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Discover wines and fizz to enjoy alongside winter dishes and Christmas dinner – including roast turkey, gammon, fresh desserts and the cheeseboard
Pairing wine with the Christmas Day turkey can be challenging because, while the meat has a delicate taste, the accompaniments you serve it with can have a large variety of flavours.
A medium-bodied red, and a full-bodied white are good choices. Pinot Noir is low in tannins, light enough not to overpower the turkey and goes brilliantly with fruity stuffing and cranberry sauce. Chardonnay can match up to the plate – oaked will add creaminess and richness which is lovely with turkey and bread sauce.
A ham served hot needs a more robust wine than cold cuts (where the flavours are milder). Try Grenache, it’s medium-bodied with a hint of spice that stands up to cloves and spices you might use as a glaze. For cold ham, Beaujolais is light on the palate, with berry notes and sweetness that would go well with fruity chutneys.
Chilean Merlot is soft in style and can complement maple and honey glazes. For whites, Chenin Blanc that is oaked will take on any smoky flavours and Riesling will pair well with a sweet and spicy glaze.
Rich meats like goose and duck require a wine with more acidity to cut through the fattiness of the meat. In addition, with duck and game, you usually find a fruity note in the sauce: think duck and orange, venison with redcurrant jelly.
These birds find a perfect partner in Pinot Noir, particularly those of Burgundy or New Zealand.
With all different flavours and textures on a cheeseboard, one style of wine is unlikely to suit all. Often white wines are an easier match – a creamy, barrel-aged Chenin or Chardonnay suits Brie or Cheddar, while an elegant Sauvignon is invariably delicious with goat's cheese.
But beware, aged, complex reds (often the choice for cheese) can easily be overwhelmed – it's often younger reds with a nip of tannin that can take on a ripe, soft cheese.
The easy rule with dessert, whether you're serving a dense, sticky plum pudding, cream-laden trifle or something light and fruity, is to partner it with wine that is as sweet. Anything less sweet will taste thin.
Botrytis, the mould that sweetens and intensifies the flavours of many sweet whites (not just Sauternes), is a boost for almost all desserts. Acidity is critical too. Without enough of it, the wine can taste flabby and flat.
Chicken's popularity lies in its versatility but this can make it confusing to pair with wine. The trick is to match the accompaniments.
If there's a creamy sauce, pair with a barrel-aged white wine to complement the richness. A Caesar salad would suit rosé, while a roast chicken topped with bacon and filled with rich stuffing could handle a red Bordeaux or Rioja.
If you've never tried these two together then why not have fun tasting different styles of dessert wines, tawny port and sherry with different types of chocolate?
Rosé port brightens the red berry flavours of white chocolate, milk finds its ally in sweet Italian Recioto della Valpolicella or Rutherglen Muscat with its notes of dried fruit, and the caramel flavours of Pedro Ximénez sherry or tawny port work wonders with dark chocolate, especially if there's ginger.
Worthy of a page on its own, but in short, think of the flavour and density of the fish when you make your match. Don't rule our lighter reds like Beaujolais or Valpolicella for meaty fish such as tuna or monkfish, especially if they're served in robust tomato and garlic-infused dishes.
Rosés not only match brilliantly to lighter dishes, they look stunning with the sunlight glowing through the bottle on your picnic rug too.
Dry French rosés work best with leafy green salads (try one alongside a salade Niçoise), but if your salad has some chilli kick or creamy slaw, then opt for a Riesling or Grüner Veltliner which will cut through the mayonnaise and balance the spice. Salads topped with grilled duck or slices of peach, apricot and cherries go really well with Pinot Noir.
The key to a great grill is making it easy for the host and providing choice for the guests – and the same applies to the drinks you’re serving with it.
Mixed cases are a brilliant solution to offering variety, and box wine, pouches and tube wines are a convenient way to encourage people to serve themselves – look out for the organic and vegan-friendly ones too. But if there are fewer of you gathered round the embers, then perhaps try out some of these different suggestions for meat, fish… and marshmallows.