Winemonger.com

Holiday dinner traditions range widely from country to country and continent to continent- but one thing remains the same wherever you go: this is the time to invite friends and family over and to share great food, great wines, and great company.

Below is a sampling of the traditional Christmas, Christmas Eve, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa dinners being served around the world, and the perfect wines to pair with your holiday meal, wherever you hail from.

These holiday dinners primarily fall into one of 4 groups: those that serve fish, those that serve ham, those that serve a roasted bird (turkey, goose, duck, etc.), and those that are vegetarian. And, then, there are a few that serve goat. We have shared here a few of the full traditional holiday meals served in some of these countries, and then made wine pairing suggestions for their main course. To wit:

England-
Roast turkey, stuffing, roast potatoes and vegetables, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, gravy, and a Christmas pudding (brown pudding with raisins, nuts and cherries) with brandy butter.

France-
Reveillon: a light meal enjoyed on Christmas Eve, generally eaten after midnight-mass. Sometimes that evening a meal of Toriere is eaten, which are a kind of minced meat pie.
Then the full feast enjoyed on Christmas day would have a pea or other vegetable soup, pate, oysters, roast goose, fresh and candied fruits (particularly grapes and apples), Buche de Noel (yule log) and roasted chestnuts.

Russia-
Christmas Eve: kutya (porridge of grains, honey and poppy seeds). No meat.
Christmas: Goose or a suckling pig.

Australia-
In the English tradition: roast turkey, ham or pork is on the table with a plum pudding for dessert.
Alternately, some mates barbecue prawns, steak and chicken and then serve ice cream or sorbet for dessert.

WINES TO SERVE WITH ROASTED BIRD:
Hogl Bruck Riesling Smaragd 2005 $36.99
Gritsch Singerriedel Gruner Veltliner Smaragd 2005 $27.99
Wenzel Kleiner Wald Pinot Noir 2004 $38.50 free shipping by the case
Moric Alte Reben Neckenmarkt 2004 $80.00

Sweden-
Ham, sweet and sour red cabbage, meatballs, small sausages, gravlax, and a Christmas pudding called Jul Grot which has one almond in it. The drink is a mulled wine they call Glogg.

Finland-
A casserole of macaroni, rutabaga, carrot and potato, served with ham or turkey.

Greece-
Ham and bacon, loaves of Christopsomo (Christ bread), and nut cookies.

Phillipines-
Noche Buena is a festive meal held after mass, which includes a ham or roast pig, cheeses, noodles, chestnuts, puto bumbong (rice steamed inside bamboo), bibingka (rice cakes with salted eggs & coconut), and suman (steamed rice in banana leaves).

WINES TO SERVE WITH HOLIDAY HAM
Hogl Terrassen Spitzergraben Riesling 2006 $20.00
Donabaum Setzberg Riesling 2005 $32.00
Hogl Bruck Riesling 2005 $37.00
Gsellmann & Gsellmann Pinot Noir 2002 $26.00

Portugal-
Salted dry cod-fish, called Bacalao, which can be served with rapini, boiled potatoes and breads.

Poland-
Oplatek (a kind of communion bread), barshch (vegetable stew), fish soup, herring, fish in aspic, carp, stewed cabbage or sauerkraut. For dessert: dried fruits, kutia (a treat made from wheat, poppy seeds, honey & almonds), poppy seed or honey cake or strudel, and sweet rolls.

Austria-
Baked carp (Gebackener Karpfen) is the dish most traditionally served.
But sometimes roasted duck with bread dumplings, braised red cabbage and apples.
Dessert is an assortment of bakery- primarily cookies, cookies, cookies!
And then to drink: gluhwein. This is available on most street corners during the season and is the perfect way to keep warm day and night! Here is our Gluhwein recipe.

Italy-
Christmas Eve:
Pronzo delta vigilia, which has no meat. Lots of fish, a seafood stew, and cannoli.
Christmas Day:
Antipasti, pasta with walnut cream sauce, panettone (a kind of cake with dried bits of fruit in it) for dessert.

Mexico-
Cheese, bananas and nuts. A stew made with fish and vegetables. Perhaps a turkey. Lots of cookies.

WINES TO SERVE WITH FISH
Melusine Gruner Veltliner 2005 $67.50
Wenzel Pinot Gris 2004 $20.00
Velich Tiglat Chardonnay 2002 $55.00

Jamaica-
Rice, gungo peas, chicken, meat pies, ox tail and curried goat.

Ethiopia-
This meal is served on January 7th, and is usually preceded by the purchase and slaughter of a goat, which is then served with doro wat (spicy chicken stew) and flat bread.

WINE TO SERVE WITH GOAT
BIG red wines are called for here!
Braunstein Leithaberg 2004 $39.50
Feiler-Artinger Solitaire 2003 $50.00
Preisinger Paradigma $50.00
Moric Neckenmarkter Blaufrankisch 2003 $29.00

Bulgaria-
The Bulgarians serve 12 dishes to represent the 12 months of the year, none of which contain meat. Ingredients include beans, all kinds of nuts, dried plums, and a traditional cake called Banitza.

Kwanzaa-
Foods should include yams, sesame seeds, collard greens and hot peppers. Some traditional dishes include a carrot salad, creole court bouillon, and succotash.

Hannukah-
Foods that have been fried in oil, to celebrate the oil that lasted for 8 days. On the top of that list are latkes, a kind of potato pancake, which is served with sour cream and apple sauce. In some places, falafel steps in as the fried food of choice. And then dessert is a kind of fried donut with jelly filling.

WINES TO SERVE WITH PRIMARILY MEATLESS HOLIDAY DINNERS
Donabaum “Johann” Gruner Veltliner 2006
Sabathi Poharnig Sauvignon Blanc 2005 $30.00
Gritsch 1000-Eimerberg Neuburger $13.00

AND FOR DESSERT!
Weiss Ice Wine 2001 $21.00
Velich Seewinkel Beerenauslese 2000 $23.00
Tschida Muscat-Ottonel Trockenbeerenauslese $50.00
Feiler-Artinger Pinot Cuvee Ruster Ausbruch 1998 $48.00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOURS!

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