Bevvy of the Week – Christmas Wine and Food Pairings

Christmas Wine and Food Pairings

With Christmas Day only a handful of weeks away, I’d like to recommend a few grape varieties that work really well with your festive meal. The following is a short ‘Christmas Wine and Food Pairings‘ guide to go by if you are still looking for the vino to serve up on the ‘big day’.

Photo by krakenimages

A lot of people stress about the wine they serve with Christmas dinner especially if they are cooking dinner for a number of people and want to impress – let’s stay hopeful for that option this Christmas!

The main thing is to buy what you like. If you like a certain wine, chances are your guests will like it too, so don’t worry too much about it.

Further Reading: 18 Excellent Irish Whiskey Gift Sets & Boxes €75 and Under

Photo by Caroline Hernandez

A Simple Christmas Wine Guide

Before dinner a simple Mulled Wine is a lovely way to set the scene with its aroma and taste. Here are recipes for Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Mulled Wine

Starters:

Something bubbly is always a great way to start off your Christmas meal and if you are serving fish or shellfish a Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc will go very nicely indeed. If you don’t want the bubbles a Sauvignon Blanc will do just as good.

Main Meal:

Turkey & Ham: There are a few grape varieties that will work well with Turkey and Ham. Pinot Noir or Tempranillo for the red wine drinkers and a Chardonnay preferably from France for the white wine drinkers.
Spiced Beef: The red grape varieties in Shiraz will work best with the spiced beef. The spice and pepper from the Shiraz will help bring out its flavour.