Christmas is all about over-indulgence and many will be going all out to serve a delicious festive lunch with all the trimmings. If you want to take things up a level, pairing food with just the right tipple could be the icing on the cake.
From a special Christmas breakfast to smoked salmon starters, Turkey, trimmings, and pudding, read on for some top tips to help you pair your festive food and drinks like a pro.
WHETHER YOU GO IN FOR BREAKFAST OR BRUNCH, START THE CELEBRATIONS EARLY WITH YOUR FAVOURITE FIZZ
With a day full of cooking and hosting ahead, you need no better excuse to start the day with a glass of fizz. And prosecco, champagne, cava, or even English sparkling wine pair really well with eggs.
One of the perceived problems with matching eggs and wine is that runny yolks can coat your palate and make dry whites taste thin and sharp. Crisp, refreshing sparkling wines overcome this with their creaminess – sparkling chardonnay or blanc de blancs champagnes are particularly good.
For a healthy lift at the beginning of the day, mix your bubbly with freshly squeezed orange juice.
If you prefer a proper fry up, champagne also works a treat with bacon and sausages! The high crisp acidity makes a great balance for anything that’s salty and oily.
PAIR YOUR SMOKED SALMON STARTER WITH SANCERRE OR A REFRESHING LOIRE SAUVIGNON
A classic Christmas starter, smoked salmon pairs well with refreshing and crisp dry white wines. Served simply with brown bread and butter or sour cream and blinis, pair this simple starter with sancerre, a refreshing Loire sauvignon, or a chablis and you’re on to a winner.
Alternatively, swap out the wine for gin and tonic and enjoy a tantalising match made in heaven!
LET’S TALK TURKEY
Turkey pairs well with most wines – it’s the trimmings where things get tricky.
From the tang of cranberry sauce and the bacon and sausage of pigs-in-blankets and the “love ’em or hate ’em” Brussels sprouts to meat or nutty stuffing, your choice of wine has its work cut out.
A good option is a young pinot noir or Beaujolais cru – a good pick will add a cranberry-sauce inspired vibrancy to turkey without overpowering or clashing with your side dishes.
For those who prefer white wine, try a creamy, fruity white burgundy or a US or southern hemisphere chardonnay.
For an offbeat option, wine expert, Matthew Horsley, recommends an oak-aged, nutty white rioja, saying: “It’s broad enough in flavour and with enough complexity to handle all those culinary adornments to the main meal that we can’t resist adding”.
If you’re partial to a good old-fashioned cocktail, add a fruity twist to a classic collins:
- Pour 2 parts cranberry juice, 3 parts golden rum, 6 parts soda water and a generous dash of angostura bitters over ice
- Sweeten to taste with brown sugar
- Stir until thoroughly mixed and chilled
- Strain into a glass and enjoy!
This mix will pick up on the cranberry sauce on your plate and add something slightly sweet to match.
THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING
Traditionally, Christmas pudding and Christmas cake both require a lot of alcohol to make. So, they’ll both match up well with that once-a-year dessert wine or port that’s been waiting for its time to shine.
For more specificity, pair Christmas pudding and brandy butter with port. A 10- or 20-year-old tawny port will be less sweet than a ruby port.
In Portugal, they serve port slightly chilled, so try popping it in the fridge shortly before serving.
Should you have a bottle of ruby port, pair it up with a chocolate yule log. Wine buyer for M&S, Emma Dawson, says “We have a fantastic chocolate ruby wine which would be great paired with a yule log. It’s an opulent ruby red dessert wine with luscious berry notes layered with chocolate flavouring – perfect for all the chocoholics out there!”
Not keen on port or dessert wine? Swap it out for an aged rum. This rounded spirit has enough body and a dash of sweetness to provide a beautiful alternative complement to your Christmas pudding.