The Christmas Table: A Wine pairing Guide for every course

Christmas dinner is a celebration, often presented as a mix of roasting aromas, sweet sauces, earthy vegetables, creamy sides and comforting spices.
And every glass of wine has the potential to complement those flavours rather than compete with them.

Great Christmas wines aren’t necessarily big or expensive.
They’re balanced, aromatic and versatile: capable of navigating a plate where sweet cranberry, savoury gravy and roasted vegetables coexist.

Below is a guide to the wines that shine brightest at the festive table, whether your main dish is traditional, bold or plant-forward.

➡️ Discover our Christmas selection

🦃 Turkey

Turkey remains the most iconic Christmas centrepiece: gentle flavour, comforting, and shaped by the sides that surround it.
Because the meat itself is subtle, the best pairings bring brightness, freshness and aromatic lift rather than heaviness.

Wines that succeed here have:

• Light to medium body

• Fresh acidity

• Red fruit or citrus

• Gentle tannins

Recommended bottles

• Burgundy Pinot Noir: Balancin
  Silky, fragrant and elegantly earthy; it complements turkey without overshadowing it. → Discover more Pinot Noir

• Beaujolais: Château Cambon
  Juicy, uplifting and festive, especially when served slightly chilled. → Discover more Beaujolais

• Premium Chardonnay: Domaine de Saint-Pierre
  Clean, mineral-driven and refined; a white with enough structure for richer sides. → Discover more Chardonnay

Together, these wines weave seamlessly through the meal, bringing harmony rather than dominance.

🥩 Beef

Roast beef has become a modern Christmas favourite: full-bodied, aromatic and richly savoury.
To match it, wines need structure, tannin and depth, the kind of bottles that taste like winter.

Ideal characteristics:

• Medium to full body

• Firm tannins

• Spices and dark fruit

• Earthy undertones

Recommended bottles

• Rioja Crianza: Viña Cubillo, López de Heredia
  A classic combination of cherry fruit, spice and silky tannin. → Discover more Rioja

• Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Domaine Charvin
  Powerful, layered and warm; the kind of wine made for celebration. → Discover more Côtes du Rhone

• Malbec: Trespotz, Domaine La Calmette
  Plush fruit, soft tannins and enough richness to stand next to roasted beef. → Discover more Malbec

These wines resonate with the depth and aroma of the dish, offering a satisfying contrast rather than a clash.

🐟 Fish

Fish dinners, whether a simple fillet or a luxurious seafood spread, offer elegance on the Christmas table. It can be a nod to older Catholic traditions, or simply a preference for a more elegant, delicate festive meal.
They call for wines that are precise, aromatic and refreshingly mineral, cutting through butter and cream without heaviness.

Ideal profiles:

• High acidity

• Saline or citrus notes

• Aromatic lift

• Clean, linear structure

Recommended bottles

• Assyrtiko: “Skyphos”
  Brilliant acidity and a salty snap; a perfect companion to smoked or citrus-dressed fish. → Discover more Greek wine

• White Burgundy: Saint Romain “En Chevrot”, Emmanuel Giboulot
  Creamy yet restrained; luxurious without being overwhelming. → Discover more Burgundy

• Albariño: Laureatus Sobre Lías
  Fresh, aromatic and gently saline: a seafood classic. → Discover more Albariño

These wines bring up fish dishes by showing their delicacy rather than competing with it.

🥕 Vegetarian Christmas

Vegetarian festive meals are often flavour-dense: roasted vegetables, mushrooms, herbs, spices and creamy gratins.
Such depth asks for wines with texture, aromatic complexity and bright acidity.

Ideal profiles:

• Aromatic whites

• Light reds

• Textural wines (orange wines especially)

• Freshness to balance richness

Recommended bottles

• Orange Wine: La Stoppa Ageno
  Tannic, aromatic and beautifully textured; a natural partner for mushrooms and roasted vegetables. → Discover more Orange wine

• Etna Rosso: Benanti
  Light yet structured, with volcanic minerality and fresh red fruit. → Discover more Sicilian wine

• Sancerre: “La Baronne”, Bernard Fleuriet
  Crisp, citrus-driven and elegant, perfect with creamy sides or herb-forward dishes. → Discover more Sauvignon blanc

These wines bring clarity and structure to dishes built on flavour and warmth.

🥔 Side Dishes

Christmas sides often carry the flavour load: caramelised vegetables, stuffing, potatoes, sprouts, gravy and roasted roots.
They combine sweetness, bitterness, fat and herbs, a combination best handled by wines with acidity, aromatic lift and freshness.

Great options:

• Bright Sauvignon Blanc (Loire or New Zealand)

• Fresh Beaujolais

• Dry rosé

• Unoaked Chardonnay

• Light aromatic whites

These wines refresh the palate between bites, ensuring the meal feels lively rather than heavy.

🧀 Cheese

A Christmas cheese board is an experience: salty, creamy, crumbly, pungent and aromatic.
The wines that shine here offer palate-cleansing acidity, aromatic complexity and sometimes even texture.

Exceptional pairings include:

• Sauvignon Blanc (Loire) → goat cheese

• Dry Chenin Blanc → semi-hard and creamy cheeses

• Gewürztraminer → washed-rind cheeses

• Sweet wines (Riesling, Sauternes) → blue cheese

• Sparkling wine → universally brilliant

• Orange wine → incredibly versatile with cheese thanks to its nuttiness 

🍮 Dessert

Dessert demands wines with matching sweetness and fresh acidity, otherwise the wine tastes sour or thin.

Best dessert wines

• Sauternes or Monbazillac → Christmas pudding

• Tokaji → spiced desserts and mince pies

• Moscato d’Asti → light, airy desserts

• Brachetto d’Acqui → chocolate or berry-based sweets

→ Discover more Dessert wines

Sparkling dessert option

• Asti or Demi-Sec Champagne
  Light bubbles + sweetness + acidity = a perfect closing note.

→ Discover more Sparkling wine

Whether you opt for a crisp white, a gentle or heavier red, a textured orange wine or a celebratory sparkle, the goal is the same: to enhance the meal, calm the palate and add a little extra special to the table.

In the end, Christmas is not about perfection but about warmth, friends and family. Shared plates, shared bottles and conversations that linger is all that matters.
Choose wines that bring you joy, and they'll pair beautifully with the dishes you love.

Cheers to a delicious Christmas and a new year filled with good bottles, good food and good company. 🍷✨