Christmas: Main Event Wines
The highlight of Christmas day for many surely has to be the roast dinner. It’s most probably the only time most people enjoy (or not!) turkey and the accompanying vegetables, sauces and other creations always make for something special.
I have three favourite wine styles to pair with roasted turkey and chicken: creamy, buttery whites to compliment the meat itself; savoury, aged reds that mirror the flavour profile of the gravy; and zesty, fresh reds that contrast all these flavours - think cranberry sauce and how well that acidic tanginess breaks-up the heaviness of such meals.
Here are some favourite wine suggestions to enhance your Christmas meal. Apologies for the random order!
Markus Iro, St. Laurent Tradition 2021
This is a wonderfully simple wine from the Neusiedlersee region of Austria. There are plenty of red fruit flavours (cherries, cranberries) plus a lovely spicy note too. The texture is very well-balanced and the finish long and fruity. A real undiscovered gem! £15.50 at The Good Wine Shop.
Louis Latour Bourgogne Chardonnay 2018
One of my favourites and a wine that is easily available too. I first tried this back in 2020 and liked it so much I brought a case (it was on special in Waitrose). Since then, we have opened a bottle every year on Christmas day and enjoyed how the flavour of the wine has developed. The 2018 may be harder to come by now but you are assured of quality from other vintages. The wine is classic and elegant, with lovely citrus and herbal aromas on the nose. There is a superb freshness and good length too. A classic! £17.99 at Waitrose.
The Society's Chilean Pinot Noir, Leyda 2022
Any Pinot Noir would be a good choice for your Christmas day roast but I’m a huge Chilean wine fan! The Leyda Valley region’s rolling hills produce highly concentrated Pinot Noir grapes that produce high quality wines at very good value prices. This wine has a wonderful cherriness but also vanilla and spice from partial barrel fermentation. £8.95 at The Wine Society or try this alternative from Tesco.
Wild Boy Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County, California, 2021
Obviously, it was the label that first attracted me to this wine when I tried it at the lovely Bedford Street Wines in Soho. This is a rich and full-bodied wine - I said ‘wow’ rather loudly when I drank it! There is wonderful creaminess, toastiness and butteriness with complex layers of tropical fruit. A good level of acidity keeps things in check. £26.85 at Marlo.
La Rioja Alta 'Viña Ardanza' Rioja Reserva
Rioja would usually pair with darker meats. However, I was lucky enough to enjoy a 2012 Gran Reserva last year which had aged in a suitably savoury, less fruit-forward fashion and I really enjoyed it with mum’s roast turkey dinner. There are lovely flavours of red cherries and liquorice plus vanilla and nutmeg from the 3 years the wine has spent in oak barrels. The 2012 is hard to find but the 2015/2016 vintages will be just as enjoyable. £29.99 at Majestic.
Can’t decide? Then may I suggest having a choice of wines for your Christmas main meal, which is exactly what I’m planning to do! Cheers!