Christmas lunch is a time to be indulgent, and to a lot of us, that means plenty of great wine to go with our delicious meal. But which wine should you choose? We’ve set out below some of our top recommendations for the Christmas meal, including during the run up to Christmas. We’ve given you an overview of the classic pairings, as well as some of our own twists (either a good value alternative or something different from the usual), encompassing the most popular Christmas food items in the UK.
Festive treats:
Mince Pies: Mulled wine is the quintessential drink in the run up to Christmas. It’s ideal for Christmas Eve, ideally with a mince pie. Our perfect recipe for mulled wine can be found here. Alternatives can include mulled cider, which is a great and lower alcohol option. With mince pies, sherry is another classic, but for something different see if you can get hold of Moscato di Pantelleria – it’s sweet and floral, and works so well.
Christmas morning hot chocolate: A tradition in Anika’s family is to open the presents under the tree on Christmas morning whilst sipping on hot chocolate. We both now regularly make a rich, boozy hot chocolate after dinner. Fleurie loves rich, thick hot chocolate which instantly made Anika think of thick hot chocolates with whipped cream that she used to have as a child whilst skiing in Italy. We’ve now created a thick, spiced and boozy hot chocolate (like a rich chocolate custard), with a clementine Chantilly on top. Maybe a bit indulgent for the morning, but it will certainly warm you up – recipe here.
Canapés, starters and apéritifs
Sparkling: After getting dressed for the day, we love a glass of Champagne to start the celebrations. However, why not try some alternatives like Crémant de Limoux or sparkling Shiraz – you can find plenty of ideas in our post on Sparkling wine. As a different alternative (or addition!) we love a Christmassy cocktail like a spiced Bloody Mary or our Christmas spiced clementine sour:
Smoked salmon: Whilst Champagne with smoked salmon is a classic, we actually aren't very keen on this pairing. The bubbles seem to bring out the bitterness of the smoke. As an alternative, we’d suggest a zesty and not overly light white wine, like a Gruner Veltliner or Gavi, or a wine with length and minerality is always good. Pay attention to what you serve with it – if it’s got lots of mustard or horseradish, an aged Australian Semillon is great. If it’s herby with dill, try a Sauvignon Blanc or a Vermentino. For something different, our trips to Norway and Scotland have given us an appreciation for Aquavit and Islay whisky, respectively, with smoked salmon.
Pâté: For rustic versions, go with rustic reds to match, like a nice Rioja. For something like mackerel, we love Vinho Verde to add freshness and cut through the oiliness. Sauternes is the classic for foie gras and the like, but try a Tokaji or Vendage Tardive (late harvest) from Alsace for something different.
Soup: Naturally the type of soup you make can make a difference here, but soup can be difficult to pair with wine. Soup tends to be savoury with stock, rich in umami, and so a small glass of either Fino or Manzanilla sherry is brilliant here, and can stand up to strong flavours like garlic.
The main event
Turkey and trimmings: Some people like white wine when turkey is the focus, in which case an Alsace Pinot Gris or a richer white Burgundy can be delicious. However, the trimmings are a big part of Christmas dinner, and this can include salty bacon-y brussels spouts, sweet cranberry sauce, crunchy roast potatoes, honeyed spiced parsnips, and meaty gravy! You need a wine that can stand up to these without overpowering, and blend in, almost like another dish. A Pinot Noir is classic here, but instead of grabbing the Burgundy, why not make your money go further with a Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, or perhaps Central Otago or California for a different style. Check out our Pinot Noir post for ideas! Alternatively, for something that works similarly, why not try a Beaujolais Cru – we have a particular affinity for Fleurie here. Another great choice for something rich and fruity, try a Valpolicella Ripasso.
Richer meats (e.g. beef / goose): For an alternative to the classic in wines alone, or to suit an alternative meat such as a richer goose or roast beef, we love new world Bordeaux blends or GSM blends from Australia or South Africa – they are usually full of fruit, with well-managed, silky tannins.
