Enjoying distinctive wines with special Christmas dishes is a wonderful way to celebrate the Christmas holiday. The wines you choose should bring out the best qualities of the foods you eat and enhance the overall experience. It would be great fun to enjoy some of the wines of Israel and Lebanon near where Jesus was born and lived, however someone first has to tell me where we can find these wines in Shanghai. Instead I will offer ideas on special Christmas wines from three nations that have long traditions of pairing wines and foods to celebrate Christmas. Italy, France and Spain are predominantly Catholic nations where Christmas is the most important holiday. These countries also happen to be the three largest producers of wine in the world where an important meal without wine is unthinkable. In these countries, the main Christmas meal is held on Christmas Eve or just after midnight.
Italian Seven Seafood Christmas Eve Dinner
In Italy, the traditional Christmas meal consists seven seafood dishes. There’s a long tradition in the Catholic Church of not eating meat on Fridays and also important religious holidays. The number seven also has special significance as it represents the seven days of creation and the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. Traditionally in Italy, and especially in the south, Italians feast on dishes that typically include foods like octopus salad, deep-fried squid, shrimp, mussels, cod fish balls often in tomato sauce, clams with pasta and for the main course snapper, tuna or other large fish. The wine to accompany these dishes would almost always come from the same region. In Shanghai we’re more fortunate; we can drink wines from all over Italy with our seafood.
As always start your feast with bubbles. Prosecco is Italy’s most popular dry sparkling wines and a perfect way to begin a seafood feast. There are many good Prosecco sparkling wines available in Shanghai with two of my favorites being Carpene Malvolti Prosecco di Conegliano Extra Dry and Tenuta S. Anna Prosecco Millesimato Brut. Next try a light crisp white from Sicily like the Donna Fugata Anthilia Sicilia IGT, 2008. As the seafood dishes become more substantial try one of the exciting cooler climate white wines from northern Italy like the Torre Rosazza Sauvignon DOC, 2007. With the large fish served as a main course pair a substantial Tuscan white wine like the Barone Ricasoli, Torricella Chardonnay IGT, 2007. This hearty, but balanced Chardonnay white wine has the weight and elegance to pair with many classic fish dishes. An ideal sweet Italian finish is would be a Moscato d’Asti, a sweet semi-sparkling wine with an abundance of sweet fruit and honey flavors.
French Reveillon Feast
Many French people attend a midnight mass then hold a huge feast called Le Reveillon. Large communal feasts with thousands of attendees are still held throughout France but in modern times many families will go home to dine. In either case, delicious foods are served with an abundance of local wines. The most popular Christmas dishes vary from region to region, with Parisians commonly enjoying oysters and goose liver, people in Alsace savoring roasted goose and Burgundians enjoying roasted turkey stuffed with chestnuts. No matter which region you’re from, a French Christmas without Champagne or regional sparkler is quite frankly not French. Begin with a bottle of Bollinger Special Cuvee, one of the best non-vintage Champagnes, or if you want something grander try the Bollinger Grande Annee, 1999 or Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque, 2000, two of the best vintage Champagnes. Next, I suggest a Sancerre white wine from a top producer like Laporte or Henri Bourgeois that will stimulate and awaken your palate and be a perfect companion to seafood dishes.
A perfect red wine style for your Christmas feast is Saint Joseph from the northern Rhone. The Guigal Saint Joseph Rouge, 2004 and Fac et Spera Saint Joseph Les Granits Rouge, 2006 are two predominantly Syrah reds that have the power and intensity to embellish the best of late night French meat and cheese dishes. I suggest staying in the Rhone Valley but moving to the south for a perfect Christmas dessert wine. The Paul Jaboulet, Muscat de Beaumes de Venise is a rich and perfumed wine that will end your evening on a deliciously sweet note.
Spanish Christmas Fiesta
In Spain, starting your Christmas festivities with bubbles means drinking Cava. Two Cavas that are equally good as an aperitif or with appetizers are the Casa de Vilarnau Brut and Freixenet Corton Negro Brut. If bubbles aren’t your thing, another great way to start celebrating is with a dry Sherry like Tio Pepe Fino Palamino. This fortified wine has an abundance of yeasty and fruity flavors and is the ideal appetite stimulator. Next, I’d suggest an Albarino white wine from Rias Byass to be enjoyed with almost any type of seafood. The Martin Codax Albarino, 2008 and Pazo Senorans Albarino 2007 both feature the fragrant fruitiness and good acidity to make a good seafood dish taste even better.
Spain has some of the best roasted suckling pig and baby lamb dishes in the world. With these flavorful meat courses you should enjoy a hearty tempranillo red wine. The tempranillo grape has a natural affinity with savory roasted meat dishes as the smooth fruitiness of the wine and the touches of oak enhance the flavors of the meats while the tannins facilitate digestion. The Telmo Rodriguez M2 Matallana Cosecha, 2003 and Torres Celete 2006 are two excellent tempranillo wines from the Ribera del Duero region that are ideal partners to roasted meats. Another wine from Telmo Rodriguez that also does the job beautifully is the Gago Cosecha Vino Tinto, 2002. This is a wonderfully hearty red from the recently popular region of Toro. The perfect way to finish a Spanish Christmas feast is with a sweet and smooth Sherry like the Williams & Humbert Canasta Cream. Whether you’re feasting on European or Chinese cuisine this Christmas holiday the diverse and beautiful wines from Italy, France and Spain will make the occasion even more memorable.
