Christmas desserts: which Italian wines to pair with them?

Wine is a product of undeniable versatility, the protagonist of many successful food and wine pairings, as in the case of traditional Christmas dishes, even better if sweet. Between creamy puddings, spiced pies, chocolate logs and fruit recipes, the world of oenology never ceases to amaze, offering a vast assortment of wines to pair with desserts, for a Christmas of taste and merriment.

Christmas culinary traditions and wine go hand in hand in this Svinando guide to discover the best combinations for the festive season! 

Wine and Christmas cakes: a few pairing rules

In food and wine pairings, is it better to follow the palate or the rules? As is often the case, the truth lies somewhere in between: without ever forgetting personal preferences, it is always a good idea to take into account a few small tips for pairing a wine with a specific flavour, to avoid unsuitable or even unpleasant results. In the case of Christmas desserts, you can for example rely on these generic guidelines:

• Dried fruit: he prefers end-of-meal wines with a good sugar component, classic, passito or liqueur wines, such as Malvasia, Vinsanto, Aleatico, Passito di Pantelleria.
• Fresh fruit: It is said that fruit (especially citrus fruits) should never be paired with wine, because of its acidic component. However, sweet, young and aromatic wines and sparkling wines, such as Champagne, Moscato d'Asti and Sangue di Giuda, also lend themselves well to this apparently difficult task.
• Chocolate: the pairing with typical Christmas chocolate desserts depends on the degree of sweetness of the latter and its type. Milk chocolate goes well with Malvasia and Vin Santo, while dark chocolate is at its best with a Port or Barolo Chinato. Soft sweets or spoon desserts with dark or white chocolate can be worthily accompanied by a Recioto, while those with a more savoury or slightly bitter component require an Amarone della Valpolicella.
• Spices: a must-have for the Christmas season. Spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger and the like go well with aromatic wines such as Moscato Giallo, Passito, Port, Syrah.

A very soft Christmas: what to drink with Christmas Pudding and Trifle?

Christmas means warmth, affection, family, but also taste and softness, which is why Christmas Pudding and Trifle are two perfect sweets for this occasion, thanks to their persuasive aromas - of dried fruit and spices the former, fruit and cream the latter - and the texture that conquers the palate with every bite.

Christmas Pudding has origins dating back to the 14th century. Back then, it was more like porridge than pudding, made from flour boiled in milk, to which spices (saffron and cinnamon) and - in the savoury versions - beef were then added. Over the centuries, ingredients and methods evolved, until - in Victorian times - they took on the characteristics and flavours of today, conferred by the use of dried fruit, lemon and orange peel, spices and brandy. Families most attached to tradition are used to insert a coin (well washed, of course) into the pudding, which gives a lucky year to anyone who finds it.

The remarkable aromatic charge of this dessert deserves to be accompanied by an equally persuasive wine, such as Moscato d'Asti DOCG. This end-of-meal product is a riot of aromas, among which notes of orange blossom and thyme stand out. In the mouth, it conquers thanks to its never cloying sweetness and the tickling sensation produced by the perlage, which guarantees a refined and elegant yet fresh and lively taste.

Christmas tables also include the Trifle, a spoon dessert consisting of layers of sponge cake (cut into cubes and soaked in a liqueur of your choice, usually cherry) alternating with crème anglaise, fruit and whipped cream. The choice of fruit is at the discretion of the person preparing this recipe, but in general the most common types are strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.

The taste characteristics of this dessert wine go perfectly with a glass of Malvasia delle Lipari Passito. With its rich and distinctive bouquet, expressed through notes of peach, apricot and aromatic herbs, this Sicilian wine enhances the heady perfume of the fruit and is well complemented by its acidic aftertaste, softened by the enveloping sweetness of the cream.

Food and wine pairings for the festive season: the Yule Log

Not only in England, but also in many European countries, an ancient Christmas tradition of medieval origin required the head of the family, on Christmas Eve, to burn a log of wood (oak, pine, ash, birch or other varieties) in the fireplace, large enough to burn through the following nights until Epiphany. This gesture was believed to be propitiatory for the coming year's harvest and for the health of the family.

From this custom comes the Yule Log, a Christmas cake of French origin (called Bûche de Noël in its homeland), also very common in Anglo-Saxon tradition.

Consisting of a rolled sponge cake, with chocolate buttercream filling and ganache topping, the Christmas log is assembled to imitate the appearance of a cut log, even in the wood grain (made with the tines of a fork).

On tasting, the flavour that stands out among all is that of chocolate, an ingredient that cries out for a glass of Recioto della Valpolicella Classico DOCG. This wine with its balanced sweetness and purple-red colour offers on the nose a refined scent of roses, violets and small fruits. Notes of dates and spices give it an extra touch of grit, counterbalanced by the velvety and persuasive sensation that the tasting gives to the palate.

Wine and Mince Pies, what is the perfect pairing?

In an examination of the best combination of Christmas sweets and wine, Mince Pies, with their irresistible spicy aromas, cannot be missing.

Popular since the 16th century and once filled with a mixture of lamb and spices, these rustic-looking and invitingly scented pies are mainly made in a sweet version at Christmas. Their crumbly pastry shell is filled with a chopped mixture of dried fruit, brandy, spices and sugar.

Because of its presence in the dough, a glass of brandy can be the ideal companion to savour these sweets, but those who prefer a sweet wine can also find a perfect match in a Passito naturale di Pantelleria DOC, a great classic among the wine suggestions for Christmas.

This product brings with it all the vibrancy of Sicily, its land of origin, celebrating it with a bouquet of honey, dried fruit, dates and candied orange. The refined and persuasive character perceived on the nose is confirmed on tasting, thanks to a full, sweet taste and its creamy texture, which seduces the palate with every sip.

Now that you have no shortage of ideas for pairing wines with Christmas cakes, it's time to choose the best products from the Svinando catalogue!