Breaking
By Beverly Ngai
20 January 2022
Copyright © 2022 LOCALIIZ | All rights reserved
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Copyright © 2022 LOCALIIZ | All rights reserved
Check out Humans of Hong Kong, our newest video series focused on telling Hong Kong stories!
Header image courtesy of @skynesher (via iStock)
You’re hosting an upcoming Christmas dinner party, and just when you thought you had planned your holiday spread down to a tee, you realise that you’re missing the last piece of the Christmas feast puzzle—the perfect wines to pair with each dish! Now, we know, between the different flavour interactions and textural compatibility, figuring out which drinks best enhance your food can be a tough endeavour. With that in mind, we asked Hong Kong-based wine specialist Winerack to weigh in on the best wines to sip alongside your favourite festive dishes, so you can treat your loved ones to a Christmas dinner they will remember for years!
Turkey is no doubt the centrepiece of every holiday table, which means that choosing the right wine to serve with it can really take your Christmas dinner from fine to divine! Both red and white wines go well with the earthy yet delicate flavours of the poultry, so take your pick according to your preferences!
Pinot noir or Sangiovese are no brainers if red wine is your fancy, and our top picks are Frey Pinot Noir Organic and San Jacopo’s Poggio AI Grilli Chianti. We all know that cranberry sauce goes hand-in-hand with turkey; in a similar manner, these two red wines have a tannic and fruit-driven profile that adds that much-desired burst of acidic vibrancy to the turkey. At the same time, they are versatile enough to not easily clash with other dishes.
For white wine lovers, look no further than the ripe-fruited whites of Burgundy Chardonnay, such as that from the famous House of Patriarche Pere & Fils. This exquisite wine has a roundness and butteriness that will enrichen the taste of your turkey, and enough weight to match the smokiness of the bird’s crispy skin. Alternatively, a nutty and refreshing Pinot Gris, like ones from Marcel Hugg or Starborough, is also a classic pairing for roasted turkey.
Creamy, indulgent, and oh-so-comforting, mashed potatoes are a perennial favourite when it comes to holiday side dishes—but even die-hard potato lovers have to admit that the butter-laden mass can get a little rich after a few bites. Why not freshen up the heaviness with a fruity red wine that will allow you to savour every velvety bite to the fullest? Starborough Pinot Noir’s complex, yet light-bodied profile is just the thing you need. The New Zealand red wine is infused with juicy dark-red berry fruits, raspberry liqueur, and an intoxicating blend of dark herbs and spices to stand up to the hearty and aromatic dish. It’s a match made in heaven!
After a long, challenging year, we could all do with a little extra sweetness to round off the rough edges and end 2020 on a joyful note—and we can’t think of a better way of doing so than sipping on a luscious dessert wine between heavenly bites of soul-warming minced pie. The spice-forward dessert calls for an equally warm and lively wine to bring all the flavours together in harmony.
Port is a solid choice, delivering complementary fruity and oaky flavours, along with a hit of acidity to balance out the richness of the pie filling. If you want to change it up, try Moscato! We particularly love the Valentina Moscato d’Asti and the Volpi Piemonte Moscato Bianco, both of which have lovely fruity notes and low alcohol content, so you won’t have to worry about your guests stumbling after a few sips!
If you think tea or coffee are the only beverages to have with cookies, then prepare to have your mind blown. As you tuck into a plate of gingerbread cookies, a great way to wash down the buttery, spicy goodness is with a glass of Riesling. Believe it or not, the bright and floral notes of the perfumed white wine make a refreshing match to the trademark holiday cookie. We recommend the Marcel Hugg Saint-Jean Riesling Réserve Organic Reisling or the Frey Hangen-Weisheim Sommerwende Riesling as a light and crisp palate cleanser to counterbalance the heavy spices of the cookie. And all the better if you enjoy a cheeky hint of orange zest in your gingerbread cookie, as that will further bring out the floral flavours in the Riesling!
This dense, sticky cake is traditionally made soaked with booze, so it only makes sense to serve it with more booze to get the full tasting experience. To underscore the dried fruit flavours of the Christmas pudding, the sweet, botrytis-affected Sauternes would be an ideal choice, which packs zesty aromas of apricot and marmalade, and underlays of vanilla and honey to complement the nutty and robust characters of the dessert. One that delivers an exceptionally rich and syrupy mouthfeel is Lions de Suduiraut Sauternes—we guarantee you’ll be watching the bottle go down to its very last drop!
By this point, you are probably making a mental calculation of how much all the wines will cost, and chances are, it’s no slight figure. Indeed, premium wines tend to run at a high price, but did you know that there is a way to serve high-quality wines to your loved ones without blowing your budget way out of proportion? Winerack is your answer!
Offering an extensive selection of bargain-priced, quality wines, Winerack has been Hong Kong’s trusted purveyor of the best value wines since 2010. Even if you are no wine connoisseur, you can count on their friendly and knowledgeable staff to help you find the right bottle every time. So if you’re ready to host the ultimate Christmas dinner without breaking the bank, head over to Winerack’s website to fulfil all your holiday wines online or pop into one of their four stores across Hong Kong!
Winerack is a Hong Kong-based wine store specialising in selling quality wines and beers at great prices. Apart from providing online delivery services, Winerack also has four physical locations across Hong Kong in Wan Chai, Sai Kung, Sai Ying Pun, and Tsim Sha Tsui.
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