THE Five SECRETS OF WINE PAIRING
PAIRING YOUR FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS FOOD WITH OUR CANNED WINE
Pairing food and wine this Christmas doesn’t have to be as difficult as 2020. By keeping things simple, and following our food and wine pairing guide, you can complement your favourite Christmas dishes without too much hassle – after all, it’s meant to be fun!
Without over-complicating things, here are our two top tips before getting into our simple guide:
Kiss of Wine - one glass at a time
So with the pandemic complicating the Christmas holidays even further, the Kiss of Wine selection of canned wines sourced from small winemakers keeps things simpler, particularly for food and wine pairing. With only small gatherings allowed this year, why not enjoy pairing your favourite recipes one single-served can of wine at a time? Nothing goes to waste!
Below we’ve selected our Christmas dinner favourites and which of our carefully chosen wines will complement them perfectly, think of this as the Kiss of Wine food and wine pairing rule book.
1. ROASTED RED MEATS
It’s widely known that red meat is best matched with red wine, but do you know why? Adding to our top two rules – it’s because of tannins. Red wines are rich in tannins which react to meat proteins, resulting in a balance of both of the strong flavours. Enter our FEISTY Nebbiolo – not quite a Barbaresco, this wine is lighter than usual but is packed with tannins that cut through fatty meats. The feisty wine also has high acidity so pairs well with salty meals too. The WILD Dolcetto, an Italian classic, also pairs well with dark meat, particularly when it’s a bit leaner.
2. PORK AND POULTRY
With lighter meats come lighter wines. If you’re into holiday classics like roast turkey or chicken, or even the traditional ham, you can’t go wrong with the likes of CRISP Sauvignon Blanc or SMOOTH Chardonnay. The Kiss of Wine options are no exception. High acidity will cut through the fatty meats.
3. SEAFOOD (AND EAT IT!)
If a seafood meal for Christmas is more your style, then white wine is your friend. Once again, our CRISP Sauvignon Blanc and SMOOTH Chardonnay are our recommended go-to wines for a seafood dinner. Both sourced from the Loire River region, the Sauvignon Blanc is more suited to shellfish such as mussels, oysters and crabs, while the Chardonnay, with soft citrus and fresh minerals, pairs wonderfully with the meaty fish varieties. For something a little bit different, but still delicious, our dry and ZESTY canned Riesling works too.
4. SAY CHEESE
No great Christmas meal is complete without a cheese board, and cheese plates are classic for wine pairing. Kiss of Wine’s canned SMOOTH Chardonnay is versatile and complements goats cheese or your stronger-tasting cheeses such as a British cheddar, Stilton or Red Leicester or any blue cheese variety. However, if you’re unwilling to give up your summer vibes so easily, a rosé or sparkling Riesling might be more your style. Both the canned Sparkling ZESTY Riesling and CHILL Grenache Rosé screams sunshine and pair beautifully with most hard and soft cheese varieties too. Why not try them all?
5. SEASONAL VEGETABLES
While the range of seasonal vegetable sides for Christmas dinner are almost endless, we rate our ZESTY Riesling for low-fat vegetarian side dishes. It is crisp and fresh and complements lighter flavours perfectly. Alternatively, Kiss of Wine's canned WILD Dolcetto is a safe go-to for general grilled or roast vegetable sides. The full-flavoured yet low tannin variety will both complement yet not over-power the lightness of classic vegetable side dishes.
