Christmas is just about here now. And if you haven’t ordered all your wine for the special day, then we have the perfect wine guide for you. We’ve worked with the City of London’s Italian restaurant and wine shop, Satyrio, to bring you this list of five must-have wines for Christmas day – with perfect food pairings. Check out these brilliant wines which can be brought from Satyrio, who deliver across London.
Sparkling Wine: For morning toasts
2018 Vino frizzante ‘Anablà’, Tre Monti, Emilia Romagna, Itlay
This organic sparkling wine is made according to the ancestral method, a very typical vinification used for the Albana grape in the past. It’ very interesting as the wine completes the fermentation inside the bottle without any control.
It is fresh and fruity, lively and foamy with final sensation of cleanness – pairing well with smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis. It’s the perfect tipple to start your Christmas day off.
Pair with duck (or chicken) liver parfait
2017 Soave Classico DOC ‘Vigneti di Foscarino’, Inama, Veneto, Italy
Vigneti di Foscarino is an interpretation of the Soave Classico variety of wines that looks back to ancient times, recalling ancestral traditions to express forgotten aromas. Expect a fresh flavour with fragrant field flower notes (camomile, elderflower, iris) which is rich and complex on the palate with an almond finish.
If kept in the cellar these notes turn into more complex notes of pollens, dried flowers. This holds up well against the likes of a duck or chicken liver parfait, or even a turkey (if you’re wanting a white with your main).
Pair with a traditional roast turkey
2017 Pinot noir Bourgogne, Joseph Faiveley, France
Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne is a single-variety Pinot Noir red wine produced by Domaine Faiveley under the AOC Bourgogne in Burgundy, France. They work the vineyards using sustainable viticulture, a sign of good health and a legacy that has passed from generation to generation for the almost two centuries of history behind this winery.
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This wine is aged in French oak barrels for 12-14 months. It presents pleasant and fresh aromas, with subtle mineral and herbaceous notes. You don’t want too deep a red with your turkey. This pinot noir will compliment it perfectly.
Pair with red meats
2015 Brunello di Montalcino Castelgiocondo DOCG, Frescobaldi, Tuscany, Italy
CastelGiocondo is produced from an uncompromising selection of the finest Sangiovese grapes, in vineyards whose ideal elevation, well-drained soils, and southwest-facing exposure yield all of the qualities that converge to produce the finest expression of this ancient grape variety.
This one has aromas of warm stones, dark fruits and walnuts. It tastes of ripe fruit and salty undertones that give it a wonderful juiciness. It’s dense and tight now but will give so much pleasure in the future. Best ever from here. The juiciness and boldness make it ideal for red meats. Grab a few bottles of this one as it goes down easy.
Pair with Christmas pudding, mince pies or stilton
n/v Ramos Pinto Porto Ruby, Douro, Portugal
Ramos Pinto Porto Ruby is a fortified port wine coupage made with the Touriga Franca and Tinta Barroca varieties, by Casa Ramos Pinto in Porto, Portugal. Ramos Pinto Porto Ruby is an assembly of young, intense ruby red coloured wines, hence its name, which ages for three years in large wooden vats known as “balseiros”.
Ramos Pinto Porto Ruby has got a beautiful intense ruby colour that offers fruity notes on the nose with hints of cherries, blackberries and plums, complemented by a spicy cinnamon hue. On the palate it is broad, vivacious and fruity, with a fresh and flavoursome mid-palate. End the night with a bottle of this as you go through all the traditional Christmas desserts.
