Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and with it come questions about the food and wine pairings that will sublimate your festive meal. Don’t worry, we’ve put together a myriad of suggestions to enhance your dishes and delight your guests’ taste buds.

Bubbles with your seafood?

Often served after an aperitif, seafood is an opportunity to prolong the pleasure with champagne, which goes perfectly with oysters, langoustines, lobster, crab, etc. To preserve the iodine side of seafood and not overpower its subtle flavors, opt for a brut blanc de blanc champagne that will enhance the aromas of your platter. If you like, you can also pair it with a dry, mineral, fruity white wine such as Sancerre, Riesling or Pouilly-Fumé.

The thorny issue of foie gras

The must-have of the Christmas meal is often paired with sweet wines. However, be careful when you serve your foie gras, as sweet wines can overpower the flavors of subsequent wines. If you’d like to keep your foie gras as an appetizer, we recommend you opt for a dry white wine that’s fresh and mineral. Loire Valley wines such as Saumur or Vouvray are a perfect match for this delicate dish. Older wines also lend themselves well to pairing, for example with a Graves de Bordeaux or a Côtes de Provence. Finally, if you insist on pairing your foie gras with a mellow wine, we recommend serving it between the main course and dessert, and opting for wines from the South-West such as Jurançon or Sauternes, or wines from Alsace such as Gewürztraminer.

Marrying the most traditional of New Year’s Eve dishes: capon

An emblematic Christmas dish, capon is the perfect occasion to open a fine bottle of red wine. However, care must be taken not to overpower the delicate flesh of the bird with a wine that is too full-bodied. This is the moment of glory for Burgundy wines, whose freshness, brought out by pinot noir, sublimates the taste of the capon. Choose appellations such as Santenay, Vosne-Romanée or Aloxe-Corton for a match made in heaven. However, wines from the right bank of Bordeaux or the Rhône Valley will also go well with your main course.

Best of all: cheese and dessert

As the meal draws to a close, you have two options: accompany your cheese and log with a red wine, or finish off with a sweet wine. The choice of wine will depend initially on the type of cheese tasted. However, Bordeaux wines such as Saint-Émilion or Côtes de Blaye often go best with cheese. In fact, these wines are perfect for pairing with chocolate desserts afterwards, and will enhance your log. For lovers of sweet wines, why not opt for a Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh, ideal with blue-veined cheeses and perfect for your end-of-meal sweets.

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