What wines to serve at Christmas? Our guide to the best wines for Christmas dinner
Posted on October 31, 2023 by Laithwaites Wine
You’ve planned your Christmas feast, and all that remains is to find the perfect wines. Sounds simple. But there’s always extra pressure at Christmas. Do you need to choose Champagne for Christmas Day? Is red wine or white wine best with roast turkey? Don’t panic! Our guide will make choosing the best Christmas wines easy.
The best sparkling wines for Christmas
There’s no better way to get the party started than with a glass of sparkling wine. By all means, push the boat out and pop open the Champagne, it is Christmas after all! But there are plenty of great alternatives.
Many French regions produce Crémants – sparkling wines made using the same method as Champagne at a more affordable price. Look out for Crémant de Loire, Crémant de Bourgogne or Crémant de Limoux.
Party favourite Prosecco is one of the most popular sparkling wines at Christmas. Light, fresh and lower in alcohol than many other sparkling wines, it’s ideal with canapés and light starters.
Or why not impress your guests with these easy-to-make classic Champagne co*cktails.
TOP PICK! Best sparkling wine: Roche Lacour Crémant de Limoux
Wines to serve with Christmas starters
Seafood starters are a popular choice on Christmas Day and you’ll be glad to know that Champagne makes a great pairing if you want to keep the fizz rolling.
Crisp Sauvignon Blancs, especially Loire Sauvignons like Sancerre, cut through the oily character of Christmas classic, smoked salmon.
Or if you’re looking for a white wine that will take you right through Christmas Dinner, a citrusy Chardonnay works as well with roast turkey as it does with seafood starters. Avoid big, oaky styles as they’ll dominate the flavours and instead look for elegant, fresh Chardonnays like Chablis and white Burgundy.
TOP PICK! Best wine with Christmas starters: Domaine Servin Chablis Les Pargues
Wines to serve with roast turkey
It’s a white meat so it needs a white wine. Right? Not necessarily. The thing about turkey is that we tend to serve it with a variety of rich accompaniments – from creamy bread sauces to full-flavoured stuffings, not to mention the cranberry sauce. So if you decide to go for a white wine, opt for a rich, creamy style or switch to red wine for the main course.
Best white wines to serve with turkey
Chardonnay is once again the answer to your Christmas prayers. White Burgundy is a great pairing with turkey as it has plenty of buttery, creamy flavours while still having lots of freshness.
Rich but not heavy is what you’re looking for, and it doesn’t have to be Burgundy. Super-stylish Chardonnays are made all over the world, from the South of France to South Africa.
Plus you’ll get a lot more bang for your buck.
TOP PICK! Best white wine with turkey: La Voute Chardonnay
Best red wines to serve with turkey
Red Burgundy is the classic red wine match for Christmas turkey, but new world Pinot Noir can be equally as rewarding. Look to New Zealand, Chile or California where you’ll find ripe Pinot Noirs full of red berry flavours that work so well with turkey (think Cranberry sauce!) and with enough weight to stand up to all the flavours of Christmas dinner.
When it comes to turkey leftovers, it’s hard to beat a glass of juicy, joyous Cru Beaujolais. The vibrancy and fruity flavours make it an easy-going choice and perfect for Boxing Day after the big heavy flavours the day before!
TOP PICK! Best red wine with turkey: Purple Owl Pinot Noir
Wines to serve with goose or duck
As with turkey, Pinot Noir and Cru Beaujolais make excellent pairings with goose and duck. But as both meats are stronger in flavour, you can afford to go for something bolder if you’d prefer.
Italian red wines are a great choice as they also have the acidity to cut through the fattiness of goose and duck. A great excuse to treat yourself to a bottle of Barolo.
If you fancy being more adventurous, an Alsace Riesling or Gewürztraminer with a touch of sweetness work brilliantly when you’re serving with an apricot or apple stuffing.
TOP PICK! Best wine with goose or duck: Il Poeta Barolo
Wines to serve with beef
If you’re cooking a rib of beef this year, you’re looking for big flavours. Classic matches include Bordeaux or rich Rhône reds like Châteauneuf-du-Pape. But beef goes well with almost any full-bodied red from Argentinian Malbec (always a crowd-pleaser for Christmas) to Australian Shiraz.
TOP PICK! Best wine with beef: Château Les Grands Marechaux
Wines to serve with veggie options
The best wine pairings with a Christmas nut roast are similar to those of a traditional roast dinner. Just remember to make sure the wine you buy is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. That simply means that traditional fining agents like egg whites and milk protein haven’t been used in the winemaking process. You can find out more about vegan wines here.
Full-bodied red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz work well with the savoury flavours of a nut roast. While white wine fans are best seeking out rich whites like Chardonnay or Viognier.
There’s plenty of choice from RedHeads, a boutique, ultra-eco-friendly winery in Australia, making unique, small-batch wines. And the added bonus is that all their wines are suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
TOP PICK! Best wine with a nut roast: RedHeads Coco Rôtie
Wines to serve with puddings
A simple rule here. Sweet dishes call for sweet wines. The richer the dessert, the sweeter you can go. And let’s face it, it doesn’t get much richer than Christmas pudding!
You can go all out with something deliciously unctuous, like Spain’s Pedro Ximinéz, or PX, sherry. The grapes are picked and left to dry in the sunshine, so they produce tiny amounts of juice with incredibly intense flavours. Often described as Christmas pudding in a bottle, it’s the ideal match. Pairs brilliantly with chocolate desserts too.
If you’re serving lighter creamy, or fruit-based desserts, look to classic French dessert wines like Sauternes. The beauty of Sauternes is it also makes a heavenly match with strong flavoured cheeses (see below). That is, if you’ve got any left by the time you reach the cheese course! Best to order two bottles to be on the safe side!
TOP PICK! Best wines with Christmas pudding: Delicado Pedro Ximinéz Sherry
Wines to serve with cheeses
Wine and cheese are natural bedfellows, and we could write a whole article on the best wines to serve with cheese. In fact, we have! Take a look at our Cheese and Wine pairings guide.
As a general rule, pair strong cheeses with rich, complex reds and lighter cheeses with more delicate styles.
Do you have to pair cheese with red wine? No, there are some fantastic white wine matches too. And as we mentioned earlier, sweet wines like Sauternes go particularly well with blue cheeses like Roquefort and Stilton.
But what if you have a whole array of cheeses? Well, there’s a reason Port is such a favourite with the cheeseboard. It’s a classic pairing with Stilton, and it goes brilliantly with hard, stronger-flavoured cheeses too. Plus, there’s just something so Christmassy about rounding off Christmas Day with a glass of Port.
TOP PICK! Best wine with cheeses: Andresen Late Bottled Vintage Port
Best Christmas wine tips
One final tip from us. Don’t get too hung up on choosing the right wine. Christmas is a time of celebration, so celebrate with the ones you love and the wines you love. If you want to throw all the rules out of the window and crack open a bottle of Cabalié with smoked salmon blinis, then be our guest (just don’t say we didn’t warn you!).
Sometimes, the greatest food and wine matches are the unexpected ones, so don’t be afraid to experiment. And if you discover the perfect wine and food pairing, especially an unusual one, be sure to let us know.
