Best Wine Pairing for Christmas and New Year's Eve 2022
Christmas season is almost here and we couldn't be more excited about it. Is this time of the year when streets all over the world are full of Christmas decorations and beautiful light exhibitions. Shopping centres are crowded with people making last-minute Christmas purchases. Everything is being prepared for celebrating the end of the year.
Of course, gathering around the table with family and friends on Christmas and New Year´s Eve is a long-lasting tradition. Christmas holidays involve lots of food, drinks, and great wine.
In this article, we will tell you all about what wines to pair with your dinner preparation so that you can make your gathering even more tasteful in your Christmas and New Years' Eve reunion.
Our experienced team of sommeliers has prepared a long list of wines for Christmas that can be paired with typical Christmas and New Year’s Eve food so that even if you are making last-minute Christmas shopping, your wine pairing is already covered.
A good food and wine pairing is one that best expresses the differentiating characteristics of each food and develops the potential of both the food and the wine as much as possible. The aim is to get the perfect balance between wine and food or, at least, that they complement each other so that the whole is harmonious, and their flavors do not cancel each other out.
There are basic, logical, and natural pairing rules (such as, for example, red meat with red wine and white wine with fish) that continue to work perfectly even though wine styles have changed and evolved in recent times. Nowadays, we are more open to discovering new sensations and taking risks with certain combinations.
However, the only strict rule that still applies, is that white wines need to be served before red wines and that dry wine need to be served before sweet wines.
Great wines to pair with appetizers
Young light-bodied white wines pair perfectly with appetizers. We recommend the following white wines that will make the flavours of your appetizers stand out:
Fuenteseca Organic 2019 White Wine: A great and easy-to-drink Spanish white wine from the Valencia region, in the denomination of origin Utiel-Requena.
It has a pale-yellow color, with a green glint. On the nose, it presents aromas of tropical food, apricot peel, and fennel. On the palate, it is balanced with a long finish. Ideal to start your Christmas dinner.
Mantel Blanco Sauvignon Blanc 2020 White Wine: Great, young sauvignon blanc wine from D.O. Rueda, Spain.
It has a bright straw color. On the nose, it presents aromas with tropical notes. On the palate, it is fresh with fine citrus notes. This is a great wine to start your meal.
Great wines to pair with meat
If you are a red meat lover and your main course involves a dish with red meat, such as roast beef, you need to remember one of the rules of thumb in the wine world; Crianza red wines pair with grilled meats, roasts, red meat stews, cured cheeses and charcuterie.
If you prefer a more sophisticated red wine, Reserva and Gran Reserva red wines pair perfectly with game dishes and more subtle and elaborate stews.
So, now that you know the basic rule of red wine, we recommend the following wines that will make your dish even more perfect:
Viña Pedrosa Crianza 2018 Red Wine: Highly awarded red wine from D.O. Ribera del Duero produced by the family winery Bodegas Hermanos Pérez Pascuas.
It is a red wine that shows the full expression of the terroir. On the nose, it has notes of vanilla, balsamic and coffee. On the palate, it has well-balanced tannins with a long finish.
Bordeaux Passion 5 Red Wine: Great Bordeaux wine from France, produced by the winery Bernard Magrez. It is a classical blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
It has a deep red color. On the nose, it presents roasted coffee aromas. On the palate, it is strong, and powerful, with a well-balanced tannic structure. This wine goes well with meats that are accompanied by cranberry sauce.
Casa da Urra Reserva 2017: Portuguese Reserva red wine from D.O.C Alentejo. It is a blend of Alicante Bouschet and Syrah.
It has a deep purple colour. On the nose, presents aromas of ripe blackberries and balsamic notes. On the palate, it has soft tannins with a long, lingering finish.
Cedula Real Gran Reserva 2014: Cédula Real Gran Reserva is an exclusive Spanish vintage wine, a classic for Rioja lovers.
It has a bright cherry red color. On the nose, it presents aromas of dried apricot, candied fruit, and cocoa. On the palate, it is round, broad, and well-balanced, with a pleasant aftertaste bouquet. Highly recommended for the holiday season, as this wine needs to be tasted on special occasions.
Great wines for Fish
Whitefish prepared with sauces or lightly fried foods go well with fruity and aromatic wines of varieties such as albariño, godello, sauvignon blanc, xarel-lo, macabeo and parellada.
With more consistent sauces, we recommend pairing medium-bodied white wines fermented or aged in barrels of more oily varieties such as chardonnay, verdejo and viura.
Immortalis Albariño 2018 White Wine: Spanish white wine from D.O Rias Baixas. This wine is balanced with a mineral character and a fruity and citric aftertaste. Great choice to pair with fish dishes.
Chardonnay 2018 White Wine: Great French white wine is made of Chardonnay grapes from I.G.P. Coteaux de L´Auxois, in the Bourgogne region. It presents a nice yellow color. On the nose, it is fruity and fresh, with notes of yellow apple, pineapple, and vanilla. On the palate, it is round and well-balanced.
Great wines for vegan dishes
If you want to prepare a vegan dish for your Christmas or New Year´s Eve dinner, we recommend the following organic wines that pair well with vegetables.
Alta Alella Parvus Organic 2020: Spanish rose wine from D.O. Alella, close to Barcelona.
It is made 100% of Syrah. On the nose, it has red fruit aromas such as raspberries and floral notes of violet. On the palate, it is fresh, sweet, and very balanced.
Aracelis Organic 2020: Very special organic red wine from Portugal, from D.O.C Alentejo.
It is made 100% of Alicante Bouschet, a special Portuguese variety. It has aromas of cocoa and smoke. On the palate, it is complex, with persistent tannins, and great ageing potential. This is a special edition wine, made by the winemakers as a present for her wife.
Sapientia Sauvignon Blanc Organic: Spanish organic white wine from D.O. Rueda. It is made of 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes.
On the nose, it has a high aromatic intensity, with aromas of coriander, fresh basil, and citrus. The palate has great structure and volume.
Great dessert wines
It´s time for dessert, for some, the best dish of the meal. If you are preparing creamy desserts, then we recommend going for low-sugar sparkling, bruts, dry or semi-dry wines.
It is important to remember that flavors must be balanced when combining wines with desserts. Desserts with intense flavors will require intense wines to harmonize the full flavor. For example, if you are serving ice cream as a dessert, we will need to pair it with a sweet dessert wine. We recommend the following wines:
Champagne Laurent Perrier: World-wide renowned French Champagne, made by Laurent Perrier. It is a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.
Laurent-Perrier's Cuvée champagne has a bright straw-yellow color, a creamy foam and fine, persistent bubbles. The nose opens with intense aromas of yellow fruit and black cherries. The palace reveals a fresh and fleshy sparkling wine, a pure-blooded Champagne.
Cava Gran Brut Nature Reserva 2015: Great sparkling wine from D.O. Cava, in Spain. It is made of Xarel-lo, Macabeo, Parellada, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes.
On the nose, it presents aromas of dried fruits and aniseed notes. On the palate, it is intense with good persistence. Excellent sparkling wine to end the meal.
We hope that we solved all your doubts about how to make the perfect wine pairing for your Christmas and New Year´s Eve dinner. If you want to discover more wines, don´t forget to visit our online store!
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We wish you a very happy Christmas season!
See you next time, wine lovers,
Dis&Dis Team
