Being able to anticipate the dishes that will appeal to your guests is one of the skills of a great host. Wilder the Label makes it a little easier by offering our best tips for good food and drink pairings for your winter picnic here in Australia.
The things you will need on your picnic are:
- An insulated basket to keep your food warm, cool or spill-free. Your basket should have enough space for your snacks, drinks, glasses, plates, cutlery, and napkins. If you don’t have space for your cheeseboard, don’t worry! The lid of our wicker picnic basket is ideal for food preparation and display, as it doubles up as a cheeseboard, too!
- A picnic rug for comfortable seating.
Winter Wine List for Your Picnic Basket
Whilst the tart acidic notes of white wines are great for summer dishes, for winter, we lean towards light and fuller reds in our wicker picnic basket. Shiraz, Cabernet, Pinot Noir and fortified sweet wines are great with most winter dishes. Mulled wine and mulled cider are wonderfully warming, too, when served hot from the thermos. At the end of the evening, consider coffee, Irish coffee, chai tea, chilli hot chocolate, or a hot toddy.
Winter Soups & Drinks for Your Wicker Picnic Basket
Soups fit the menu perfectly when it comes to easy winter picnic dishes, because they can be easily pre-prepared and stored in a thermos to keep warm. Soup will easily fit in your winter picnic basket and is portable when kept in a thermos.
Pair your wine according to the thickness and richness of the soup. A more robust red wine pairs well with thicker, heartier soups and chowders with stronger flavours. For thinner, creamy soups, consider something lighter, like a mulled cider or fuller white wine.
Winter Main Courses in Your Insulated Basket
Whichever foods you pack in your insulated basket should be easy to plate and transport. Luckily, our picnic basket has enough room for all of your goodies!
We recommend serving hearty dishes, such as char-grilled meats, slow-cooked stews, and roast vegetables, with your richest red wines. Consider easy to serve curries with rice or grilled vegetables, paired with a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cheeses and Desserts
If your winter picnic is serving an alfresco cheese platter with sweets, consider some of the sweeter, fortified wines for pairing, or a homemade mulled red wine. Think of tawny port or muscat when pairing with cheeses, pastry desserts, apple pie or chocolate pudding.
Wilder the Label brings you closer to nature with our outdoor picnic basket and rug blanket range. Order your insulated basket online today in Australia and enjoy your next winter picnic on the beach!
