The challenge of enjoying Christmas and new year’s festivities
Christmas dinner is approaching, so, some of the celebrations will be at home and with few family and friends, it is one of the most anticipated events of the year, where we delight in the wonders of the kitchen seasonal gourmet, which undoubtedly taste better when accompanied by a good wine.
Probably, as a good wine lover, you know that the secret of a good pairing or the perfect use of a wine at the time of toast is the harmony between what you eat and what you drink, but if you still do not find the perfect combination for your Christmas share, we will help you resolve it with some tips, which you will surely appreciate.
Plan your menu holistically
If you are still planning the Christmas menu, consider the food and drink as a whole to find the harmony that also enhances the flavors. Traditionally and in a very generic way, fish, chicken and turkey were used to accompany white wine, while red meats are served with red wine.
However, a more specific recommendation is to consider the flavor of the dish; For example, salmon, being a white but fatty meat, can be accompanied with a red wine, especially if it has been prepared with a sauce with an intense flavor.
Consider serving more than one wine
If you’re planning to organize a dinner, the ideal is to serve wines that accompany the dishes; If the starter will be a light salad, the wine should also have that kind of body and sensation in order to not make the following dishes tasteless, you should also take into account if the salad has a vinaigrette or dressing. In the first case, the ideal companion is a white, sparkling or rosé wine, while the dressings are best accompanied by a red wine.
Now, pasta bathed in creamy sauce goes very well with a Chardonnay or Viognier, while pasta with seafood can be accompanied with a rosé wine.
Cheese creams can be accompanied with a white wine made from Chenin Blanc type grapes, for example, but beware: this rule is not the same if you plan to serve a source of cheese, since these can have an intense flavor, and the stronger the cheese is (either semi-cured or cured), the stronger the wine must be to balance flavors and textures on the palate.
For the more intrepid, you can also play with the contrast, such as the always recommended combination of blue cheese with a sweet or dessert wine.
In the case of desserts, there is also a rule: the sweetness of the wine must be equal to or greater than that of the dish, for example, sweet chocolate can be complemented with a red Lambrusco, while a dessert with fruit can be perfectly accompanied by a sparkling wine. sweet or semisweet rosé.
You must determine what kind of table you’re going to have for the night…
Traditional table
It is the most common table. It is the family group with members of a certain age, members with young or middle-aged adults, and children. It is the standard by reference to plan an evening or share Christmas, taking into account all categories of ages and tastes.
The thing could start with a sherry wine. It is a very good occasion to complement the menu of an evening that must be truly unforgettable.
We continue with a traditional white, so the older members of family don’t get annoyed for not being taken into account as it should be when planning. The chosen bottle must be very focused on these wines of great tradition that have been in force for several years. Let it be floral, mineral, with a certain acidity, but not much either: a book Albariño may be the right choice.
Let's go for the red. Following the maxim that I have cited before, it should be from La Rioja, but it will not. In a display of modernity we go to Ribera del Duero with this Viña Sastre. It is a robust broth –Here it applies– that the old men liked a lot, but it also had balsamic notes and the wood very well placed. It is a very good wine with an outdated image.
A modern table
The feast would begin with a sparkling wine made following the ancestral method which. It consists of making a single fermentation and not two (as is the case with the champenoise method). Anyway, the ancestral are very fashionable and this is the most trending we have seen.
Instead of carrying a label, it comes with a packing tape for fragile things. It is a mix of Xarel lo and Carignan that is very fresh and a little pink, but not quite: it is of an ambiguous color and that is also cool.
A table for the ladies
There are a lot of viticulturists and winemakers making top-notch wines and, in short, no matter what kind of celebration you’re going to make, it is truth that a table where the tastes of women prevail will always be a complex group to satisfy.
It is well known that women are very detailed and demanding with their tastes, for this reason it is always an important challenge to fulfill, making them pleased with such a special and traditional meal, such as those of Christmas events.
A bet that would surely come in handy for this profile of guests, is a good champagne, which is always a drink considered highly glamorous, an area where women feel very comfortable.
Table for the youngest
Statistically speaking, red wine is the one with the highest consumption by young people. But sometimes getting started in the world of wine through reds is not easy.
In many countries, the flavors of white or rosé wines are closer to those who are new to wine, something that does not occur in other countries because social prestige is related to the consumption of reds, although it is a trend that is slowly changing. In this case, it will always be appropriate to choose wines with a good taste and sweetness or sparkling wines may also be very suitable
Our conclusion
Christmas season offers a unique opportunity each year, as it is always a time for all families, friends and friends, who want to spend a Christmas season, with the focus of always enjoying and meeting again at the end of the year with friends and family. Therefore, it is always an annual challenge, to always plan and select the best options for both food and drink for this time.
We, at the finding.wine wine store, are always committed to bringing the best alternatives and options in the field of wine selection, which will ideally complement the joy, cordiality and fraternity between families and friends.
Always offering the best quality and economy in the purchases of wines for this time of parties, meetings and feasts. We hope that this year can end in the best way for all friends and family.
- Fabianni Posteraro
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