Wines for the Xmas Turkey

Turkey is often eaten during this time of the year, and many are the wines which are suggested to go with it. If one starts with the premise that a turkey is rather like a large chicken, then roast turkey can be matched with red Burgundies and Pinot Noirs. Yet the Xmas turkey is often traditionally enjoyed with cranberry sauce, stuffing and the like, which does influence the wine match. Hugh Johnson did suggest good sparkling Shiraz when having Xmas turkey with all the trimmings and sure enough, the more complex wines do enhance the enjoyment of this traditional fare.

Clarets are often poured too, but although they do not really clash (especially if one does not do silly things like drinking a mouthful after a piece of turkey smothered in cranberry sauce), it seems that the food and wine tolerate each other more than coming together top generate fireworks. I just had a Reggiano Lambrusco Amabile bought from the supermarket with some Xmas Turkey (admittedly without carnberry sauce). The wine had a touch of wood and more importantly hints of Xmas spice, so that it was rather like a cold bubbly mulled wine. Well it did go rather well with the turkey, and with the mulled wine flavours, approprately festive.