Christmas in July
By Chris • Jun 11th, 2009 • Category: wine and food pairings
A big part of Christmas, and every celebration for that matter, is the food and drink. We’ve gradually developed our own Christmas food and wine traditions in Australia which are more in keeping with what we can expect in the middle of summer. In other words doing things which make sense when the weather’s hot and you’re likely to be outside having a picnic or a barbeque.
There is something very appealing about Christmas food and wine in cold climates however. Thoughts of mince pies, mulled wine, log fires not to mention roast turkey and all the trimmings. So, the concept of Christmas in July has gained in popularity with those in Australia who are reluctant to give up the opportunity for Christmas food and wine enjoyed at the time of year when the climate is more suitable.
Whether you call it Christmas in July, Yulefest or just like planning a special cold weather meal at this time of year, we’ve put together some wine pairing suggestions for you.
If you’re having a few people round, a glass of sparkling wine is always a great way of getting the party going. A sparkling red wine makes a great party drink and is great for kicking things off to a good start. Seppelt were the forerunners in sparkling red wine and the Seppelt Sparkling Shiraz is still the most popular sparkling red. It’s good value at $19.95. A little bit more expensive but a great buy is the Blue Pyrenees Sparkling Shiraz for $26.67 per bottle.
Now on to matching Christmas food with wine. Traditional roast turkey, duck or goose courses are rich and full of flavour. They are also accompanied by equally rich, flavoursome foods such as cranberry sauces and fruity stuffings. These type of foods can be matched with wines that are equally powerful and full of flavour. If you prefer red wine with a roast turkey dinner then a shiraz is a good choice. We can’t go past the shiraz that won the accolade of best shiraz in the world!
If you prefer a white wine then a chardonnay is a good choice to pair with turkey. Another wine variety that works well with the fruitiness of Christmas Dinner dishes is Viognier.
Finally we can’t talk about Christmas food and wine without mentioning mulled wine so here’s a link to our recipe for mulled wine. Try it with mince pies.
Filed Under: wine and food pairings
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