reduction. A classic ruby port from Quinta de La Rosa made slightly drier than most ruby ports will be a great all-rounder but especially pleasant with sharp cheese full flavoured cheeses such as a good farmhouse Cheddar or Red Leicester.

Vin Santo Occhi di Pernice of the Boscarelli Winery has a deep amber colour with a rich and concentrated aroma showing hints of candied red fruit. A complexity and full harmonic flavour with a long finish, but above all extremely elegant and well balanced in the acidic/sugar ratio.
A meditation wine, it goes perfectly with various desserts, and lovely with cheeses especially blue. 

Umani Ronchi Maximo is a magnificent golden colour streaked with amber tints. On the nose it expresses distinct scents of honey, apricot and peach, followed by aromas of ripe fig, candied fruit and citrus. Rich in the mouth, where the elegant acidity fluidifies the sweetness, soft and balanced with clean, refreshing persistence, and notes of candied fruit and honey continually running through it. A wine that is perfect with tangy cheeses.