For Italians, this is absolutely the most wonderful time of the year: lunches and dinners are organized strictly at home and you start thinking about the menu weeks beforehand. While mothers and grandmothers may refuse to give up any of the holiday meal cooking to someone else, the new generations prefer to share their homework (as we say in Italian) with each person preparing a single dish -- perhaps taking the opportunity to bring new recipes, from all over Italy, to the table. Party meals are always full of dishes (and so many different flavors!), leading to one of the most asked questions on the subject: wine pairing.
For Christmas Eve
Tradition dictatses that Christmas Eve dinner is "lean" -- meaning the menu is almost entirely based on fish and vegetables. For the appetizers, we serve salmon canapés, shrimp with cocktail sauce, savory pies and fried mixed vegetables. The perfect pairing? A Prosecco Superiore di Conegliano Valdobbiadene: this is a fresh wine with hints of apple, pear and flowers with a low alcohol content (allowing you to drink a couple of glasses without feeling too weighed down). Important to note: while the best option to accompany fish appetizers is the Brut, with shellfish, we suggest an Extra Dry for its delicate balance of acidity and sweetness.
As a first course with dinner, we’re serving with spaghetti with clams or shellfish, pennette with salmon or, perhaps, with a vegetarian lasagna. In this case, there’s no doubt about it: the right wine pairing is the Pinot Grigio… it’s easy to drink, fragrant and enchanting with fish pasta. Among the most popular main dishes in the South are fish soups, mussels au gratin or capitone, while in the North cod mantecato, baked fish like sea bass, dentex or sea bream are local favorites. For the tastiest recipes, choose a rosé wine from Puglia: these are truly gourmet wines that are perfect for dishes in summer but especially during Christmastime! For more delicate dishes, however, you can stay with the Pinot Grigio or choose a white mineral wine like a Soave or Etna.
Our favorites:
Prosecco Superiore di Valdobbiadene Extra Dry Molera Bisol 1542
Prosecco Superiore Cuvée 1926 Valdo
Pinot Grigio 2018 Santa Margherita
Gulf Rose 2018 Gulf Rosé
Christmas Day
Christmas lunch, on the other hand, features meat: sliced meats and pâtés among the starters, tortellini in broth or pasta with meat sauce among the first courses and large roasts, mixed boiled meats and fine meats like pigeon or guinea fowl are among the second courses. You can start with a classic method rosé featuring large bubbles, then move on to a young red like a Valpolicella Superiore or a Chianti. But when it’s time for the second course, we suggest uncorking a wine with strong body, structure and importance ...it’s Christmas, after all. We give the green light to Amarone, Barolo or Brunello.
Classic holiday desserts are panettone or pandoro, accompanied by fresh fruit and cream together with nougat and ricciarelli. The best wines to pair? A Moscato d'Asti, a Prosecco Superiore di Valdobbiadene Dry or a Sicilian raisin wine.
Our favorites:
Franciacorta Extra Brut Rosé Annamaria Clementi Reserve 2009 Ca' del Bosco
Valpolicella Family Easter 2017 Easter
Brunello di Montalcino Castel Giocondo 2014 Frescobaldi
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2015 Tommasi
Moscato d'Asti First Kiss 2018 Scagliola
Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Rive di San Pietro di Barbozza Dry 2018 Villa Sandi
On New Year's Eve
The dinner menu is more free and very often served buffet-style for this holiday. There may be meats, cheeses, savory pies and perhaps a warm first course such as baked pasta or dishes based on fish, meat or even ethnic cuisine. The tradition, however, arrives after midnight when immediately after the New Year’s toast, you serve cotechino and lentils -- considered good luck to eat after the clock strikes midnight. In this case, the most suitable wine options are the classic method bubbles which feature great versatility and the right structure to accompany the whole dinner. And with cotechino? Try a Lambrusco and you will start the year the right way.
Our favorites:
Trentodoc Perlé 2014 Ferrari
Franciacorta Brut Alma Bellavista
Franciacorta '61 Brut Berlucchi
Lambrusco di Sorbara Secco Vigna del Cristo Cavicchioli 1928
