Plant-based pairings are fun, colourful and delicious. Make the most of the holiday period to get creative in the kitchen and find the perfect vegan food and wine pairing for your festive table.
The holidays will look very different this year for all of us no matter where we live in the world. More than ever before, we feel it’s important to slow down, be kind to ourselves and appreciate the small things life gives us. With this spirit, we would like to share with you a short guide to pair our vegan wines with the most delicious plant-based food. After all, what’s a better treat than cooking a meal and sitting down at a festive table without causing any harming to the planet and the animals?
Few pairing tips that always work wonders
Tannins & fat
Tannins and fat make a great pairing. These contrasting sensations create a harmonious bite. At Querciabella, we are quite obsessed with tannins, as they define the structure and help drive the longevity in our wines. Try to serve a creamy mushroom soup with our Chianti Classico with its firm texture, and you’ll see why tannins play such an indispensable role in a successful food and wine pairing.
Acid & fat
Acidity is the ultimate contrast to various tastes and a great way to “cut” through rich dishes to bring out flavours and create a refreshing sensation. Think of what happens when you squeeze a lemon wedge on a salty or creamy dish – acidity in the wine will do the same.
The high elevation of our vineyards preserves bright acidity in our wines. This quality helps lift up any meal that is rich in fat, an ideal quality for wine pairing, especially during the holiday season.
Drink what brings you joy
Most importantly, wine should make you happy. Perhaps, opening up a bottle of Batàr or Camartina will bring back memories of visiting our vineyards in Chianti Classico, or sharing a bottle of Turpino with your favourite dish will become a future memory to treasure.
Just remember, wine should always complement the meal and not dominate it. Querciabella’s wines are made with love and care, and focus on elegance, balance and finesse, as opposed to weight and alcohol. Therefore, they are perfect for matching a variety of flavours and occasions.
The wines we recommend for the holidays
Batàr · Toscana IGT
Batàr has close to a cult following among wine lovers. A rich blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc, it offers generous fruit, well-integrated with savoury, earthy and umami notes. This is a wine you serve when you want to bring a certain sophistication to your meal, sure to impress guests who swear they only enjoy French wine.
A white wine for all seasons, Batàr has the body to withstand many of the heavier dishes that may be served during the holidays. The older the vintage, the more graceful and complex your tasting experience will be. When young, Batàr is the perfect wine to start your holiday meal as an accompaniment to hors d’oeuvres, soups and salads. With age, it develops intricate tertiary notes to match food with more weight, intensity of flavours and abundance of texture.
Whether you decide to serve it with appetizers such as sweet potato latkes, or with a cheese plate at the end of a lavish meal or pair it with a robust main course like chickpea meatloaf with mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing and balsamic-Dijon roasted root vegetables, Batàr is sure to be a star.
Camartina · Toscana IGT
The holidays give you the perfect opportunity to treat yourself to a little luxury, and Camartina would be a great choice. With its multitude of layers, finesse and endless length, our Super Tuscan will elevate your holiday vegan pairings to heights that make you appreciate this special time of year.
The blending of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese, and a careful wood-ageing regime, gift Camartina with excellent food matching qualities. It will pair beautifully with a mushroom Wellington or a farro risotto with roasted vegetables seasoned with rosemary, thyme and sage. More mature vintages have smooth and silky tannins which call for dishes with more texture and less fat like a grain salad with toasted nuts, roasted winter squash and dried fruit. Anyhow, a risotto with grilled maitake mushrooms would be a heavenly match.
Palafreno · Toscana IGT
For the ultimate holiday feast, nothing compares to our extraordinary Palafreno. Only produced in tiny quantities in optimal vintages, this purebred Merlot exudes class: choose it to create meaningful moments to be shared with those you love.
Palafreno manages to be both powerful and light all at once. Along with the fruit quality that Merlot often delivers, it exhibits an exuberant character and long finish that can especially accompany dishes of rare complexity and unusual combinations of flavours. Try pairing it with a lentil pot roast with porcini with a side of spiced cranberry sauce, roasted kabocha squash stuffed with wild rice and vegetables or a savoury pumpkin tart.
Fine wines should express a precise sense of place. Discover the great heights international varieties are capable of achieving on the hillsides of Ruffoli, high above Greve, in our beautiful corner of Chianti Classico. The right vegan pairing will add to an already remarkable tasting experience. Happy Holidays!
