Christmas is coming! How many Christmas dinners have you already taken part in? It’s a tiring job we know, but we love the joy of sharing food and wine with loved ones, friends and family.
Since Christmas 2021 is still going to be a little unusual for many people around the world, mainly because of some restrictions still in place in some countries, we decided to put together a list of very interesting Christmas food and wine pairings to make your holidays a little spicier (and hopefully nicer!). We asked our partner wineries around the world and members of our international team to share with you their best holiday pairing. Whether you are celebrating on December 24th or 25th or on January 7th (Orthodox Christmas), we got you sorted in case you want to impress your guests with some new specialities, and of course delicious wine!
Suggestions from our partner wineries
Vinarija Trdenić – Popovača, Croatia
Our friends at Vinarija Trdenić winery recommend: Dry white wine from the Škrlet Private collection, vintage 2017 (Škrlet is native variety from the Moslavina region) + a specialty cooked at their local restaurant, “Moslavačka priča“. This dish consists of homemade pork sausage and pulled pastry, prepared based on an old recipe for pasta that their grandmothers made with homemade bacon and sour cabbage.
Blaxsta Wine – Södermanland, Sweden
From the Winter Wonderland itself, Sweden, Blaxsta Wine recommends you to try their Blaxsta Vidal Blanc Ice Wine (an award winning wine so worth a try!) and a frozen juice from late harvested Chardonnay grapes! This wine matches perfectly with their modern nordic cuisine where delicious veggies, wild edibles (ferns, berries, fungi, roots, wild herbs, seeds etc etc) are the main protagonist. Small birds like chickens, quails, pheasants and ducks are also perfect to pair with their Ice Wine.
For dessert, they advise you, and us too, to try their spectacular crème brûlée made from moose milk. They assure that the creamy crème brûlée and the semi sweet icy juice from the grapes paired with the ice wine will become the talk of the evening.
Ktima Akrani Winery – Kos, Greece
Have you ever dreamt of spending your Christmas holiday in Greece, where the temperature is maybe not as freezing as in other parts of Europe? With Ktima Akrani’s recommendations, you can serve a taste of Greece to your guests on Christmas day (without having to do a Covid test to directly travel!).
Our friends suggest trying braised pork with plums and sweet potato purée, which can be awesomely paired with SVM Merlot by KTIMA AKRANI. Structured and well-balanced, with a smooth tannic support and a red fruit aromatic palate, this wine perfectly balances the flavours of this Christmas dish and the “greasy” ingredients.
For the dessert, traditional “kourabiedes“, sweets made with fresh butter and almonds, is ideally paired with KTIMA AKRANI sweet white wine. Made from sun-dried grapes of Sauvignon blanc and Muscat, its dimensions of sucrosity and acidity underline uniquely the taste of the most famous Greek Christmas patisserie.
Curatolo Arini 1875 – Marsala, Sicily
When we asked our friends at Curatolo Arini winery what their best Christmas food and wine pairing was, they had no doubts that the number 1 pairing had to be a classic. Since they are located in the gorgeous town of Marsala, which gave its name to Italy’s most famous fortified wine, their choice of wine is of course Marsala Vergine Riserva 1995 DOC Marsala. A glass of Marsala Riserva is the perfect companion to a big slice of an Italian favourite, good old Panettone! Even though Panettone is traditionally from Milan, bakers all around Italy produce their own artisanal version, which is always to die for.
Agricola Gian Piero Marrone – La Morra, Piedmont
Located in the incredible Barolo appellation, Agricola Gian Piero Marrone is ready to celebrate the holidays and pop some of their finest wines to celebrate in style. Their number one Christmas food and wine pairing is Moscato d’Asti Solaris straight from their cellar with Bunet, chocolate pudding with Amaretti. Here’s the recipe in case you want to try to bake this delicious chocolate pudding from Piedmont at home!
Recipe – Bunet, Chocolate Pudding with Amaretti
Ingredients:
- 1l milk
- 75g cocoa powder
- 6 eggs
- 180g sugar
- 200g amaretti biscuits
- a pinch of salt
- 30ml rum
Preparation: join all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them with a hand blender. Pour the mixture into aluminium moulds and back at 85° for 10 minutes with the oven set on dry and 15 minutes with steam. Serve it fresh with Moscato d’Asti.
Suggestions from our team
Tamta from Georgia
Christmas is celebrated in Georgia on January 7th. This is because the Orthodox Church uses a different calendar compared to the Catholic Church so their Christmas falls 13 days after the Catholic Christmas.
We asked Tamta what she normally has on Christmas Day and which delicious Georgian wine is mostly drunk at her house for the holiday. For her, the best Christmas food and wine pairing is Satsivi and Ghomi with Kakhetian amber wine Kisi. Satsivi is a braised turkey or a chicken with walnut sauce and served with Ghomi – a polenta-like dish made from corn flour and cornmeal.
Satsivi
Niklas from Sweden
Our CEO has a really fine palate and enjoys very peculiar food combinations. His choice was Swedish gingerbread cookies with Stilton Cheese, or Castello cheese if you prefer a milder version, and Vintage Port Wine. For this recipe, gingerbread cookies are used as crackers and the cheese is spread directly on them. It might seem like an unusual Christmas cookie and wine pairing for many but Niklas assures that it is delicious!
Ana from Brazil
When we asked Ana to describe a typical Brazilian Christmas meal, she said “We always have a lot of food!”. Even though it was kind of difficult to choose the best Christmas food and wine pairing, her final choice was Chester turkey served with green salad and potato salad with a bottle of espumante (sparkling wine from Rio Grande do Sul).
Francesca and Alessia from Emilia-Romagna, Italy
The Italian region of Emilia-Romagna has two names because it is actually made up of two territories: Emilia and Romagna. The region might be one and food might be great both in Emilia and in Romagna, but some differences still ‘separate’ the two sides. The typical Christmas dish is cappelletti, stuffed pasta that is similar to Tortellini but bigger and with a different filling. The wine of choice to pair with cappelletti could be Sangiovese Superiore,if you are from Romagna, or Lambrusco, if your side is Emilia. Both wines are some of the best red wines for Christmas to serve to your guests.
