Find the perfect wine this Christmas! We can help you pair the right wine with your food choices. Our selection includes sparkling, white, red, sweet and port.
Christmas Starters – Wine Pairing
Seafood and Oysters – Traditionally matched with a dry and clean Muscadet such as Muscadet Sur Lie Fief de la Brie, but a classic Sancerre Roger Millet from the Loire Valley, or a flinty Chablis 1er Cru Côte de Lechet from Domaine Jean Dauvissat are excellent pairing. Ultimately, as this is Christmas, Champagne or English sparkling wines are the best options and oysters taste fantastically when paired with a Blanc de Blancs. Their mineral quality goes well with the oyster’s salinity. Gosset Blanc de Blancs, the oldest wine house in Champagne, and Hoffman & Rathbone Blanc de Blancs, a small English négociant in Sussex, are both great options.
Smoked Salmon – This always work best with a dry and crisp white with a bit of texture. Sauvignon Blanc such as our delicious Montauto Gessaia from Tuscany, our popular Chablis Domaine d’Elise, and Sparkling wine in general are all great pairings.
Asparagus/Jerusalem Artichoke soup – These delicate dishes work well with lightly aromatic and mineral wines. A dry Alsatian Riesling from our 1er Cru Froehn Jean Becker is an excellent match.
Terrine & Foie Gras – Rich starters like these are best matched with sweet textured wines. The classic pairing is a delicate Sauternes such as Château Rayne Vigneau 1er Cru with honeyed notes, but if you want to try something different, our sweet Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive from Alsace will work very nicely due to its spicy flavours.
Christmas Main Course – Wine Pairing
Roast turkey – The main event! Full-bodied whites with a rich texture will work well here. Meursault from Domaine Michelot & Puligny Montrachet from Jean Louis Chavy are excellent but, if you don’t want to break the bank, Pouilly-Fuissé Aux Chailloux from Domaine Sève, Chablis Cuvée Héritage from Jean Dauvissat, Mâcon Domaine Chêne, or lightly oaked Australian Chardonnay such as award winning Sidewood will be good pairings too. Non Vintage Champagne style are also a good match due to their yeasty aromas and buttery texture. We recommend our small family grower Dumenil Grande Reserve alongside big names such as Louis Roerderer or Pol Roger which are both great alternative and better value than some of the most famous brands. Richer on the palate, yet delicate, they have plenty of red berry and citrus fruits with notes of toast and almonds. If you would rather a red wine, go for a medium-bodied style with low tannins. Try a Pinot Noir from Burgundy such as Auxey-Duresses Rouge Maison Pascal Prunier-Bonheur or Te Kano in Central Otago, New Zealand. A Beaujolais such as Moulin A Vent Les Terres Dorées from brilliant winemaker Jean Paul Brun also has plenty of character and will work very well.
Honey-glazed ham – Delicate, glazed dishes are usually paired with a lively and fruit-driven red wine. Morgon Château la Durette and New Zealand Pinot Noir like Mount Brown from Waipara are great pairings, but an aromatic white wine such as a German Riesling Spätlese Wehlener Sonnenuhr S.A. Prum would work too.
Roast Goose and Duck – Flavoursome meat needs an intense wine, but not necessarily a rich one. Red Burgundies such as Gevrey Chambertain are perfect. If you would rather a white, a matured Rieslings is best. While this is not the most obvious choice, game is a brilliant match for Champagne. Blanc de Noirs are only made with red grape varieties, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. They are well-structured wines with plenty of wild berry fruits that complement game dishes. After all, Pinot Noir is a must with game so there is nothing surprising here. Duménil Amour de Cuvée will work wonders. Aged for five years on its lees, it is full of character.
Roast Beef or Lamb – Rich red meats need a big and refined red wine. Classic reds such as Bordeaux Château du Moulin Rouge , Rioja Valerrano Reserva and Tuscan Rosso di Montalcino La Togata are a must. Their tannic structure and generous fruits will excellently complement hearty, flavoursome red meat.
Caramelised Root Vegetables – Sweet vegetables are best paired with warm climate red wines. The ideal match would be an Australian Shiraz such as Sidewood or an Argentine Malbec like Bousquet Reserve. Both are rich and generously fruity.
Christmas Dessert Wines
Christmas Pudding – The richness of a Pedro Ximénez Sherry such as Barbadillo la Cilla works really well, otherwise the depth and complexity of an aged Sauternes will make a delightful match.
Cheese – Blue Cheeses are traditionally matched with concentrated and tannic Vintage port. Serve it with some walnuts to complete a wonderful combination of flavours. Hard and Smoked cheeses work better with the toffee texture of Tawny port.
Chocolate dessert – Tawny port like our Quinta da Silveira 10 Years Old and Sauternes will both ideally complement your chocolate mousse or tart.
Fruit dessert – Lighter desserts need to be matched with delicate wine. Sauternes and sweet Riesling are both excellent pairings. Ochoa MdO, with its typical Muscat variety aromas and white roses, ripe fruits and citrus notes, is fresh and elegant and will pair especially well with fruit cake or mousse. You could also serve Champagne to end a wonderful lunch or dinner.