Wine Suggestions

Stuart Bond, Sommelier at The Cavendish Hotel in Baslow, shares his choices of wines for the festive dining season.

You can find these wines at Chatsworth Farm Shop, where you pick up a Christmas Farm Shop Food Brochure and pre-order your festive hampers, food and drink.

Christmas is a special time, ideally spent with friends and family, enjoying gatherings often based around seasonal food and drink. 

If you serve wine with your meals, rather than default to the same vineyards and grapes, consider experimenting with more eclectic choices - it may lead you to discover a new favourite.

Sometimes, the best food and wine pairings are the most unexpected ones. Tasting wine should always be a journey of discovery, allowing you to experience new sensations on your palate. 

In this guide, I've selected a wine to pair with some of the most popular courses and occasions. I hope this will serve as a useful starting point when exploring the many options available. Have fun!

Here's a key tip for the season:
 
When pairing wines with turkey, keep in mind that it is a mild-flavoured meat with a low fat content.  A roast turkey dinner is often rich in flavours and complexity, with sides like cranberry sauce, bacon, parsnips, stuffing, and Brussels sprouts all vying for attention. A red, rosé or white wine that has medium to high levels of acidity will complement this variety of flavours very well. 

“Celebratory Fizz”

My top choice is: Ambriel Classic Brut NV, West Sussex, England 11% ABV 
Ideal Serving Temperature 8-12 °C 

An elegant English Sparkling wine, bright and fine, with ripe red cox and pear flavours, creamy summer berries and notes of brioche. The palate is crisp and succulent with tiny, rolling bubbles and a long, toasty finish.

Celebratory fizz is “poetry in a glass” as an aperitif. It pairs beautifully with seafood of all kinds, filo pastry bites or creamy cheese.

“Traditional Roast Turkey”

My top choice is: Weingut Kracher K 2019, Burgenland, Austria 13.5% ABV
Ideal Serving Temperature 10-12 °C

An intense and complex nose, where fresh pineapple and mango meld with oak spice, orange zest and herbs. The palate is equally exciting with flavours of nectarine, apricot and citrus peel, complemented by honeyed, nutty notes. It has a creamy texture and long saline, mineral finish.

Festive pairing choice could be traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, all types of classic meat dishes or vegetarian mushroom based options.

"Boxing Day Cold Cuts"

My top choice is: Cramele Recas Sanziana Rosé, Banat, Romania, 2024, 11.5% ABV
Ideal Serving Temperature 5-7 °C

Perfumed nose of rose petals and red cherries. Punchy summer berry flavours of strawberry and raspberry, with a touch of sweet spice.

Festive pairing could be traditional Christmas dinner, Boxing Day cold cuts, a seafood spread or a variety of Asian dishes. 

“Festive Dessert”

My top choice is: Bertani, Recioto della Valpolicella, Valpantena DOCG, Veneto, Italy 13% ABV
Ideal serving temperature 14-18 °C

Garnet red colour with aromas of fruits of the forest jam, hints of tobacco, chocolate and liquorice. The plush, dense palate gives way to a very spicy finish”.

Festive dessert pairing choices could be traditional Christmas pudding, an eclectic mix of dark chocolate desserts, Panettone or cow’s milk cheeses.

Chatsworth Farm Shop Wine & Supper Club

Stuart Bond is often guest Sommelier at the farm shop's monthly wine and supper club.

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