The Ultimate Guide to the Best Italian Wines for Christmas: Top 10 Wines For Christmas
Whether it is Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas lunch, what is certain is that it will be a festive, rich, exuberant meal. The enjoyment that the Christmas festivities bring to our homes translates into sumptuous tables, where abundance and celebration of taste take centre stage. But if it is true that we pay maniacal attention to the creation of our main dishes, it is equally true that they need the best accompaniment possible.
What type of wine is best for Christmas?
From starters to dessert, the right food and wine pairing can bring the success of a meal closer to perfection. We therefore propose our selection of the best wines for this Christmas 2022, where not only the dishes but also the drink will excel.
CHAMPAGNE AMC 00 - ALBERTO MASSUCCO
Alberto Massucco's dream acknowledges the skill of Erick De Sousa, a legend of the Côte Des Blanc with whom Alberto collaborates on his wines, resulting in this Champagne that will amaze you with its creaminess and finesse. It is composed of Chardonnay to a large degree (50%), with the remaining percentage split into 30% Pinot Noir and 20% Meunier.
No dosage for sweetening, but an expressive and sincere nectar, which finds its smoothness exclusively in the fruit and with time. It is so well balanced that it can be paired with everything, although it is perfect for accompanying fish based hors d'oeuvres - even better if raw - or first courses with shellfish.
Gift: The AMC Champagne 00 by Alberto Massucco is also an excellent and romantic gift for your partner.
Winery: Alberto Massuco
OLTREPÓ PAVESE CLASSIC METHOD CRUASÉ 2018 - TENUTA MAZZOLINO
Mazzolino's Cruasè is the ideal answer for those seeking the elegance of the bubble and the energy of a red wine. It is a Metodo Classico that carries the temperament of Pinot Noir, with that sylvan nose of wild strawberry, earth and wild mint. The palate is harmonious and tasty, with a long liquorice finish and an exceptional savoury trail.
A wine with Italian-French charm that knows how to combine finesse and character, blended by the long time spent in contact with yeasts. We suggest it as an accompaniment to baked pasta ( pasta al forno), but also with a plate of game sausages or roast guinea fowl.
Gift: Perfect as a gift for a brother, sister or a friend.
Winery: Tenuta Mazzolino
TRENTO DOC VENT RISERVA 2015 - CANTINA TOBLINO
A timeless Classic method. It is time, in fact, that enriches the Chardonnay grapes that entirely make up this Spumante, which is perfect for the Christmas festivities. It is a sumptuous, rich, poised wine, which fills the palate; the fruit of its 60 months on the lees, the Trento Doc Vent Riserva satisfies with a citrus nose of citron and the sweetness of custard and shortcrust pastry. The sip is dry, fresh, enveloping, and of great persistence.
Try it with an especially delicious panettone, but also with a fondue from the Aosta Valley (fonduta valdostana) or with gnocchi alla romana; certainly also excellent in combination with fish, such as marinated trout or mussels with oranges and ginger.
Gift: A wine that is a symbol of elegance and patience is certainly perfect as a gift for one's mother.
Winery: Cantina Toblino
COLLI TORTONESI TIMORASSO IL MONTINO 2021 - LA COLOMBERA
Timorasso is certainly one of the native white grape varieties that can make us proud to be Italian. A gem, a wine born to evolve but which is also very enjoyable in its youth. It It is a wine with a clear mineral, saline imprint, which veers towards aromatic hydrocarbon notes both in the taste and bouquet. Citrine, elegant and engaging, it has an unmistakable taste, attractive to those who love complex white wines but at the same time seek great drinkability.
It is perfect to accompany first courses flavoured with saffron, but also a pork fillet with caramelised apples or duck with orange.
Gift: It is a wonderful gift idea for a woman: this wine, produced by a woman, breaks down clichés about women's tastes, restoring to them that aura of mystery that they share with La Colombera's Timorasso.
Winery: La Colombera
TUSCANY CHARDONNAY IGT 2018 - MONTEVERRO
It already appears to the eye like a caress, with that warm, golden colour that embraces the gaze. The nose of this Tuscan Chardonnay, which is partially aged in French oak barriques, is intense on notes of brioche but also on the refreshing ones of aromatic herbs and citrus peel.
It is full-bodied, textured but very fresh, the ideal companion to a stuffed chicken or a simple, well - executed cacio e pepe; why not try it, however, with an anchovy and burrata pie or sea bass ravioli in shellfish broth?
