Wines to accompany a classic holiday dish, cannelloni

If there is a dish that is very representative of the Christmas table, or rather, of Saint Stephen's Day, it is cannelloni. As you surely already know, in a way it was a dish made from leftover meat from the Christmas meal, but it has ended up becoming the authentic "king of the party".

Traditionally, we pair cannelloni with a white wine fermented and aged in oak barrels, as the fat and the richness of the aging are ideal to accompany that of the béchamel sauce and the toasted notes from the barrel combine with the gratin of the cheese. Wines made with the chardonnay variety are the best known in this category, but we cannot forget the aged xarel·los, which will also be a good ally for this dish. In this sense, we propose two chardonnays and one with white garnacha and macabeo in case you are among those who prefer to eat cannelloni with this more traditional pairing.

SONS DE PRADES

• Winery: Familia Torres
• Designation of origin: Conca de Barberà
• Variety: Chardonnay
• Wine style: White wine aged for 6 months in French oak barrels

• Winery: Jean Leon
• Designation of origin: DO Penedès
• Variety: Chardonnay
• Wine style: Organic estate wine with 6 months of aging in French oak barrels

TERROIR AL LÍMIT PEDRA DE GUIX

• Winery: Terroir al Límit
• Designation of origin: DOQ Priorat
• Variety: Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo, Pedro Ximénez
• Wine style: Aged white wine

Skin-contact white wines, which are now back in fashion, are a slightly bolder option when it comes to pairing cannelloni. But, at the same time, we will not abandon tradition. Did you know that the maceration of white musts with their skins was one of the traditional ways of making white wines in our country? This prolonged contact with the skins also provides a special unctuousness and, above all, many aromas. Two options for you: a traditional Garnacha Blanca or a Xarel·lo Vermell, a minority variety that is being recovered by some wineries.

ONÍRIC BRISAT XAREL·LO VERMELL

• Winery: Entre Vinyes
• Designation of origin: DO Penedès
• Variety: Xarel·lo Vermell
• Wine style: Skin-contact white wine

ÀNIMA MUNDI PELLS

• Winery: Ànima Mundi
• Designation of origin: DO Penedès
• Variety: Macabeo
• Wine style: Skin-contact white wine, organic and aged

Bubbles can also be a good option. But to accompany cannelloni, we will opt for long-aged sparkling wines and cavas. Here, the contact with the yeasts for more than thirty months will give us the body and structure we are looking for. At the same time, the balance between their acidity and the fine bubbles will bring a touch of lightness to the dish.

ORIOL ROSSELL ARIADNA GRAN RESERVA

• Winery: Oriol Rossell
• Designation of origin: DO Cava
• Variety: Pinot noir and Xarel·lo
• Wine style: Organic Gran Reserva Cava

• Winery: Agustí Torelló i Mata
• Designation of origin: DO Cava
• Variety: Macabeo, parellada and xarel·lo
• Wine style: Vegan Cava gran reserva

• Winery: Familia Torres
• Variety: Chardonnay, pinot noir and xarel·lo
• Wine style: Vintage sparkling wine from high-altitude vineyards.

If, despite these tips, you wish to pair cannelloni with red wine, we will lean more towards the opposite action to the choice of whites. Better young wines, but, above all, from low-tannin varieties because tannins could conflict with the milk-based sauce. Young Grenache reds give us wines that can be ideal, with a lot of fruit, few tannins, and not too high acidity, which is why we propose a couple of very special ones. But we can also find coupage wines that meet the same criteria and will add more complexity to the pairing.

AUGUSTUS MICROVINIFICACIONS GARNATXA

• Winery: Cellers Avgvstvs Forvm
• Designation of origin: DO Penedès
• Variety: Red Grenache
• Wine style: Young organic red wine

• Winery: Cellers Tarroné
• Designation of origin: DO Terra Alta
• Variety: Red Grenache
• Wine style: Organic red wine

• Winery: Familia Torres
• Designation of origin: DO Penedès
• Variety: Garnacha tinta, tempranillo and moneu
• Wine style: Young organic red wine

These are just a few suggestions, but at el Petit Celler on Beethoven Street in Barcelona, you can find a wide selection of wines and spirits to accompany the dishes that will be the stars of Christmas tables. They are also available in the online store, where it is possible to purchase more than 2,000 quality wines and spirits from all over the world with a series of benefits, such as obtaining a 10% discount on the first purchase by subscribing to the establishment's newsletter or getting free shipping for orders over 80 euros. Deliveries are made in 24-72 hours, with the advantage that Petit Celler offsets the emissions of all shipments with various environmental actions.