Home > Eat > Recipe > Khoollect tips: festive wine pairing for beginners

Khoollect tips: festive wine pairing for beginners

***Rachel Khoo would like to thank all the inspiring people who helped make the Khoollect studio a hive of creativity. Although the Khoollect studio’s doors have now closed, you can keep up with Rachel’s newest adventures on RachelKhoo.com and on Rachel’s Instagram and Facebook pages – and, continue to enjoy the Khoollect website’s stories and recipes, which will remain available.***

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...

For many of us, pairing wine with food is more of an afterthought than a priority on Christmas Day, simplifying our pairings down to such basics as ‘white with fish’, ‘red with meat’ and, in an ideal world, bubbles until you are well and truly tipsy. (At least that’s how Christmas worked in my house.) But the pairing of wine and food needn’t be some unfathomable mystery left to the experts.

Here are our tips for pairing wines with your festive fare:

  • When it comes to the perfect roast turkey recipe, the wine options are open. While you might think to reach straight for a full-bodied red, a full-bodied white or a lighter red would be a better choice. Turkey is a lean meat, hence its tendency to dry out without regular basting or brining, so you don’t want to overpower the flavour with a hearty tannic red.
  • White Burgundys are a great option for matching with white meats, as these Chardonnays tend towards the fuller body with a hint of oak, while also offering a crisp apple brightness. Louis Latour is a well-established vineyard (they have been making wines since 1797) and at an affordable £13.85 (available from Waitrose) it’s a great option for the big day.
  • For a lighter red, try opting for a Pinot Noir, again a Burgundy, which would also be a good match for sweet spices like cloves and cinnamon. A low tannin wine (tannins are the dry, chalky mouthfeel you get from red wines) is a good choice here, as it won’t compete too much with the rest of the meal, particularly with the mix of flavours going on around the table, from cranberry sauce to sagey stuffing.
  • Now here’s a bit of a left-field choice, but it’s an organic Sicilian wine I really love at the moment. The Baglio Blanco 2015 is technically an ‘orange’ wine, which is a darker white-style wine (verging on orange in colour) created when white grapes are left to macerate and ferment on the skins and stems. The result is a really full-bodied white with minerality, and is highly quaffable.
  • With the stellar combo of mustard and sausage going on in these stuffing bombs with melted Fontina cheese, I’d look no further than a really bright and minerally Alsatian or German Riesling, like this Weingut Braunewell at £12.95.

This post has been created in partnership with Hellmann’s, Maille, Knorr and Colman’s

Fancy a tipple?

Try out these tips for hosting a cocktail party.

If you’d like to enjoy a glass of wine, you must be of an appropriate drinking age (in accordance with the age restrictions and laws of where you are drinking). We encourage responsible drinking, as per the guidelines of your country. Everything in moderation, right?

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...

Fancy a tipple?

Try out these tips for hosting a cocktail party.

If you’d like to enjoy a glass of wine, you must be of an appropriate drinking age (in accordance with the age restrictions and laws of where you are drinking). We encourage responsible drinking, as per the guidelines of your country. Everything in moderation, right?

Fancy a tipple?

Try out these tips for hosting a cocktail party.

If you’d like to enjoy a glass of wine, you must be of an appropriate drinking age (in accordance with the age restrictions and laws of where you are drinking). We encourage responsible drinking, as per the guidelines of your country. Everything in moderation, right?

For many of us, pairing wine with food is more of an afterthought than a priority on Christmas Day, simplifying our pairings down to such basics as ‘white with fish’, ‘red with meat’ and, in an ideal world, bubbles until you are well and truly tipsy. (At least that’s how Christmas worked in my house.) But the pairing of wine and food needn’t be some unfathomable mystery left to the experts.

Here are our tips for pairing wines with your festive fare:

  • When it comes to the perfect roast turkey recipe, the wine options are open. While you might think to reach straight for a full-bodied red, a full-bodied white or a lighter red would be a better choice. Turkey is a lean meat, hence its tendency to dry out without regular basting or brining, so you don’t want to overpower the flavour with a hearty tannic red.
  • White Burgundys are a great option for matching with white meats, as these Chardonnays tend towards the fuller body with a hint of oak, while also offering a crisp apple brightness. Louis Latour is a well-established vineyard (they have been making wines since 1797) and at an affordable £13.85 (available from Waitrose) it’s a great option for the big day.
  • For a lighter red, try opting for a Pinot Noir, again a Burgundy, which would also be a good match for sweet spices like cloves and cinnamon. A low tannin wine (tannins are the dry, chalky mouthfeel you get from red wines) is a good choice here, as it won’t compete too much with the rest of the meal, particularly with the mix of flavours going on around the table, from cranberry sauce to sagey stuffing.
  • Now here’s a bit of a left-field choice, but it’s an organic Sicilian wine I really love at the moment. The Baglio Blanco 2015 is technically an ‘orange’ wine, which is a darker white-style wine (verging on orange in colour) created when white grapes are left to macerate and ferment on the skins and stems. The result is a really full-bodied white with minerality, and is highly quaffable.
  • With the stellar combo of mustard and sausage going on in these stuffing bombs with melted Fontina cheese, I’d look no further than a really bright and minerally Alsatian or German Riesling, like this Weingut Braunewell at £12.95.

This post has been created in partnership with Hellmann’s, Maille, Knorr and Colman’s

Profile Photo
WRITTEN BY:
Frankie Unsworth

Frankie is Khoollect’s Food Editor. It's her job to devise and test new recipes, and make every di...

READ MORE BY Frankie Unsworth

You decide

Your dream holiday destination

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
Profile Photo
WRITTEN BY:
Frankie Unsworth

Frankie is Khoollect’s Food Editor. It's her job to devise and test new recipes, and make every di...

READ MORE BY Frankie Unsworth

You decide

Your dream holiday destination

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
Profile Photo
WRITTEN BY:
Frankie Unsworth

Frankie is Khoollect’s Food Editor. It's her job to devise and test new recipes, and make every di...

READ MORE BY Frankie Unsworth

You decide

Your dream holiday destination

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
comments
Leave A Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.

DON'T BE SHY WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

instagram

join us on instagram

instagram

join us on instagram

Out Now!

Rachel Khoo's Chocolate e-cookbook

With over 30 delicious recipes, this e-cookbook showcases wonderful new ways to cook with cocoa. This is not just a dessert book; within you'll find a whole range of recipes for every occasion from a decadent chocolate tahini caramel torte, to a confit cocoa cod with lemony white chocolate sauce. These recipes are featured in Rachel Khoo's Chocolate TV show.

100% of the proceeds* from this book will be donated to Women’s Aid (charity number 1054154)

Skip to toolbar