Festive food and wine: our favourite pairings
By Admin on 25 October 2017
The festive season is fast approaching and now is the time to plan what we’ll be eating and drinking this Christmas.
Bibendum wine educator Kelly Rhymes shares her thoughts on the perfect festive food and wine pairings.
Sparkling to start
“Late morning is the perfect time to kick off the celebrations, when I plan to open a bottle of good quality Moscato d’Asti, like the Vietti Moscato d’Asti Cascinetta,” says Kelly.” This is the Moscato grape variety and is from Asti in North West Italy. It has a delicate sweetness that prepares the palate for the rest of the day, not to mention puts you in the party mood for the festivities. Plus it is generally only around 5.5% ABV – so you won’t be too tipsy to cook Christmas dinner!”
The main event
“For a traditional Christmas dinner, I would normally have a light fish dish to start, such as salmon and prawns with some fish pate. With this I’ll open a light and fresh Albarino from North West Spain, like the Bodegas Castro Martin A2O Albarino,” she says. “It has delicious flavours of citrus fruit and light stone fruit, along with great mouth-watering acidity. Another wine that would pair excellently with fish is the Domaine Les Ronces Picpoul de Pinet from Southern France. Again, this wine is light and fresh with zippy acidity.”
“For those who prefer red wines, opt for a lighter style such as a Pinot Noir or Zinfandel – like the Norman Hardie Pinot Noir from Canada or the Dry Creek Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel from California. The earthy and smoky characters of these wines are known to go well with the stronger flavours of a traditional Christmas dinner.”
Pudding and port
“Christmas pudding and mince pies deserve a wine that complements their flavour and the perfect pairing for me is a tawny port – like the Quinta do Vallado 10 Year Old,” Kelly says. “This wine is amazing when slightly chilled and goes remarkably well with rich chocolate desserts.”
Do you have a favourite food and wine match? Tweet and let us know.