Over the Christmas period, it’s not uncommon to see poultry or game being served during family dinners or for the meal on the Big Day. Come with us as explore all possible wine pairing options for poultry such as chicken and turkey as well as game.
The wintery months often call for flavourful meat and as we tend to pull out all the stops for Christmas and New Year, we can often find ourselves serving stuffed poultry (chicken, turkey or chapon) or game such as venison or boar. These dishes are particularly interesting when it comes to finding a wine to pair with them.
As with all our pairing ideas, the wines mentioned below are just the general forerunners. They can be drastically changed depending on the type of sauce of gravy being served alongside the meat and the wine you choose also depends on your own tastes – never forget to favour your own tastes over the suggestions given.
Stuffed poultry
For purely savoury stuffing (made with giblets, other meats, mushrooms or truffle)
Classic pairings
1 – Red Burgundy: The fine acidity of Pinot Noir marries well with the fat of turkey and chicken and its delicate texture complements that of the meat. It is important to choose appellations or vinification styles that favour delicateness over power.
Recommended appellations: Volnay, Beaune, Chambolle-Musigny, Corton, and Clos des Lambrays.
2 – Red Loire: Their generally fresh side, beautiful tautness and fruitiness make them good companions for stuffed poultry, especially if you opt for vintages that have been able to evolve a bit and wines that aren’t too woody.
Recommended appellations: Bourgueil, Saumur-Champigny, Chinon, and Sancerre.
Other options
1 – Red Bordeaux: Be careful, you need to make sure that you don’t choose wines that are too woody but those with melted tannins would work, so opt for maturer vintages and wines made with delicate vinification methods if they are younger.
Recommended appellations: Médoc, Listrac-Médoc, Saint-Emilion, Fronsac, and Pessac-Léognan.
2 – Champagne: The natural acidity of Champagne (favour those that have very little or no dosage) work very well with the fat of the meat and the stuffing. Choose a very vinous Champagne like those that are made solely from Pinot Noir (a Blanc de Noirs) or those in which the blend is dominated by this grape variety. Avoid a Blanc de Blancs at all costs. We could also imagine pairing a dish with stuffed poultry with a rosé Champagne made with the saignée method (a macerated rosé).
But also: Alsace Pinot Noirs and a beautiful wine from a Beaujolais cru (especially Morgon or Moulin-à-Vent).
The ‘avoid at all costs’: Don’t choose wines that have a lot of woody flavours and/or those that have a lot of tannins (wood and tannins pair poorly with this type of meat). So, no Bordeaux grands crus classés that are younger than 20 years old and no Bandol either. Also avoid wines that a very rich such as a Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
For sweet/savoury stuffing (with raisins, figs, etc)
The classics
If you’re not looking to stray off the beaten track, you can use the same pairings as mentioned above, but we have a few more options for the adventurous among us.
Other options
1 – Demi-sec from the Loire Valley: This style of wine will marry perfectly with the crispy skin of a roasted bird and its significant acidity is the perfect ally for the meat’s fat. Additionally, the slightly sweet stuffing will be absolutely happy with the wine.
Recommended appellations: Vouvray and Montlouis.
2 – A sweet wine from the Loire, Bordeaux or elsewhere: You may surprise your dinner guests with the sweet sensation by choosing a wine with a higher sugar content, but we assure you that this pairing works, especially if you choose a wine with good acidity (so those from the Loire Valley and Jurançon have the upper hand here).
Recommended appellations: Jurançon, all sweet wines from the Loire (Vouvray, Montlouis, Coteaux du Layon), Sauternes/Barsac, and Alsace Vendanges Tardives (avoiding Sélections de Grains Nobles, which have too much sugar).
But also: We could imagine also pairing a rich, dry white wine with this dish such as a Vouvray, Montlouis, Meursault, or Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
The ‘avoid at all costs’: The same as those mentioned above for savoury-stuffed poultry.
Game
We’re going to look at dishes in which the meat has been cooked in two different ways. The first is braised meat like boar stew and the second is roasted such as a leg of venison.
Game stew or a similar dish
The classics
1 – Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Its power and velvety texture make it the ideal companion for this type of flavourful dish, especially if the bottle has been left to age for a decade or so.
2 – Cornas: The most southern appellation in the northern Rhône Valley creates Syrahs that are more powerful and often a little less delicate than the other appellations in the region (e.g. Côte Rôtie and Hermitage), which work perfectly with this flavourful type of dish. This pairing will really hit the sweet spot with a mature wine (one that is 10 years old or more).
Other options
1 – Hermitage or Côte Rôtie: Slightly less suited to a stew, these two appellations are still a good choice, particularly if choosing powerful wines that don’t have flavours that are too delicate.
2 – Bandol: Mourvèdre with its wilder side is a superb wine to pair with game, but you’ll want to pick a bottle that’s at least 10 years old.
But also: Burgundian appellations that create wines with a bit more tannins such as Pommard and Corton or Languedoc-Roussillon appellations could also offer pairing possibilities but again, the wine needs to be mature.
The ‘avoid at all costs’: White wines aren’t really at home here, and even less so Champagnes.
Roasted game
The classics
1 – Hermitage or Côte Rôtie: While, with a stew, these two appellations risk to be slightly overshadowed due to their more delicate nature, they will be perfect with a roasted joint of flavourful meat (that’s a little pink) such as venison.
2 – Red Burgundy: The delicate nature of Pinot Noir will complement roasted game beautifully. Wines from the Côte de Beaune seem a bit better suited here but one from a lovely appellation in the Côte de Nuits would go wonderfully with roasted boar.
Recommended appellations: Volnay, Pommard, Corton, Nuits-Saint-Georges, and Gevrey-Chambertin.
Other options
1 –Côtes du Rhône: While the power of Châteauneuf-du-Pape is better suited to game stew, the same meat roasted call for wines a little less rich, meaning you could opt for most red wines from the southern Rhône Valley.
Recommended appellations: Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Cairanne, Rasteau, and Lirac.
2 – Côtes de Provence or Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence: Here, grape varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvèdre, Carignan, and Cinsault are often blended together which makes wines from these appellations ideal for a stronger meat with a sauce or gravy that’s not too rich, especially if you don’t choose a wine that’s young. We could very well imagine a mature vintage from Domaine de Trévallon, an outstanding Provence wine.
But also: Most red Bordeaux wines (but for us, these seem more suited to beef or duck breast rather than game) and most Loire Valley reds (but again, these are more suited to beef or duck).
