With so much to plan and prepare at this time of year, festive drinks are often forgotten until the last minute. But don’t worry – help is at hand! Follow our simple tips for creating the perfect food and wine pairings to really wow your friends and family this Christmas.
Bubbles for breakfast!
Start Christmas Day in elegant style with a flute of fizz. In our eyes, smoked salmon is a wonderful way to begin the proceedings, especially when accompanied with a glass of Prosecco or Champagne!
The main event
Turkey is the traditional meat to serve for Christmas lunch, which is best matched with a full-bodied white or a medium-full red wine. As turkey is low in fat, it’s important your wine isn’t high in tannins. We recommend a rich, buttery Chardonnay, a fruity Californian Zinfandel or perhaps a mature Claret or Rioja – aged wines have lower tannin levels.
If you are opting for duck or goose, you will need to balance the oiliness of the meat with higher tannin and acidity in your wine. A Red Burgundy is ideal with its raspberry and cherry notes.
With roast beef, match the wine with the particular cut you are serving. Fillet of beef and other low fat cuts need a low tannin wine, such as Beaujolais Cru or a mature Claret, while rib of beef requires a more tannic wine. A Cabernet Sauvignon would be ideal, or a full-bodied Malbec.
Just desserts
Rich and spicy Christmas puddings and mince pies need to be accompanied by something equally robust and flavoursome such as an aged Tawny Port or a Madeira.
Serve a traditional trifle with a sumptuously sweet dessert wine such as Muscat or Sauternes, or perhaps a sweet Sherry.
The cheese choice
We all know Stilton and Vintage Port is match made in heaven, but what to serve with your other artisan cheeses?
If you wish to continue drinking red wine, ensure it is low in tannin as this can clashes with many cheeses and also salt.
White wines are generally better for the cheese course. Roquefort with Sauternes is another classic pairing, while we also adore soft rind cheeses like Brie and Camembert with a White Burgundy, or tangy cheese such as Wenslydale or a goat’s cheese with a high-acid Sauvignon Blanc to help cleanse the palate at the end of the meal.
So those are our thoughts on festive food and wine pairings. What are your favourite Christmas tipples?
via:http://blog.brabantia.com/2013/12/ultimate-guide-christmas-food-and-wine-pairing/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Brabantia+%28Brabantia+%7C+Official+blog+Designed+for+Living%29
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