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20 Christmas wine pairings to learn by heart
One of the most popular posts I’ve ever written on this site was one called 20 food and wine pairings to learn by heart - an easy reference guide to commit to memory.
Here’s a special Christmas version to help you through the next few days along with links to longer posts on the site which will give you more options
1. Smoked salmon + champagne or sauvignon blanc
Champagne is the more festive pairing but Sauvignon is the better match IMO.
2. Oysters + Chablis
A French tradition so a French wine. Muscadet and Picpoul de Pinet, both from oyster producing areas are also good options.
3. Duck (or chicken) liver parfait + pinot gris
I've chosen this in preference to foie gras as I don't personally eat it but like foie gras it can also take a wine with a touch of sweetness. You could even go for Sauternes or a similar sweet Bordeaux.
4. Seafood cocktail + Riesling
An off-dry riesling from, say, Washington State or New Zealand
5. Roast turkey + Rhone reds such as Chateauneuf du Pape
There are many other options but it's hard to beat this one.
6. Christmas ham + bright fruity reds such as shiraz or Beaujolais
The sweeter the glaze, the riper and fruitier the wine you need
7. Goose + Barolo or Chianti
Whites like spätlese riesling work too but most people would expect a red
8. Duck + Pinot Noir
Always works
9. Roast beef + Cabernet Sauvignon, red Bordeaux
Or, to tell the truth, almost any medium to full-bodied red you enjoy
10. Roast pork + Côtes du Rhône
Or, if you prefer a white and it's served with apple sauce , German or Alsace riesling
11. Baked salmon + white burgundy
Salmon and chardonnay is always a winner
12. Christmas pudding + muscat
Such as Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise or (a bargain this) Moscatel de Valencia
13. Christmas cake + tawny port
Sweet oloroso sherry is good too
14. Mince pies + cream or oloroso sherry or sweet madeira
Or port if that's what you happen to have open.
15. Chocolate Yule log + black muscat
Or any other sweet red wine
16. Stollen + auslese or other sweet riesling
But do check out the other options which are great too!
17. Panettone + prosecco
Cook's treat!
18. Trifle + Moscato d'Asti
Depending on the trifle and how boozy it is! Check my full post for more options.
19. Stilton + vintage port
THE Christmas pairing. Other types of port like Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) and 10 y.o. tawny are good too
20. Vacherin Mont d’Or + vintage champagne
Not the classic pairing of the region but a great way to end a meal!
You may also find the original 20 food and wine pairings to learn by heart useful.
Is there any other pairing you regard as classic or wouldn't miss over the Christmas period?
Image copyright jasoncoxphotography at fotolia.com

Wine for turkey: the difference between a Thanksgiving turkey and a British Christmas turkey
Looking at the recipes online for Thanksgiving turkeys, stuffings and sides they’re very much sweeter (and more imaginative) than the typical UK Christmas turkey. They’re often brined, glazed or spiced (or all three), sometimes deep-fried and often accompanied by cornbread-based stuffings and sweet-tasting vegetables like sweet potatoes and squash.
The American taste in wine is also different from that in the UK - big chardonnays - actually very good with turkey - are much more popular than they are in the UK. There appears to be a preference for Cabernet over Rhone varietals such as Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. And Pinot Noirs are typically much sweeter.
We Brits, although enamoured of the vibrant fruit flavours of new world wine, often revert to more traditional choices at Christmas: such as Rioja, Bordeaux and robust Rhone and southern French reds. Our stuffings and gravy may be rich but are not generally that sweet - our preferred side of sprouts actually has a touch of bitterness. Only our fondness for cranberry sauce (an American import, of course) introduces an US-style note of sweetness.
So what would my choices be? If I were cooking a Thanksgiving turkey this Thursday I would go for a lush fruity red - a Pinot, Merlot or a Zinfandel, possibly even a Grenache. I might even choose an Aussie-style sparkling red though I think that’s better suited to a southern hemisphere Christmas than a European one. I would pick a full-bodied Chardonnay (for good value I might look to Chile) or Viognier for those who wanted a white.. A fruity rosé would also work well.
For a British Christmas I’d be more inclined to abide by the findings of the Decanter tasting I ran last year where our high powered panel of chefs, sommeliers and wine writers surprisingly voted a seven year old Chassagne Montrachet (Jean-Noel Gagnard’s Les Chenevottes 1er Cru, Chassagne-Montrachet 2004) their top pick. (It proved an incredibly refreshing contrast to the richness of the bird and chestnut stuffing.)
The two most popular reds were an 11 year old Bordeaux, a Château Branaire-Ducru, St-Julien 2000 and a four year old Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the Bosquet des Papes, Chante le Merle 2007, both rich and generous but not too tannic.
Of course these were quality wines that still had a good deal of life in them - I wouldn’t necessarily recommend drinking 10 year old wines of a more modest provenance but it does suggest that the more restrained, classic style of cooking a British turkey may be the one to go for if you want to pull out that special wine. And hold that cranberry sauce . . .
Photo ©Bochkarev Photography at shutterstock.com
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