It is difficult not to think of the laid tables, the thousand lights on the Xmas trees and the many expected gifts when you think of this upcoming festive season (and Mariah Carey or the Wham in the background).
But the time and effort involved in preparing the perfect Christmas menu often run the risk of overshadowing wine as a last-minute detail. A common mistake! I forgive you! Good wine should have equal importance to food in creating a Christmas menu and is essential to enhance the flavours of the recipes, especially on special occasions like these.
So here are my tips on the best wines for Christmas.
Let’s start with the welcome toast: Christmas is the right occasion to open that bubble we love so much. A good idea would be to opt for a brut sparkling wine/champagne, some options:
- Pommery Champagne Brut Royal (Champagne, France)
- Stefano Lubiana Blanc de Blancs (Tasmania, Australia).
For the lovers out there of unfiltered and experimental wine, you can certainly pick a refreshing Pet Nat like 2021 Vino Volta Chenin Blanc Ancestral Method (Swan Valley, Western Australia)
Perfect with oysters or some french foie gras!
Once the dance begins, the main dishes will guide the choice of your best wines for Christmas.
To accompany seafood dishes, such as white fish or lobster, I would choose a fragrant white wine such as a not overly barrel-aged Chardonnay (2019 McHenry Honen Hazel’s Vineyard Chardonnay, Margaret River, WA)
or a Viogner Marsanne blend (2021 Mr Barval Mistral 77% Viognier 23% Marsanne, Margaret River, WA)
With the meat-based courses, on the other hand, you can drink a medium-bodied red wine such as a Sangiovese or a Nebbiolo .. that if it’s too hot, you can also serve them slightly chilled without ruining the flavours (2019 Carpediem Sangiovese blend Estate Selection or 2018 Carpediem Platinum Selection Nebbiolo)
The Gran Finale: what is the best dessert wines for Christmas? I would go for the classic Australian Sparkling Shiraz!
I recommend Sitella Sparkling Shiraz (Swan Valley, WA) or Dukes The Duchess RED Sparkling Shiraz (Porongurup, WA) perfect with some cheese selection and Panettone!
This is what I am looking forward to this next Christmas, fantastic wines and even more amazing memories. Cheers and have a great holiday season. thewineinformer.
Sara, The Wine Informer
You can find more from Sara through her website, The Wine Informer, and her Instagram, @thewineinformer.
Humans have been creating wine for thousands of years, so shouldn’t it be easier to understand? Well, that’s where The Wine Informer comes in. Sara, The Wine Informer explains wine and all its various forms in simple step-by-step terms to help you taste and discover the details. Throughout her blog, articles on the Cellr Blog and Instagram, Sara combines her passions of wine, storytelling, education, branding and marketing to bring you content that is both captivating and carefree to help you along your wine journey.