The Best Wines for Christmas
This year I’ve set myself the goal to create the ultimate Christmas wine list using the special tipples available at Selfridges. For each event of the day, including what the best wine to gift is, as well as all the different foods you’ll want to match your wines to, let Selfridges provide you the best Christmas day wines.
What's more, you can save 10% off 6 or more bottles when you buy wine at Selfridges so you’re not only treating yourself to some delicious wine, but also getting a handy discount. Whilst you’re there, you’d be missing out if you didn’t check out their Xmas shop. With everything from Christmas candles, stocking fillers, decorations, hampers and advent calendars available, you’ll tick every box and family tradition this Christmas.
What is the best wine to give for Christmas?
The best holiday red wine gift for Christmas is either a Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon. They both go excellently well with Turkey and will impress immediately on the day. Merlot is also a great Christmas wine gift due to its popularity and easy-going style. It’s hard to find someone who won’t like these styles of wines.
My top picks:
The best white wine gift I’d choose for the same reasons. White Burgundy is extra special, but a robust Californian Chardonnay can more than match a Turkey too for your bold flavour loving friends. Wine connoisseurs will find themselves at home with a special bottle of Riesling. If you are playing it safe, the White Burgundy is a pretty good option, but Premium Sauvignon Blanc makes a fantastic gift too as it is so popular.
What kind of wine is good for Christmas dinner?
The excellent range at Selfridges has you more than covered here, allowing you to indulge in classic food pairings or spread your wings and try something new. I’ve picked and explained my tastes below which will hopefully go some way to completing your Christmas feast!
Wines to serve with Starters
Seafood starters tend to be the Xmas go-to, and if you are someone who goes for smoked salmon, lemon drizzled, on a blini or something of that style then you'll want to hit the light, citrussy wines to cut through the salmon fat and elevate the lemon. Chablis, New Zealand Sauvignon and most importantly, Champagne are all ideal contenders depending on your preference.
Wines to serve with Christmas Turkey
Turkey is a delicate meat and, even if you ignore my wine suggestions, you’d be best sticking with medium-bodied wines with high acidity and (for reds) low-medium tannins. You aren’t here to overpower the food with wine, but find something that compliments the flavour and works in tandem.
For the whites, I’ve already highlighted Selfridges Selection Chablis
or Qupe Y Block as great turkey wines, which they certainly are, particularly if you enjoy a bread sauce. So, pick one (or both) of those if you want a classic pairing. But if these wines just really aren’t your thing then you are not stuck with just these choices.
Other great white options come with white Bordeaux, Chenin or Viognier which hit all the markers for acidity, body and flavour. See what you think of these:
For the reds, again I’ve mentioned Andre Dezat Sancerre Rouge and Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon already. However, other great options lie in Beaujolais or Rioja as well.
Wines to serve with Goose or Duck
Duck is a red meat and as such has stronger flavour so you can turn your wines up a notch.
On the whites to go with duck, a textured white Rhone or Gewurztraminer are fabulous if you are having an orange sauce or similar. You can even lean into sweeter styles of these to balance out the fattiness of the duck, but off-dry at most, not sweet!
On the reds to go with duck, I’d look at a red Rhone blend or Barolo if you are roasting it. Barolo tends to have a medium-high level of tannin but is well balanced by high acid which cuts through the duck fat and keeps it feeling lean. The more savoury notes of the wine also pair very well. A spicy Rhone Syrah blend will again hit savoury notes whilst holding good fruit.
Wines to serve with Beef
This is where the boldest wines excel because they need to stand up to the big flavours of a roast.
The best white wines to serve with beef are barrel-aged Chardonnays for boldness or intense Loire Sauvignon’s like Sancerre with strong, fruity and aromatic intensity. Most people wouldn’t even bother pairing white with beef but it’s a mistake for sure!
For the best red wines with beef, I’d look at a Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the crowd-pleaser Argentinian Malbec. These are simply going to match the beef pound for pound in terms of weight and flavour and elevate the dish.
Wines to serve with Christmas Pudding
Pudding calls for the sweet stuff, not just because it matches but because it is also a great excuse to treat yourself to some real nectar. Sauternes or Tokaji are the usual suspects but I’m pretty partial to a Pedro Ximenez Sherry or Muscat. It even doubles up as an ice cream sauce!
Wines to serve with the Cheese Board
Really, a lot of wine and cheese pairing is down to the individual cheese and you’d need a different wine per cheese to nail it all. As a good rule, the stronger the cheese, the stronger the wine required. Top tip: Sweet whites also pair well with blue cheeses. However, if you are anything like me and have bought a nice variety pack, then just go with port! Plus, port just helps add to that Christmas feeling even more.
The nightcap!
At this point in the day you may not be in need of or want a nightcap, but I had to cover one on my favourite tipples and this is the excuse. Simply put, a sherry will do wonders. Either that, or you can use it as your excuse to crack open the bottle of whisky you’ve been gifted or sitting on for the past 10 years.
So there you have it, a liquid feast to see you through the day with some of Selfridges best stuff on offer. I’ve picked a mix of their mid-priced wines but can strongly recommend treating yourself to some of the top top wine if you are feeling like a very heady Christmas. You may have noticed I chose a number of the Selfridges Selection. Follow the link to see all on offer. I highly recommend this range of wines!
Shop all Selfridges Christmas Tipples >
Prices correct as of 31/10/2024