Over Christmas, many families consume a great deal of food and just as much wine! Christmas wine choices are more important than other holidays! Christmas tends to be the holiday spent with most family!
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Cooking for hours each day, loved ones and family members staying with you! What Fun!
Wine compliments meals and completes them! A great steak makes a nice meal. However, a great steak with the right glass of wine is amazing. From improving the mood of your guests as well as your dishes, Christmas wine choices are crucial to your holiday! So get in the Holiday Spirit and find out which wines to buy this Christmas!
Christmas Wine: Red Wine And White Wine Pairings
As mentioned earlier, a wine pairing can make or break a meal. The right wine for the right dish is the difference between good and perfection! Christmas dinners offer a vast array of different foods and vary by family. While ham is typically tradition, some families choose turkey or goose depending on preference. The flavors in these proteins are different and therefore require different flavors when it comes to wine. Luckily there is the perfect wine to compliment every dish!
Red Wine Pairing: Ham
Many of us find our ham to be sweet yet salty which makes it all the more desirable. In order to complement these flavors, I recommend an Elderton Shiraz 2014 direct from Australia. This wine takes on one of the more beautiful vibrant dark colors of purple, resulting from a slew of tasty ingredients. This full-bodied Christmas wine is crafted from black forest fruits, vanilla, and chocolate. With berries and plum and a spicy finish—this pairs excellently with a sweet and salty ham.
White Wine Pairing: Ham
If your family prefers white wine, red wine, or both—your next best option for Christmas wine is a nice Riesling. For example, one of the best you can choose is a Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling 2009. It is a deep golden straw color and it is a bit reflective as well. It embraces the palate, delivering lush flavors of honey, peaches, and burnt orange peel. With finishing notes of minerals, lemon zest, and stone fruits—this is the perfect ham complement if you prefer white wine.
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With a medium body, this wine entertains the taste buds without stealing the show. This is one of the best white wines for pleasing a crowd.
Red and White Wine: Pairing With Goose
Goose is another delectable treat that is often served for Christmas dinner. This gamey bird is one that is rich in flavor and reminiscent of a rare roast beef. It is all dark meat and tastes better the younger it is. With such a gorgeous and flavorful meat, finding the right bottle of wine to complement it might be tricky. Fear not, with the help of this guide you will be able to pair wines like a pro.
Red Wine Pairing: Goose
The last thing you want is to gum up the flavors of the duck with a jammy wine. No, this is actually the best time to break out a nice Cabernet. I recommend a Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014. Its toasty oak and dark fruit notes are perfectly subtle and supportive of the goose. With spice, plum, and cocoa—this wine truly delivers.
White Wine Pairing: Goose
Right off the bat, I am going to go ahead and suggest a nice Pinot Grigio for your Christmas wine. The Ruffino Pinot Grigio Lumina 2016 is the perfect bottle to enjoy with that juicy goose. With boisterous notes of flower gardens, golden apples, and lemon peel. With a medium body, this wine entertains the taste buds without stealing the show. This is one of the best white wines for pleasing a crowd.
Red And White Wine Pairing: Turkey
When you plan on a red or white wine to bring to Christmas dinner, it proves helpful to think Thanksgiving. Often what we pair with Thanksgiving dinner will also so a Christmas dinner justice. All the more so if you are having turkey. Let’s take a look at the best wine for Christmas day.
Red Wine Pairing: Turkey
Much like with Thanksgiving, if you are having turkey for Christmas I highly recommend a Mazzei Chianti Classico Riserva Ser Lapo 2013. This beautiful red wine blend is comprised of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot. The two are harmonious with each other, complementing many different styles of dishes. From stews to turkey dinners, it is a beautiful and affordable Christmas wine with hints of fruits and leather.
White Wine Pairing: Turkey
You need to keep in mind that turkey is far from being the most flavorful meat. That is why you almost always want to pair it with a full-bodied wine. My recommendation lies with a Rombauer Chardonnay 2016. It is a tropical paradise with flavors of melons, mango, vanilla, baked apples and so forth. It is liquid velvet on the tongue with a crème Brulee finish.