Five timeless wine pairing for a Sicilian-flavored Christmas

The holiday season is just around the corner and, as every year, from house to house the most repeated question is “What do we eat for Christmas?”
The undisputed protagonist of our chatter is, therefore, the classic set table, full of tasty dishes and good wine to share in harmony with the family.
From year to year, ideas come less and less, and if during the year we love to dabble in the discovery of new cuisines and exotic flavors, for the holidays it is time to give way to tradition, grandmother’s recipes and the warmth of the typical dishes of our Island.
We don’t want to dwell any longer, so we’ll let the “sicilitudine” sweep you away through our five timeless Christmas pairings!

To begin with, Her, the Queen of all Sicilian tables: “pasta col forno” that is, anelletti alla siciliana. A savory meat sauce-based first course that we love to enhance with our Nero D’Avola, Saro from the Gaudis line in all its splendor and new style (not surprisingly, just in time for the holidays, with a fresher, more elegant outfit). Deep ruby red, intense and complex bouquet of ripe cherries, pot-pourri, underbrush and leather. On the palate an important structure with dense, gentle tannins and good acidity. The sip is savory, persistent and with a long spicy finish.
We continue our meal with the proposal of two main courses, one of land and one of sea, to please a little of all the diners.
The “Falsomagro,” for meat lovers, a meat roll stuffed with a rich and delicious filling. For this second course we chose our Syrah, Enza from the Gaudis line also sporting a new look, maintaining its embracing charm with ripe black fruit and spices notes. With a velvety and fresh sip, it has good body and soft tannins.
For lovers of the sea flavor, on the other hand, the “sarde a beccafico,” sardines stuffed with a sweet and fragrant mix of breadcrumbs, pine nuts and raisins, a must in our cuisine. For this decidedly more delicate dish, we suggest our Grillo from the Sicilian Vibes line, with a fresh sip and a complex bouquet of Mediterranean scrub.

The latter will also go well with our side dish (or appetizer for some) Sicilian-style orange salad, fresh and delicate perfect for refreshing the palate after a long meal.
Finally, we cannot but conclude with a dessert: “buccellati“, crumbly shortbread cookies filled with dried figs and spices to be paired with fortified Malvasia from the Diliziusi line, with a warm and full sip.

Have we inspired you with these Sicilian pairings?
We hope so, and remember, “At Christmas eat what you want, as long as the wine is us!”