Wellington or nut roast: For a wellington (beef or vegetarian) or nut roast, a Pinot Noir remains great, but a St Emilion can be a refined alternative. If your main is herby or aromatic, then the GSM blends we mentioned above are perfect.
Cheese course
Cheese board: Most people tend to have red wine with their cheeseboard at Christmas (and continuing with your Pinot Noir could be ok here if you prefer red), but red wine goes well with only a few cheeses, and tannins can be particularly harsh with salty or blue cheeses. Different cheeses have clear characteristics that go better with different wines:
- Stilton and Port are a classic, but we find the tannin from the Port is harsh with the strong, blue cheese. Instead we do love a sweet wine, with red Inniskillen being an absolute dream with Stilton if you can get hold of it. Another good alternative would be an off-dry, nutty, sherry, or sloe gin for something a bit different (and very Christmassy!)
- Comté classically pairs with red Bordeaux, but we love nutty Vin Jaune with the nuttiness of the cheese (FYI, we love Vin Jaune in general - it’s amazing with mushrooms).
- Brie or other cheeses with a bloomy rind can, perhaps surprisingly, react really badly with some white wines, tasting bitter. You need a soft and smooth wine to avoid this. You could try an unoaked Pinot Noir or Beaujolais; or as a white, try something like a Pinot Bianco, Gewurztraminer, or Riesling.
- A strong, mature cheddar is salty and tangy, and needs a big, soft wine to match like a Napa Chardonnay or an aged Barolo. But if you’re not feeling flush, go with a younger, smooth, low tannin wine like a Beaujolais or Dolcetto.
- Goat’s cheese is fresh and light, and classically goes with Sauvignon Blanc, but we also think it matches very well with an off-dry white like a Riesling or Gewurztraminer.
- The whole board - as you can see from the above, unless you’re willing to go with a different wine for each cheese (an idea that we love), it can be difficult to match a whole cheese board. Try to look at where the focus of your cheeseboard is e.g. if it’s dominated by strong, salty cheese vs. light cheeses. A key is generally to go with very low tannin, unoaked, smooth wines (red or white). Off-dry or sweet fortified white wines can be a safe bet. For something different, sake can go really well with cheese, especially those salty, hard to match ones.
Another consistent theme across this meal is sherry – no wonder sherry is associated with Christmas! We would recommend M&S ‘very rare’ Palo Cortado for a very slightly sweet, and excellent value (£6!) sherry, full of citrus peel, dried fruit and nuts – perfect with salty cheese and a Christmas feel. For something a touch sweeter, try Williams & Humbert As You Like It Medium Sweet Amontillado (£30 from Waitrose). Something else that works in your favour, is that sweetening up your cheeseboard slightly with honey or grapes instantly makes wines and cheeses meld together a bit more easily, giving you a bit of leeway on your matching.
Dessert
Christmas pudding: The traditional wines here are Sauternes or a Tawny port, which are great. We also loved the spiced notes of an aged Vin Santo (we got ours from our trip Santorini, but a sweet Tuscan Vin Santo can also work well here!). For something very different different try a fortified Tannat – a rich, dark, spicy wine which is ideal with Christmas pudding and also goes wonderfully with rich, chocolatey puddings so a great all rounder for Christmas desserts.
Chocolate desserts: To accentuate the richness of a chocolate dessert, a LBV port can be wonderful and typically Christmassy. An alternative is a red Muscat, which we love. If you want to lighten up the chocolate more, Muscat de Beaumes de Venise gives a refreshing orange note. Moscato d’Asti has a wonderful light sweetness and acidity, combined with bubbles which cut through the richness of a dark chocolate dessert beautifully.
Trifle or pavlova-type desserts: If you’ve made a sherry trifle, the same sherry works well. For a delicate flavoured trifle or pavlova, try a Ratafia Champenois which tastes sweet and grapey. For a creamy dessert made with red berries, we love sweet, sparkling Brachetto – which tastes of strawberries and cuts through the creaminess perfectly.
Christmas lunch 2020
We hope you have a very merry Christmas!
Stay salty af,
Anika & Fleurie