“To me, Christmas is all about sharing,” says Donatello Ippolito, group manager and sommelier at Matteo Downtown. “We’re sharing love with friends, with family. We share food and we share wine.”
Food will invariably form the centrepiece at any Christmas gathering. But whether you’re bringing a plate to a friendly gathering or bravely catering for the extended family, a glass of well-matched wine always takes things up a notch.
This Christmas, Ippolito expects to see our glasses filled with new and unusual wine styles, including Orlando Wine’s Cellar 13, an ideal addition to your dinner or lunch this festive season.
“People are becoming more educated in terms of wine,” he says. “They’re steering away from traditional regions and venturing into unknown regions – it’s very beautiful to see.”
Though there’s excitement in the unknown, Ippolito suggests going with what you know if you want to find a truly great wine and food match.
“I’m a classic guy – I don’t like to risk too much,” Ippolito says. “For me, the perfect combination will always be a beautiful slice of perfectly cooked sirloin with a glass of shiraz or cabernet sauvignon. I want to be in my comfort zone.”
If you’re in need of a shortcut, here’s Ippolito’s guide to Christmas lunch pairings.
Toasting and canapés
Whether you’re snacking or just raising a glass to the host, Ippolito recommends a good quality sparkling. “During Christmas, a lot of people will of course make a lot of toasts and will enjoy a glass of champagne together,” Ippolito says.
Red meat
A premium cut of beef or veal can be a great alternative to the traditional Christmas poultry, and Ippolito recommends a fruit-forward red wine such as the Orlando Cellar 13 grenache, an ideal pick for the warmer months. “Grenache is one of my favourites,” Ippolito says. “We’ve got a lot of ripeness here – raspberry, cherry, lifted fruit nose – and a great match in this case with a veal cotoletta or sirloin or rib eye.”
Seafood
Like Australia, people in Ippolito’s home region of Puglia in Italy are obsessed with great seafood – think fresh oysters or kingfish crudo with burnt mango, like the chefs do at Matteo Downtown. “There’s people that would love to go to riesling – for example, German or Austrian riesling –but I would recommend matching oysters or raw seafood with a bottle of chardonnay,” he says.
Turkey
For the traditional festive bird, Ippolito recommends reds on the more delicate end of the spectrum. “We’re talking about white meat, not very heavy, so I would keep it more of a light style and match with a pinot noir,” Ippolito says.
Dessert
A sweet wine is a great way to end a beautiful meal, but Ippolito’s wine match is just about a dessert in itself. “There are a lot of dessert wines that you can match with, but I’m a fan of the Penfolds Grandfather tawny,” says Ippolito. “You can even skip the dessert if you’re feeling heavy and you don’t want a slice of tiramisu or panna cotta, and go straight to a glass of Grandfather.”
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Orlando Wines. Making fine wines for over a century, Orlando Wines crafts wines that showcase regionality and varietal character. Cellar 13 and the Orlando Wines range is available to purchase now from Dan Murphy's.