Gift: Monteverro's Chardonnay should be given as a gift to those few true friends who can be counted on the fingers of one hand, those who, like this enchanting Chardonnay, provide welcome and comfort.
Winery: Monteverro
NERELLO MASCALESE SIGNUM ÆTNÆ 2014 - FIRRIATO
We enter the realm of graceful elegance with this Nerello Mascalese dell'Etna endorsed by Firriato.
The current vintage on the market is 2014, underlining the quality of a product that makes time one of its secret ingredients. The rest is all Etnean terroir and vineyards. The sip is pure finesse, a ballerina on point, with the tension of freshness perfectly integrated and the tannin blunt and polished. The nose has a dark timbre of carob, coffee, and spices, a perfect bouquet to accompany a main meat course such as a roast with hazelnuts or Beef Wellington, but also a beef stew or a dish of tortelloni with porcini mushrooms.
Gift: To be given to the most elegant and sophisticated people you know.
Winery: Firriato
MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO 2018 - LUIGI VALORI
With this Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - one of the best value for money on the wine market – you can be sure of making a good impression. From the free-range vineyards of Luigi Valori comes this straightforward, frank wine; it is expressive, seductive and drinkable enough to meet the approval of all palates. Nose of red fruit, cherry, undergrowth and spices; it is juicy on the palate, equally fruity and dark in the aroma, and elegant and precise in the taste thanks to the well-balanced fresh savoury texture and excellently managed tannin - despite the fact that this is a rather rough grape variety in itself.
It is an ideal wine in combination with a plate of maltagliati with hare ragout or lamb chops in a pistachio crust, but also, continuing on the theme of game, with a venison stew. In vegetarian dishes, an excellent match can be found with a mushroom polenta or a lentil stew.
Gift: A sincere, warm and straightforward wine to give as a gift to your grandfather or father.
Winery: Luigi Valori
AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA 2012 - BERTANI
One of the giants of Italian winemaking could hardly be absent from the list. This is a wine that tastes of festivity and Christmas, because it has made smoothness its trademark. Bertani's Amarone is a mainstay in the history of wine growing, a wine that has made itself loved, and is, indeed, still loved today. Its rich, enveloping nose of spices, berry jam, wild strawberry, karkadè (red sorrel) and some citrus tinges seems to echo Christmas aromas. The taste is mellow yet elegant, rich in extract but also extremely fresh.
To be served with a roast duck leg or a breast of pigeon, or even a Rossini-style fillet. Also try it with light pâtés, as an opening or end to the meal. Its ideal pairing is also with the fireplace: to be sipped slowly in the afternoon.
Gift: A cuddle full of complexity, to gift to parents.
Winery: Bertani
MALVASIA DELLE LIPARI NA'JM 2020 - COLOSI
Malvasia: an aromatic, engaging, intense, fragrant grape variety. It carries with it the Mediterranean scent of its homeland, those enchanting crumbs of Sicily known as the Aeolian Islands. Whatever your Christmas dessert is, the Malvasia delle Lipari from the Colosi winery in Salina will cetainly know how to accompany it to perfection. The bewitching aroma of candied orange peel, sultanas, dates, figs, apricots and dried mangoes mingle with that of aromatic herbs that lend character to the nose as well as the taste.
It is a sweet wine, aromatic at its finest, capable of releasing an infinite range of aromas. It finds its perfect match in chocolate-covered candied orange peel, but also with traditional panettone.
Gift: This wine should be given as a gift to grandma, as if it were a hug.
Winery: Colosi
MOSCATO DI SCANZO 2016 - BIAVA
Sweet, but red. This passito made from Moscato di Scanzo grapes is the pride of the Bergamo area. A passito that lends itself to accompany sweet but also savoury dishes. The bouquet is typically of rose, incense, oriental spices and crunchy red fruit. The taste is soft, enveloping, sweet but balanced almost in equal measure by the clear freshness and slight tannic perception that makes the sip an intriguing experience.
Savoury pairings include a platter of assorted blue cheeses or barbecued venison chops with red fruit compote. As for desserts, Moscato di Scanzo triumphs alongside chocolate, especially dark chocolate, even better if filled with red fruits or marasca cherries.
Gift: A gift that is truly perfect for everyone.
Winery: Biava
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