Festive Hosting Series EP2: How to Pair Wine with Spices?

Pairing wine with spices can be tricky. Warm, robust flavours with notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and citrus can feel challenging to match with the right wine. But fear not! We’ve put together this handy guide to help you perfectly pair those festive meals or spice-laden dishes with wines that enhance every layer of flavour.

Understanding Spices and Flavors

Spices are distinctly warming and aromatic, elevating dishes with a cosy feel that brings both comfort and an unerring sense of nostalgia for those wonderful memories of festive memories. Some of the most common include:

Cinnamon – Sweet and woody, cinnamon is a staple in holiday baking and spiced drinks.

Nutmeg – Earthy and slightly sweet, nutmeg is often paired with cinnamon in desserts.

Clove – Strong, warm, and slightly bitter, clove brings depth to meats, sauces, and mulled drinks.

Ginger – Sharp and spicy, ginger adds a zesty kick to both savoury and sweet dishes.

Allspice – With hints of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg, allspice is an ideal blend for holiday cooking.

Citrus – Lemon, orange, and tangerine peel add brightness to balance heavy dishes.

These spices and flavours are frequently paired with ingredients such as roasted meats, root vegetables, cranberry, apples, nuts, and chocolate, which all find their way into festive menus.

The golden rule when pairing wine with different flavours. Think about the balance of sweetness, acidity, tannins, and body that will best complement the spices and seasonal ingredients.

Tips for Pairing Wine with Spices

The end goal is to create harmony without overpowering either the dish or the wine. With that in mind, here are five principles to keep in mind:

#1 Balance Boldness with Boldness: Rich, spicy foods work well with full-bodied wines that have enough flavour intensity to stand up to the dish.

#2 Consider Sweetness: When paired with sweet spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, a wine with some residual sugar can prevent the pairing from feeling too dry.

#3 Match Acidity with Acidity: Dishes with bright, citrusy flavours benefit from wines with high acidity, as it helps balance the tartness and enhances the dish’s freshness.

#4 Soften the Spice with Fruity Wines: Strongly spiced dishes like those with ginger or clove can benefit from wines with a fruity profile that balances the heat of the spice.

#5 Earthy Flavours with Earthy Wines: Holiday flavours often include root vegetables, nuts, and earthy spices. Wines with earthy undertones, like Pinot Noir or Merlot, pair well with these flavours.

Your Wine Pairing Guide for Spice-Loaded Festive Dishes

Roast Turkey with Sage and Cranberry

A Christmas staple since the days of Charles Dickens, roast turkey is often served with sage, cranberry sauce, and stuffing. These flavours call for a wine that can complement the turkey’s lightness but stand up to the herbs and tart cranberry.

What to look for: Pinot Noir or Beaujolais

Why It Works: Both Pinot Noir and Beaujolais offer red berry notes that pair well with cranberry sauce, while their acidity balances the herbs and richness of the turkey. Pinot Noir’s subtle earthy notes also complement the sage.

Our Pick: Le Grappin Fleuire Poncie, Beaujolais, France 

Honey-Glazed Ham with Clove and Orange

Ham or gammon is another holiday classic, often glazed with a mixture of honey, orange, and clove. This combination of sweet, citrusy, and spicy flavours calls for a wine with enough acidity to cut through the ham’s fat and balance the sweetness.

What to look for: Off-dry Riesling or Rich Chenin Blanc

Why It Works: An off-dry Riesling has enough acidity to handle the glaze’s sweetness while enhancing the orange and clove notes. If you prefer dry white wine, a rich Chenin Blanc, especially Savennieres from the Loire Valley, can match the ham’s richness, and its stone fruit and mineral character works beautifully with the cloves and orange.

Our Pick: Patrick Baudouin Savennieres, The Loire Valley, France 

Beef Roast with Rosemary and Garlic

A roast beef seasoned with rosemary, garlic, and perhaps a hint of thyme is a hearty holiday dish that pairs well with robust red wines.

What to look for: Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah

Why It Works: Cabernet Sauvignon’s tannic structure stands up to the richness of the beef, and its notes of dark fruit and herbs match well with rosemary. Syrah, with its peppery undertones and lush fruit flavours, is another excellent choice, especially for those who enjoy a hint of spice in their wine.

Why Not Try: Oliver’s Taranga Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Australia

Mince Pies with Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Clove

Mince pies are iconic Christmas treats filled with spiced dried fruits, often with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Pairing wine with these flavours requires a balance of sweetness to match the dessert without overpowering it.

What to look for: Tawny Port or Late Harvest Zinfandel

Why It Works: Tawny Port, with its nutty and caramelized flavours, pairs excellently with the spices in mince pies. It’s a rich, indulgent choice that complements the dried fruits and warming spices. For something a bit different, the late-harvest Zinfandel offers a dessert-like sweetness with berry flavours that highlight the pie’s fruit filling.

Our Pick: Niepoort Tawny 20-Year-Old, Port, Portugal 

Gingerbread with Ginger, Cinnamon, and Allspice

The aromatic blend of ginger, cinnamon, and allspice in gingerbread requires a wine that can balance its spices with complementary sweetness and warmth.

What to look for:  Moscato d’Asti or Gewürztraminer

Why It Works: Moscato d’Asti, with its light fizz and sweet floral notes, pairs delightfully with the spices in gingerbread without overwhelming it. Gewürztraminer, with its own spicy undertones and exotic fruit notes, is another great option that enhances gingerbread’s warmth.

Our Pick: Pratsch Skin-Contact Gewurztraminer, Weinviertal, Austria

Christmas Pudding with Raisins, Currants, and Brandy

Christmas pudding, dense with dried fruits, and nuts are often infused with brandy, is an intense dessert that calls for an equally rich wine pairing.

What to look for: Madeira or Vin Santo

Why It Works: Madeira has a caramelized richness and a nutty flavour that pairs perfectly with the deep fruit and spice notes in Christmas pudding. Vin Santo, a sweet Italian dessert wine, offers honeyed notes and enough acidity to balance the richness of the pudding.

Our Pick: Chez Jau, Rivesaltes, Grenat, Roussillon, France 

Wine Pairing with Mulled Wine Spices

When you start thinking about Christmas and spices and flavours, it wouldn’t take too long before you’re onto talking about Mulled Wine recipes.

Mulled wine is typically made with red wine (or cider), cloves, cinnamon, star anise, and citrus peel. For the best possible experience, make an effort to buy some luxuriously crafted spice mixes, and use a red wine that will complement them perfectly.

What to look for:  Grenache or Merlot

Why It Works: Grenache’s fruity profile complements the spices in mulled wine, while Merlot’s soft tannins and dark fruit flavours can provide a smoother alternative.

Why Not Try: Grower Series Merlot

Next in our Festive Hosting Series: How to Pair Vegan Christmas Dishes with Wine?

This Blog post is written by Mike Turner
Freelance wine writer, presenter and judge

Mike is a regular contributor for The Buyer magazine and is a certified educator and ambassador for Bordeaux, Rioja, Ribera Del Duero, Barolo and Barbaresco, running trade and consumer events across the UK from his base in the East Midlands.