Discover the wine types which pair well with your Christmas food, so you’re well prepared to celebrate the festive season in great style.
The countdown to Christmas is officially on, and with that comes the planning for your festive fare and, of course, what drinks you will serve with the meal.
Perhaps you already have your personal favourites, or maybe you’d love to know which wines pair well with turkey or the rich foods we tend to indulge in at this time of year.
Do not fear; we have you covered with our top tips of which wine types pair well with Christmas food.
Rather than trying to match wines with very specific dishes, we have provided a broader choice that can pair well with a myriad of foods because no two families Christmas meals are the same.
The most important aspect is choosing foods that will provide a contrast to the rich flavours one tends to eat at Christmas. Choosing wines with a higher acidity can help cut through these intense flavour profiles.
Of course, sometimes it’s complimentary to match like with like, as is the case of dessert wines, which pair remarkably well with… desserts.
A dessert wine can also be balanced because there are so many styles of dessert and wines to accompany them.
Types of dessert wines are:
- Suaternes
- Tokaji Aszú
- Moscato
- Gewurztraminer
- Riesling
- Sherry
- Port
- Chenin Blanc
- Zinfandel, Melbec, Petite Sirah,
- Sparkling – Moscato, some Gewurztraminer and Riesling
The below wine types are considered the classic options which pair well with all kinds of Christmas food.
The first choice simply has to be Champagne!
No celebratory occasion can be without Champagne, and bubbles pair well with everything and at any time. Champers can be enjoyed as an aperitif
or even throughout the main meal because of their acidity content.
Choose a bottle of fuller-bodied champagne and consider a fruitier rosé champagne that will pair well with richer foods.
Chardonnay
Who doesn’t love a good Chardonnay at any time of year? It is such a versatile wine that inevitably pairs very well with Christmas food, and there’s so much variety to choose from, you’re really spoilt for choice.
Whether you’re looking for an oak barrel-aged Chardonnay or the buttery freshness of an unoaked bottle, this cheeky number is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Riesling
Wine types do not come much more classic than this to pair with your Christmas fare. Crisp and acidic, it cuts through the richness of a meal like a warm knife through butter. There’s a refreshing and satisfying mouthfeel to dry or off-dry Riesling, whereas the sweeter style wines will pair brilliantly with your Christmas pud.
Pinot Noir
Another classic for a Christmas or Boxing day food and wine pairing. As with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir is also very versatile and comes in the different varieties of red, white, rosé, and there are new world and old world options to choose from.
Beaujolais
Last but not least, we have the delight that is Beaujolais.
There are several varieties, including Beaujolais AOC, Beaujolais-Villages AOC, and Beaujolais ‘Crus’ to choose from, young, light and acidic, some with lower alcohol which highlights the fruitiness within.
It pairs beautifully with Christmas foods, and if you were lucky to pick up a case of Beaujolais Nouveau when it was recently released, you’d be in for a treat this festive season.
We wish all our customers a healthy and happy festive season from the Ideal Wine Company.
