Food

John Wilson: How to find the perfect drink to complement your Christmas dinner

Don’t just reach for a favourite wine or beer. Choose one that matches the seasonal menu

Look at wines with ripe fruit and light tannins to accompany your festive food

John Wilson's face
John Wilson
Sat Dec 11 2021 - 06:00

If you care about matching wine with food, finding something to drink with your Christmas dinner can be tricky. While turkey, ham, duck and goose will all go well with most red wines, especially those with no tannins, problems arise with that mass of sweetish vegetables, fruity, spicy stuffings, glazes, gravies and sauces, not to mention cocktail sausages and bacon. I suspect many people just decide to ignore all advice and go for their favourite wine. I can fully understand this, but I do think it is worth making an effort to make a good match.

In general, I suggest looking at wines with ripe fruit and light tannins. A rich grenache-based red wine from Spain, the Rhône or Australia will have the power to match anything, and a sweetish touch to match the spices.

The Southern Rhône, home to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Cairanne and other villages, is well worth looking at. The Bonpas Côtes du Rhône (€10.95, O’Briens) is one fine example. A Pinot Noir, with its incipient sweetness, goes well with root vegetables and butternut squash including Paul Flynn’s unusual side dish this week on cinnamon and ginger ale roasted parsnips, as well as white and red meats.

I haven't decided what we will drink this Christmas, but I strongly suspect it will be a Pinot Noir, probably from Burgundy, preceded by a Chardonnay

I know that Rioja Reserva is traditional for some, and it does go well with turkey, but the Gabaxo Rioja featured here, produced by a Frenchman living in Rioja, was one of my standout Spanish wines of the year. It has the guts to match the aforementioned accompaniments as well as that sage, onion and cranberry pudding that chef Flynn has come up with.

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I haven’t decided what we will drink this Christmas, but I strongly suspect it will be a Pinot Noir, probably from Burgundy, preceded by a Chardonnay, probably the Domaine Begude Étoile that I recommended last week.

Two impeccable sources for Burgundy are SIYPS.com and greenacres.ie, among others. The latter has the wonderful wines of Benjamin Leroux including his Bourgogne Rouge 2018 (€35 ) or Savigny-Lès-Beaune 2019 (€48). Another Savigny worth buying is the fragrant ripe Premier Cru from Domaine d'Ardhuy (Grapevine, Dalkey, €37). Pinot also goes nicely with ham, duck and even goose. If you intend serving roast beef, this is the time to open your finest red Bordeaux.

Vegetarian dishes featuring sweeter autumnal vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, beetroot and cauliflower (including creamy gratins) are probably better with full-bodied white wines such as Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc or Viognier. Mushrooms are great with Pinot Noir, and with rich bakes featuring peppers, tomatoes and beans, you could try a more full-bodied red, including the Rioja featured here.

Beer fans

If you are a craft beer fan, you can have fun proving to your relatives that good beer goes very well with turkey. I would drink a pilsner, lager or session IPA with my starter, before moving on to a full-bodied IPA or a strong Belgian ale with the main course; my current favourites include Mescan Seven Virtues Old Brown, Kinnegar Rustbucket Rye Ale, and Wicklow Wolf Wildfire. Don’t forget cider either. Real Irish cider goes really well with all sorts of food, and most of them have a little residual sugar that would go well with fruits and spices.

For afters

For dessert you could try a barley wine (which is actually a beer), but a chocolate stout might be better. Leave the barley wine, or another strong beer, for after dinner, when you can slowly appreciate it over the evening. 8 Degrees has just released a barrel-aged barley wine and Kinnegar has the excellent No.21.

If you don’t feel confident making a choice on your own, don’t be afraid to pop into your local independent wine shop and ask for advice. Just don’t leave it too late; wine shops get very busy in the days coming up to Christmas. Alternatively, most online shops will have an expert on hand to offer recommendations. Both will offer home delivery if required. I am not ignoring supermarket wines; if you look online, you will find I have covered each of the multiples and their Christmas selection over the past weeks.

Whether you are serving beer, wine or both, a little ceremony will make your drink look and taste better. Bring out your finest glasses, dust off your good decanter and create a festive atmosphere. Many beers have specific glasses and wine smells and tastes so much better when served in a large tulip-shaped glass. Just make sure you don’t fill it to the brim; a third to a maximum of half-way works so much better.

Viña Leyda Las Brisas Pinot Noir, Leyda Valley, Chile
14%, €14.95 (down from €17.95)
A lively fresh Pinot Noir with concentrated raspberry and red cherry fruits, a nice grippiness, and light tannins on the finish. Drink alongside duck, ham or turkey, as well as mushroom dishes.
From: O'Briens, obrienswine.ie

Escarpment Noir 2019, Martinborough, New Zealand
13.2%, €24.95
Soft ripe dark cherry fruits with a savoury edge. This has a lovely fresh purity of fruit and a subtle balancing acidity. Try it with turkey, duck or any feathered game. 
From: Searsons, Monkstown, searsons.com; Drinkstore, D7, drinkstore.ie; Martin's Off Licence, D3, martinsofflicence.ie; The Parting Glass, Enniskerry.

Gabaxo Rioja Cosecha 2018
14%, €26
A very fine elegant wine with beautiful intense crushed red cherry and blueberry fruits loaded with spice and fine tannins. Decant before serving with turkey, goose or lamb. 
From: Loose Canon, D2, loosecanon.ie; The Wine Pair, D8; Baggot Street Wines, D4, baggotstreetwines.com; Blackrock Cellar, Blackrock, blackrockcellar.com; Green Man Wines, D6, greenmanwines.ie; 64wine, Glasthule, 64wine.com; Pinto Wines, D9, pintowines.ie; Stationtostationwine.ie.

Mercurey 1er cru Champs Martins 2018, Domaine Theulot Juillot
13%, €35.25
Sleek ripe raspberry fruit with a subtle spiciness and light tannins on the finish. A Christmas treat to enjoy with all manner of white and red meats.
From: Wines Direct, Mullingar, and Arnott's, D1, winesdirect.ie.

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