We’ve covered the perfect sparkling wine for you Mimosas/Bucks Fizz and some tasty treats to indulge in as you cook but now it’s time for the main event, the festive meal. This is where we tend to eat far too much over a good few hours and to do this we will need various drinks to compliment the courses!
Let’s start with the first course. Canapes and the first course are usually lighter than the main meal and often involve fish, like smoked salmon, or terrine with various types of salad. White wines are usually best here, however, Champagne can be very good with food too, and there are some alternatives which also work really well.
White Wine
There are some white Burgundies which are lighter in style than others, and for a first course, these two lighter Burgundies would be very good. There are wines made in and around Macon which use much less oak in the maturation than most Burgundy wines, and in the north of Burgundy, Petit Chablis and Chablis are mostly fermented in steel rather than oak as well. These wines give lots of fresh fruit flavours and are not too heavy. My two favourites are Chablis by Nathalie and Gilles Fevre, and a Macon by Dominic Lafon.
Nathalie and Gilles Fevre Chablis
Size: 750ml
ABV: 14%
Find it Here: £29
Beyond the heights of Burgundy, there are some very good fresh white wines for well under £10 that would be fine gracing any table for a Christmas meal. Sancerre is a great place to start if Sauvignon Blanc is your thing, or for a fruity Italian, this Gavi di Gavi is stunning.
Broglia Gavi di Gavi
A great Gavi di Gavi which is good value at £15.99 from Waitrose, but is now on Special offer. Selected by the talented wine buyer Victoria Mason, and from the Broglia family estate, this is fruity with a persistent finish and lots of texture created by aging the wine on lees.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find it Here: £10
Lucien Crochet Sancerre 2020
A lovely and crisp Sancerre from the upper Loire Valley in France. It’s a floral and zesty refined wine with lots of fruity complexity and will go well with fish or poultry and will even stand up to a game terrine well. A good starter for Christmas dinner.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 14.5%
Find it Here: £20.95
Champagne and Sparkling wine
Veuve Monsigny by Philizot
Created by the Philizot family in the north of Champagne, this is made with all their own grapes and has some cellar aging giving further balance. Fruity without being too zesty, this is a fabulous value Champagne from a well-known maker in France. Their vintage Champagnes can be seen in Michelin restaurants in France, and this wine is a chip off that block.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find it Here: £13.99
Veuve Clicquot
A well-known name in the world of Champagne and with good reason. It is rich and biscuity with plenty of fruit and a long finish. It’s one of the best grand mark non-vintage Champagnes to match with food. Well balanced with lots of finesse, this is a super Champagne for all occasions. It’s also easy to find in most supermarkets and online and worth looking out for deals on.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find it Here: £45
Gusbourne 2013 Late Disgorgement
This wine has spent an impressive 90 months on lees making it super luxurious with great texture and depth of flavour. There are flavours of toasted oak, brioche, tart tartin and digestive biscuits. It is also very fruity at its core with apples and pears and some apple blossom with a touch of honey. On the finish, a little lemon and ginger comes through. It’s a thoroughly impressive wine which stands up to the great Champagnes and although it’s a little pricey, you still get a big bang for your buck.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find it Here: £99
Alternatives to Wine
Not everyone likes to drink wine. And although I do like beer, the decadent beers which might go with the festive season often don’t mix so well with food. I’m thinking of big alcohol stouts here. There are alternatives to wine and regular beers though. And even some non-alcohol drinks which work well with food too. Many Sake rice wines go with food, especially young, non-aged Sake which is fresh. I have a favourite which I think most people will like. I’ve also got a couple of favourite, slightly decadent and definitely festive non-alcoholic alternatives.
Akashi-Tai Junmai Tokubetsu
This is quite a rich, full bodied Sake that will go well with food, you’ll find some tropical fruit flavours like pineapple and some fine honey notes too. Made with 100% Yamada nishiki rice grown in the Hyogo prefecture, it has a polish of 60%. It is refined and traditional and best served chilled as you would a white wine.
Size: 720ml
ABV: 15%
Find it Here: £27.48
Wild Idol
A great alternative to sparkling wine. Both the white and rosé options are very good, and you can choose whichever, but I particularly like the white. There is tons of complexity with wild flowers, honey and zesty citrus. There is enough acidity to give the drink bite, so you don’t miss the alcohol. In fact, I wouldn’t treat this as an alternative to wine, I’d have it instead of wine. The best sparkling alternative out there.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 0%
Find it Here: £25.49
Æcorn Bitter
Now a stalwart of the non-alcoholic drinks world, Æcorn has been around for a while and is still the best and most versatile drink out there. It mixes so well with a great many mixers, with tonic or ginger ale being my favourite. With lots of deep dried fruit flavours and very well balanced bitters, this is a great choice for Christmas.
Size: 500ml
ABV: 0%
Find it Here: £17.95
Now that we’ve covered your canapes and starters, if you’re looking for that perfect bottle for your mains, make sure to check out our recommended bottles of red, white and sparkling wine guides.
Words by Colin Hampden-White