Skip to content

Eating, Drinking and Being Merry

Photo of Brent Lello - Yass Valley Wine Advocate
Brent Lello – Yass Valley Wine Columnist

I was out and about in a shopping mall last week and seeing the festive season decoration displays sent shivers up my spine.  But it did get me to thinking about the annual Christmas Day lunch menu at Chateau Lello – it’s only five weeks away after all.  For us, the day’s not about the contents of Santa’s sack, but rather a chance to relax, drink great wine, eat good food and enjoy life and living.

Sparkling White is usually the first wine cab off the rank along with some smoked salmon, with sour cream and chopped chives on fresh crusty bread.  The fine bead of bubbles tantalises the tongue along with the fatty richness and silky smoothness of the salmon.  The toasty, brioche flavours of the wine also play off with fresh baked bread. 

 

We have some great local ‘salmon-savvy’ sparklers in Yass Valley and we seek out those made in the traditional method and with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Next up is usually a course or two of seafood and like most Aussie backyards on the day, the BBQ takes centre stage. 

A local Yass Valley Riesling is always on the menu, and we tend to opt for the zippy, zesty expression of youth so a 2021 vintage will be top of the pops. 

South Coast snapper or flathead fillets, grilled on the BBQ and laced with a lemon butter sauce and a shake of salty capers and you have a sensational Riesling friendly dish. 

It wouldn’t be an Aussie Christmas without prawns.  Ours are usually stir-fried and hit with a kick of Thai or Vietnamese dressing.  Excellent stuff with a Gewurztraminer or Pinot Gris.

Another Christmas day classic is the old kettle BBQ roasted turkey buff.  Our gobbler is served with cranberry jelly and roast turkey-bone gravy.  Our go-to drop for this dish is the uniquely Australian style of Sparkling Red. 

There are some great local examples of red fizz including those made with Shiraz or Cabernet, and we always have the iconic Seppelt’s Original Sparkling Shiraz on hand, just in case.  The sweet, plummy flavours of the wine pair perfectly.

We might then venture onto a course of game, most likely grilled, marinated quail or Chinese roast duck.  A cracking Pinot Noir goes on-point here.  The rich, gaminess of the bird, goes gallantly with the Pinot’s red fruit flavours and lick of acid.

Rounding out our menu is usually the cool, creamy, citrus infused panna-cotta.  There is nothing better to enjoy with this than a glass of locally produced, dessert-style wine with its marmalade, syrupy goodness and citrus zip working wonders.

Food coma follows, but that’s par for the Christmas course.

Share this:

Contribute your story

We are always looking for new stories to share with our readers. If you have a story you would like to share, click the 'Contribute' button.