Veg Christmas Dinner & Wine Ideas
We all know what 2020 is most likely to be remembered for and whilst it’s been a bit gloomy for some, it’s been a cracking year for vegans in many ways!
The Vegan Society reports that 2020 became the year that every one of the top UK supermarkets (by revenue) had their own vegan range. Similarly, every one of the top UK restaurants / food-to-go outlets had a vegan or plant-based offering.
With the numbers of vegans in Great Britain having quadrupled between 2014 and 2019, estimates suggest that by 2025 a quarter of the population will be vegetarian and vegan.
Vintage Roots are proud to have been identifying organic wines that are also vegan and vegetarian suitable for thirty years and today, 95% of our wines are also vegan suitable.
Is wine vegan?
Whether a wine is vegetarian or vegan suitable is determined by the agents that are used to fine the wine. Not all wines are fined and so they are are vegan suitable/ considered vegan wines.
In the fining process products such as casein (the proteins found in milk), gelatine (the protein that comes from boiling animal bones in water) and egg whites can be used. Even though these don’t stay in the wine, their use makes them unsuitable for vegans.
Happily, there are commonly used vegan wine fining alternatives such as pea protein, carbon and clay-based ingredients. These get the vegan thumbs up, and mean that wines can be vegan.
To find out more about vegan wines, see this blog post here.
What do Vegans eat at Christmas?
Lots of delicious things! Keeping pace with the increased interest in veganism and plant-based diets, a flurry of gifted chefs and cooks have been putting veg centre stage with an increasingly diverse array of dishes.
Vegan Christmas Dinner Ideas
A possible vegan Christmas dinner starter
One of the most gloriously decadent and delicious soups that I’ve ever made is the Ottolenghi Pistachio Soup. It’s a winner with everyone who walks through the door – vegan or otherwise! You can find the recipe in the book, Jerusalem.
- Best vegan wine to pair with Pistachio Soup: Ouch, tricky this one! Look, we know you might find it a tricky concept but a dry sherry is just a really yummy match. Try Piedra Luenga Fino which has the necessary dry, salty taste to work with the pistachios.
£14.50
Vegan Christmas Dinner Main Courses with Wow Factor!
Olive Magazine published a recipe for the showstopping Giant Vegan Wellington in 2018. Festive in looks – thanks to the beetroot, kale and red pepper filling – it’s also thoroughly delicious, too.
- Best vegan wine to pair with Vegan Wellington: It simply has to be Rioja! The only challenge is which Rioja do you go with?! Of the Ijalba selection, the Rioja Graciano is perhaps the finest fit but any of their wines will be a top-notch partner.
£18.99
Although listed as a vegetarian dish, it won’t take too many tweaks to turn Ottolenghi’s Roast Winter Vegetable Platter with Walnut and Barberry Salsa into an entirely vegan affair. Just like the vegan wellington, it looks the picture of Christmas.
- Best vegan wine to pair with Ottolenghi’s Roast Vegetable Platter: Can we make two choices here? First is the white Terrace Edge Pinot Gris from New Zealand which has the ripeness and richness to work really well with the veg. For those that want a red wine with the main course, the Beaujolais Le Moulin from Romany will work beautifully.
£23.00
£17.50
Jamie Oliver has also put on his vegan thinking cap and has a great recipe for Whole Roasted Cauliflower with a Thyme and Paprika Rub. We like that it’s one whole glorious vegetable being rightly put centre stage.
- Best vegan wine to pair with Whole Roasted Cauliflower: A fairly rich white with a touch of spice is what you’re looking for here. The textured and distinctive Wild Ferment Verdejo from Bodegas Piqueras is just the ticket.
£11.99
If you are a fan of beetroot, the BBC Good Food website lists a five-star rated Beetroot & Red Onion Tarte Tatin. The idea of tarte tatin is oddly frightening but needlessly so … definitely worth a shot!
- Best vegan wine to pair with Beetroot Tarte Tatin: We like something fairly full-bodied with beetroot dishes and think you’ll find the Côtes du Rhône from Château Rochecolombe very hard to beet (beat!).
£13.99
We cannot help but feel this idea needs a better name but we love the idea of Vegan Pigs in Maple Parsnip Blankets, as supplied by Meatless Farm. You’ll need vegan ‘sausages’, 2 large parsnips, plentiful maple syrup and oil. Oh, and cocktail sticks too!
- Best vegan wine to pair with vegan pigs in blankets: If you’re serving these little beauties as a snack or to nibble on before the main event you don’t want anything too heavy and you’ve also got to mindful of that sweet maple syrup. Our suggestion? The Arrogant Frog Ribet Rouge Cabernet / Merlot, which you can also use to make a mulled wine to have alongside too!
£12.99
Another Christmas must-have is stuffing and there are lots of vegan stuffing recipes to be found. The Edgy Veg (delicious name!) has what they call the “Best Vegan Stuffing Ever!”. Mushrooms seasoned with thyme, basil and marjoram certainly sounds very yummy indeed and would work very nicely with the Vegan Wellington! Malbec is a popular go-to for anything mushroom, try Domaine Bousquet’s Reserve Malbec.
£15.50
A Vegan Christmas Pudding
Given its strongly British origins, I am slightly surprised to be recommending the American website, The Veg Space, and their Christmas Pudding. However, it’s a lovely recipe and you’ll find the vegan stout and vegan sherry you need for it right here at Vintage Roots!
- Best vegan wine to pair with vegan Christmas Pudding: Every year it’s the same recommendation … because they’re the best! Stellar’s Heaven on Earth or Chateau Vari’s AOC Reserve Monbazillac are the perfect partners for your rich pud.
£10.95
£21.50
Best Christmas Wines for a Vegan Celebration
With 95% of Vintage Roots’ wines suitable for vegans (see all our vegan wines here), there’s no shortage of choice but here’s a vegan case of six of the best wines for a vegan Christmas
Champagne Fleury Blanc de Noirs … Multiple award-winning and long-term favourite with Vintage Roots customers. As stylish as it is delicious.
£43.00
Richer Chardonnay, like Domaine Bousquet’s Reserve Chardonnay, is a white wine that has a good affinity with root vegetables, particularly when they’re roasted.
£15.50
Another white wine that has good texture and is very vegan food friendly is this lees-aged Verdejo / Sauvignon Blanc blend from Spain.
£10.75
The Italians love their vegetables and many of their red wines are just made to help the flavours of our plant friends sing! The San Vito Chianti would be a cracking red wine to have at the vegan Christmas table this year.
£14.25
Pinot Noir is another grape that can have the sort of earthy, fungal notes that make it good with vegan dishes. We love the irresistible Walnut Block Pinot Noir.
£17.75
We have vegan friends with a sweet tooth, so for them and anyone who loves a sweet wine we suggest the Sauternes from Château Dudon
£24.00
Looking for more Christmas wine ideas? Check out other posts on our blog here.
Cheers to thinking & drinking organic 🥂
