Christmas Dinner: Italian wines to pair with traditional English dishes

Christmas is upon us and preparations for this festive day are starting, not only in regard to Christmas decorations but above all in regard to the Christmas Dinner menu, designed and prepared well in advance to make Christmas Day even more magical. For this reason, after spending so much time in the kitchen, it’s important to think in advance about which wines to pair with the main dishes of Christmas Dinner to ensure that each dish can be truly appreciated.

Fish appetisers and a welcome drink: which Italian wine to start the celebrations with?

It’s a good custom to start Christmas Dinner with a welcome drink and some families opt for hors d'oeuvres fish dishes such as prawn cocktail, smoked salmon or oysters. Therefore, you can start the celebrations by sipping a light drink: what's better than a festive glass of fizz or a tasty Mimosa cocktail?
For the most refined and demanding, as an alternative to Champagne, a "Berlucchi '61" Franciacorta Saten DOCG is the perfect choice to start the celebrations with a bang: this label is undoubtedly synonymous with high quality for Italian Classic Method fizz For the preparation of the elegant and fresh long drink Mimosa, or Buck's Fizz, its lighter counterpart, a Prosecco Brut is ideal for balancing the sugars in orange juice. Those who prefer rosé fizz, and to then move on to more full-bodied red wines to pair with turkey, the excellent “Contessa Rosa” Alta Langa DOCG Rosè 2015 is also a great choice and a classy accompaniment to the whole meal.

 
The main course of the English tradition: stuffed turkey with side dishes

Christmas Day is always a special and long-awaited day, not only for the gifts you receive but above all for the tasty main course of Christmas Dinner: stuffed turkey, accompanied by pigs in blankets, crunchy vegetables and plenty of Yorkshire Puddings! So, after so many hours of preparation and cooking, getting the right wine pairing wrong would be sacrilege! 
For lovers of white wines, Italy offers a vast choice of white wines to pair with meat: from the whites of Alto Adige, such as Chardonnay, Ribolla Gialla and Gewürztraminer, and also including Greco di Tufo and Pinot Grigio, many are wines that can be paired with white meat.
For those who don't want to be without a good bottle of red wine and don't know which wine to choose for this special day, don't worry, Italian red wines are appreciated everywhere, such as a good Chianti Classico, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. But that's not all, Barbaresco DOCG and Barolo DOCG are also excellent and elegant pairings.

 
After-meal wines to pair with English Christmas desserts

The purpose of Christmas is always to get together with friends and relatives and eat as much food as possible and, even if you are already full by the time you come to the Christmas desserts, turning down these delicacies is impossible, as well as a sign of bad luck according to English customs. Just think of the king of English Christmas desserts: the Christmas Pudding, which is to be prepared well in advance. But that's not all, among the exquisite Christmas desserts you can also find the Yule Log, the Sticky Toffee Pudding, the Trifle, the Christmas wreath cake and Gingerbread men. Lots of high-calorie but unmissable recipes which deserve the right pairing with wine. Sweet wines or end-of-meal wines always surprise those who have never tasted them before. Italy boasts a large variety of grape vines which are well prepared for the creation of excellent sweet wines.
 
Now that you know the best Italian wines to sip on with Christmas Dinner, you will also have an idea of which Italian wines to give to loved ones this year. Start your Christmas preparations and Svinando will take care of the wine: for you only the best labels, delivered straight to your home!