A few days before New Year’s Eve, we bring you the (almost) perfect pairings between excellent dishes and prestigious wines.
What wine to drink at Christmas?
Christmas is a time when we want to treat ourselves as a family and for wine, nothing is better than the great classics . That doesn’t stop you from daring with a glass or a surprising bottle at some point during the meal. But too much originality can spoil the evening. So which vintages to favor? What terroirs, aromas or grape varieties? We looked at the essentials of the Christmas menu: three starters, three main courses before talking about cheese and dessert.
- What wine to drink with seafood?
Oysters, crab, shrimp, a few whelks… As an accompaniment, a dry and fresh white wine seems to be the best choice. Our choice would be a Muscadet . This wine has an iodized scent, sea spray and lots of freshness. To add a touch of daring to the opening of the festivities, it is also possible to serve… a glass of Japanese sake! This rice wine is, contrary to popular belief, very sweet. Generally between 14 and 15° alcohol. Very salty, it brings flavors of cucumber, lychee or white fruits like pear and is delicious with oysters.
- What wine to drink with smoked salmon?
The holiday meal regular with its toast and lemon zest does not go well with just any white wine, you should know that. There aren’t many wines that rhyme with smokiness and that cut through the flesh of the fish with a little acidity. To avoid making a mistake, opt for a Sancerre or a Pouilly-fumé. With Sauvignon grape varieties, particularly those from the Loire Valley, we find grapefruit flavors which go well with oily fish. Add a good spoonful of crème fraîche and that’s it!
- What wine to drink with foie gras?
Here, everything depends on its preparation and aromatics. With a foie gras with rose, lychee or pepper, go for a pinot gris or an Alsace wine, gewurztraminer. If there are exotic or saffron flavors on the plate, a Sauternes with its creamy texture will go very well. Finally, for a fresh foie gras terrine , we recommend a jurançon. A white wine with a lively tangy sweetness that will be more punchy on the palate.
- What wine to drink with a turkey stuffed with chestnuts?
After white wines, perhaps it’s time to open a bottle of red. But which ? This is definitely a Burgundy. Pommard, Vosne-Romanée, Gevrey-Chambertin are very elegant and are well suited to poultry because they have a little tannin. If you want more accessible wines, between 15 and 20 euros, you can head towards the Mâconnais. And there, the wines of Givry also match perfectly.
- What wine to drink with duck with orange?
During the holidays, sweet and sour pairings can be appealing. So, to enhance them, nothing like Grenache and the wines of Vaucluse, bathed in sun and aged in the mistral. With this meat and these citrus flavors, a Châteauneuf-du-Pape or a Vacqueyras will be perfect, especially if they have a little maturity. We will then have in the glass notions of kirsch fruits such as cherry or plum with accents of pepper. It’s really very nice!
- What wine to drink with a creamy scallop risotto?
A white champagne of whites! The texture of the bubbles contained in a Chardonnay goes very well with this type of dish. Afterwards, it can be surprising to drink a champagne in the middle of the meal, but some are winey, and you shouldn’t hesitate!
- What wine to drink with a cheese platter?
We are the land of cheese and everyone can pair with a different wine. So how to do it? Surprise everyone with a sweet wine that stands out like a port or a Banyuls from Roussillon. They go very well with blue-veined pastas like Fourme d’Ambert or Bleu d’Auvergne. A daring contrast for more conviviality!
- What wine to drink with the log?
To finish the meal with complete indulgence, we recommend that you stick with sweet, but digestible wines. With an exotic fruit log , for example, take a Chenin Blanc from the Loire. For an all-chocolate dessert, a rivesaltes will also bring sweetness and freshness. We can also imagine a rappu, a Corsican wine. Enough to end in style!
Which bottle to bring for Christmas?
Are you invited to spend Christmas with friends and family, but you don’t know the menu? No stress. Here are two ideas. First, bring a bottle of winemakers champagne for an aperitif. It’s a bit risky, but the idea is also to discover new names, dynamic young houses like Tarlant, Fleury, Vouette and Sorbée. Price wise, it’s reasonable, around 40 euros. Alternatively, offer the digestive, such as a historic French liqueur, chartreuse. It’s a delicious gift!
