Whether it's a wine to pair with every course that appears on a carefully curated Christmas menu or that perfect bottle to kick back and uncork while marathon-watching Christmas movies, many of us need help choosing the best Christmas wines to serve. We've selected a few North Carolina Wines from JOLO, Raffaldini, Piccione and Biltmore, to pair alongside a lineup of delectable menus.
Pilot Mt, NC
The Holiday Wine: Twinkles
JOLO is celebrating the Holidays with a delicious bottle of our brut style sparkling wine, Twinkles for all of the appropriate Holiday toasts.
About the Wine
The grape varietals in this brut sparkling wine are 73% Traminette, 17% Zinfandel, and 10% Vidal Blanc. This crisp, well-balanced and refreshing sparkling wine is layered with vibrant aromas of strawberry tops, melon, white flowers, and citrus zest. On the finish, hints of peach skin and pink grapefruit dance on the palate ending with a twinkle of citrus. This enjoyable sparkling wine is perfect alone but also pairs well with shellfish, caviar, seafood, chicken, roasted pork, pâté, and eggs. So no matter what your endeavors are for the holidays, count on Twinkles to be the life of the party. Whether you are serving this as an apéritif at the Christmas party, celebrating the ball dropping, or even paring this with a blackberry baked brie in puffed pastry.
The Holiday Menu
JOLO will be celebrating the New Year with an exceptional menu.
1st Course: Butter Poached Jumbo Shrimp with caviar creme fresh served with apple and arugula salsa.
Paired with: 2019 Golden Hallows Reserve (Library Wine)
2nd Course: Ultimate Wedge 'Steak' of Bacon- wedge bleu cheese, romaine, tomato, onion, bleu cheese dressing.
Paired with: 2021 Pilot Shadow
3rd Course: Truffle Mushroom Ravioli with a forest mushroom marsala cream sauce.
Paired with: 2016 JOLOTAGE (Library Wine)
4th Course: Surf & Turf 8oz Filet with Maine Lobster Thermador sauce, potato gratin, herb-baked tomato.
Paired with: 2019 Carolux XII (Library Wine) 5th Course: Chocolate Smores Lava Cake served with wild berries and Chantilly. Paired with: Muddy Paws
The Christmas Song
Ronda, NC
The Holiday Wine: Raffaldini 2019 Montepulciano Riserva
About the Wine
Montepulciano comes from the province of Abruzzo, East of Rome. Raffaldini planted it in 2002; the vines are the oldest on the East Coast. Montepulciano makes wine with the fruitfulness of a Merlot but the weight of a Cabernet Sauvignon. Raffaldini uses the Appassimento drying process to increase the weight of this red wine further.
On the nose, Montepulciano delivers earthy and dusty aromatics with black fruit. The palate is long and lingers due to the high acidity levels and refined tannins, creating a wine that pairs perfectly with the meat.
The Holiday Menu
Co-Owner, Barbara Raffaldini’s Christmas Day Menu.
Appetizers:
Hot Artichoke Dip with fresh vegetables and chips
Shrimp Cocktail
Primo (First course)
Homemade Eggplant Lasagna;
Secondo (Entrée)
Maple Glazed Salmon filets with oven-roasted sweet potatoes;
Beef Tenderloin;
Garlic Mashed potatoes;
Big Green Salad; and
Italian Bread
Dolce (Dessert)
Homemade pumpkin, carrot and zucchini bread
Yule Log
Forrest Gump’s Pot au Crème
Gingerbread People
The Christmas Song
Ronda, NC
The Holiday Wine: Vino di Lusso
About the Wine
Vino di Lusso is made in the traditional méthode champenoise style, a sparkling wine production method where the wine undergoes a second fermentation process in the bottle to produce carbon dioxide, more commonly recognized as the bubbles. Like most first fermentations, yeast feeds off grape sugars and produces carbon dioxide and alcohol. Vino di Lusso then goes through a second fermentation in the bottle, where the still wine is inoculated with yeast, and a small amount of sugar is added to feed the yeast. The wine is then aged, the lees removed through disgorging, and a small dosage added to finish it out before corking and caging. This process makes Vino di Lusso a handcrafted labor of love.
The nose of Vino di Lusso is bright and full of apple and spice. Delicate bubbles deliver citrus notes to your nose, while the palate is full of toasty green apple, pear, and lemon.
The Holiday Menu
On Christmas Day, the Piccione family will enjoy Vino di Lusso paired perfectly with:
Appetizers
Crostini with burrata and prosciutto.
Entrée
Beef filet, Bill's famous secret mashed potatoes, green beans, and lasagna for a little Italian flare.
Dessert
Hot apple pie a la mode.
The Christmas Song
Asheville, NC
The Holiday Wine: Biltmore Estate Sparkling Brut
About the Wine
Biltmore Estate® Brut is platinum in color, with a starbright clarity reserved for fine sparkling wines handcrafted in the traditional méthode champenoise. This beautiful cuveé of Muscat Canelli, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir—crafted with grapes selected from Biltmore's California vineyard partners—features a light bouquet with notes of apricot, honeysuckle, and French baguette. The palette is consistent with the bouquet and offers a balanced taste of citrus and strawberry in addition to tiny, even bubbles. The pairing possibilities for this refreshing Brut is everything from eggs and bacon, chicken cordon bleu, and mushroom quiche to apple tart and fresh fruit. Perfect for holiday celebrations.
The Holiday Menu
There are so many different food choices for holiday dinners at Biltmore so it's great to have versatile wines that can pair well with different foods. For dinner there is Biltmore Estate Pinot Grigio, Biltmore Reserve North Carolina Rose and Vanderbilt Reserve Pinot Noir. For dessert, there is the Biltmore Christmas White Wine and Limited Release Orange Muscat which are both excellent choices for dessert and an assortment of cheeses. Several of Biltmore's restaurants are offering special Christmas menus. The Dining Room at The Inn on Biltmore Estate will feature “Enchanted Christmas,” and will be offering:
First Course
Spiced Apple Salad, Pumpernickel Crouton, Fried Sage, Creme de Brie, Oat Crumble, Cayenne Apple Caramel
Second Course
She Crab Soup, Crab Toast, Piquillo Jam, Truffle Powder, Sherry Gel
Third Course
Herb Crusted Prime Rib, Garlic Potato Butter, Roasted Carrots, Rosemary Gremolata, Whipped Horseradish, Jus
Fourth Course
Gingerbread Gateau
The Christmas Song