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Whether you're having turkey, beef, or a veggie dish, we’ve done the hard work to make your festive season easier by selecting the very best bottles to accompany your Christmas dinner. Martin Hagen, the owner of Cave Wines, talks us through wine pairing at the organic wine shop, stocking well-sourced wines at affordable prices on Gloucester Road.
If any of these wines tickle your festive fancy, we have an exclusive discount code PROPERWINE10 for 10% off, valid up until Wednesday 22nd December, perfect for the last-minute Christmas wine run.
Turkey
“For a classic Christmas dinner roast with turkey, we usually go for a richer white or a lighter red. With the richness in the gravy and stuffing, you want a wine that will hold up against it and not get lost in the flavours. Fattier white wines will match up and have enough body to pair with the roasted white meat. Lighter, more delicate whites will have less alcohol and body, therefore may get a little lost in a meal as flavoursome and heavy as a Christmas dinner.” Martin explains.
Top picks for a richer white:
Aroa Laia, Garnacha Blanca, Navarra Do, Spain, 2019 (£15.50)
“From northern Spain, this wine is full of richness - slightly fruity with apple, tropical fruit and spices, all of these textures will fit in well with a turkey Christmas dinner”
Domaine La Luminaille, Luminaris, Cotes de Rhone Villages AOC, France 2019 (£20.50)
“Originating from southern Rome, a slightly warmer part of France, this wine has lovely complexities of pear and apple, it’s herbaceous with slight saltiness and bitters.”
Top picks for a lighter red:
Casaretti, La Nogara, Bardolino Classico DOC, Italy, 2018 (£16.90)
“From northern Italy, this red wine is light and delicate with perfumed red fruits but also a nice acidity.”
Triangle Wines, Sanha, Bairrada DO, Portugal, 2018 (£19.90)
“People may think of Portuguese wines as rich and heady, but this is made in a much lighter extraction style, similar to Burgundy or Pinot Noir - making it earthy, juicy and floral with red berries.”
Beef
“There’s lots of intensity and flavours in roasted dark meat, so red wine usually suits beef best as we need a wine that’s got enough body to match up, something heady and heavy,”
Top pick for a richer red:
Juan Antonio Ponce, Depaula, Manchuela DO, Spain, 2019 (£15.90)
“This wine from Spain is heady and weighty with pure, sweet red fruit and plenty of freshness.”
Ktima Ligas, Bucephale, Pella IGP, Greece, 2018 (£42.50)
“A rich, deep red wine from Pella in Greece with well-balanced acidity and a floral taste with wildflowers, tar and crushed berries.”
Vegetarian
“Based on classic veggie roast dishes such as a mushroom wellington or nut roast, we can go either way, red or white. As it’s a rich meal, we need a wine that is more robust or has lovely earthiness,”
Top pick for a richer or earthier red:
Chateau Ollieux Romanis, Cuvee Classique, Corbieres AOC, France, 2019 (£13.90)
“This a fruity French wine, tasting slightly herbaceous with luscious dark fruit flavours, black cherry, and black pepper.”
Top pick for a richer or earthier white:
Domaine Rougie, Viognier, Pays D’OC IGP, France, 2020 (£17.90)
“From southern France, this white wine is sweet with spice and hints of apricot and peach.”
Christmas Pudding
“To match with after-dinner dessert, sweeter red wines tend to favour spiced fruit-based desserts.”
Top picks for a sweet red wine:
Domaine Traginer, Banyuls Riamge, Banyuls AOC, France, 2018 (£33.10)
“This port is made with perfectly ripe grapes and concentrated dark fruits with a luscious chocolatey taste.”
Antolini, Recioto, Recioto Della Valpolicella DOCG, Italy. 2017 (£29.20)
“This Italian wine is made from semi-dried grapes that almost look like raisins, making the juice so concentrated that the flavour and texture are more syrupy. With lots of sour cherries, this wine is not too sweet and with a little bit of spice.”
