Best Wines To Pair With Christmas Dinner

Find the perfect wines to enjoy this Easter - shop spring offers

Home
blog
pairings
Best Wines For Christmas Dinner

Best Fizz to get the party started

There’s no better way to kick off Christmas than with a glass of bubbly. By all means, push the boat out and pop open the Champagne, it is Christmas after all! But there are plenty of great alternatives...

Crémant is France's hidden gem – 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.

TOP PICK: Roche Lacour Crémant de Limoux - our No.1 selling fizz!

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: Domaine Servin Chablis, fine old-vine Chablis from the historic Servin family

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.

White wines 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.

TOP PICK: La Voute Chardonnay, a grand Cru-style Chardonnay that rivals expensive Meursault

Red wines 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 Cranberry sauce!

TOP PICK: Purple Owl Pinot Noir, loved for its vibrant cherry and raspberry fruit flavours, and subtle note of oaky spice.

goose and 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: Il Poeta Barolo, with it's silky, firm tannins and cherry, plum, flower and spice notes.

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.

Something tasty: Any Bordeaux AOC red on our list will make a great partner to roast beef with all the trimmings.
Something special: Step up to a smooth plummy Saint-Emilion
Something different: Don’t fancy Bordeaux? A Chianti Classico, with deep cherry fruit and a hint of oaky spice will work just as well.

TOP PICK: Château La Clarière, from our original Vineyard Partner (you can also find this in our Luxury Christmas Showcase Mix)

Vegetarian dishes

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!

Full-bodied red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz work well with the savoury flavours of a nut roast.

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: RedHeads Wilson Gunn Bellum, for its immense kirsch, eucalyptus and lavish oak spice.

Best pairings for christmas desserts

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 sherry. 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.

TOP PICK: Delicado Pedro Ximinéz, a rare, special edition, sweet sherry

Best wines to serve with cheese

Wine and cheese are natural bedfellows. As a general rule, pair strong cheeses with rich, complex reds and lighter cheeses with more delicate wine styles.

Sweet wines like Sauternes go particularly well with blue cheeses like Roquefort and Stilton.

And if you have a whole array of cheeses? 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: Andresen Late Bottled Vintage Port, rich and luscious, with blackcurrant, chocolate, spice and tobacco notes.

About the author

Steve Rumble

When Steve first started writing for Laithwaites, dry rosé wasn’t a thing in the UK, the only Malbec we stocked was French and hardly any Brits could pronounce Rioja. Things have changed but Steve still loves telling the great stories behind our wines. He holds the WSET Level 4 Diploma and loves a good Provence pink or an oaky Chardonnay. Steve has sports writing experience and is our go-to writer for all things Laithwaites and England Cricket.

100% MONEY-BACK

Guarantee

Free Delivery

on 12+ bottles

Award-Winning

Wines & customer service

Excellent

Rating