Christmas dinners present a prime time to try new wines with favourite recipes of old. Will it be ham, turkey, goose or prime rib? If you are looking for new wine options to complement your Christmas Dinner, then look no further, check out our unique selection of versatile whites and diverse reds that are sure to enhance your Christmas gathering, varietals picked for both their presence and adaptability.
Baked, smoked, or honeyed hams can be tricky. The temptation is to go for a sweet, white wine, but try going the other way this year. Red wines that can accommodate ham happenings tend to be lighter in body and overall style. Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, and Spain’s Tempranillo grape often exhibit subtle tannins with an easier going pairing profile.
Turkey on its own presents a fairly straight-forward pairing partner, but who really eats turkey solo? Herb-filled stuffing, roasted veggies, rich sauces, and an assortment of savory sides manage to make their way alongside the bird. It’s these sides and sauces that must be taken into account when working out the best wine pairings. Sauvignon Blanc is hands-down one of the top white wine picks for turkey and savory sides, as it tends to bring its own herbal tones to the table.
When it comes to pairing wines with duck, considerations have to be made for the unique, fatty profile along with the innate gaminess of the meat. The wines of France have a long and storied pairing partnership with a variety of duck preparations. As local foods paired with local wines make a trendy comeback, there’s an underlying synergy between “historical” regional pairings and the red wines of Bordeaux, as well as the reds of the Rhone Valley will handle the elements of roasted, smoked, or braised duck. If the duck is served with a fruit-based sauce then the wine pairing gears will shift towards the white wine trails. Gewurztraminer and Riesling will make their mark on the fruit-themed duck pairing profiles.
Prime rib makes a serious play for a variety of red wines. A big, bold Cabernet Sauvignon, a rustic Tempranillo, a refined red from Bordeaux – all of these varietals can mix and mingle with a slice of prime rib and bring out subtle nuances in the pairing depending on the regional roots. White wines will have a tough time keeping up, but if you are hard pressed and must venture to the white grapes, try a full-throttle Chardonnay to keep pace with the rich textures and greater ratios of protein and fat.
Don’t forget to call in and see out gift packs for Christmas as well as pick up your perfect wines to pair with your meals throughout the season!
