What Should I Drink With Christmas Dinner?

Christmas Dinner is usually most people’s biggest meal of the year, with a lot of flavours jostling for position, and if you’re hosting, lots of different tastes at the table. Food might be the main focus, but don’t let the drinks get lost under all those different dishes!

Everyone has different opinions and the perfect wine for all simply doesn’t exist, so alongside Christmas dinner, it’s best to seek out crowd-pleasers that will let the food shine. We know every Christmas dinner is different, so we’ll highlight particularly delicious pairings in bold so you can find the ideal wine for you. Let the feast commence.

WHITE WINE

Riesling

We’ve got a few food pairing guides now, and there is a good reason why we pretty much always return to Riesling. It can deal with so many flavours and textures and is a fantastic all-rounder. Bringing sharp acidity, it’s perfect for cutting through the fatty goodness of goose, duck, ham and roasties – pretty much anything with a bit of grease. Dry Riesling bring a touch of residual sugar and be less alcohol intensive, and therefore food-friendly with sweet glazes or honeyed meats.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12.5%
Find here: £13

Chardonnay

Whites need to big and bold, particularly with the crispy skin of turkey, but also something to relieve the richness on the table, so we’re looking at lightly oaked Chardonnay. Make sure it still has fruity flavours, and it will be a versatile pairing for salty ham and gammon too, as well as the increasingly popular vegetarian or vegan nut roast, that needs its richness offset.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 9.8%
Find here: £8.99

SPARKLING WINE

Champagne

Bubbles are always great with heavy feasts like the Christmas dinner, and sparkling wine is of course, a food-friendly option. Rich, salty flavours will likely be present, so avoid sweet or rosé champagnes, and instead look to brut. Particularly after the meal, the gentle fizz and fragrant fruitiness is beautifully soothing. It also helps that is screams celebration. Also, if you’re on of the few people embracing seafood on the big day, then the saline mineral character of bubbly is a famous pairing. Of course, there’s no need to splash out (although there are great value Champagnes like this one), and affordable alternatives like Crémant and Cava would work just as well.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find here: £48.50

RED WINE

Merlot

A serial crowd-pleaser, find a merlot in the smooth and velvety style, because some others can be heavily oaked. Chilean merlot is a great source of value in this area. Particularly with turkey, it’s more about sauce and stuffing than the meat, and as cranberry sauce is nailed on, we want bright, fruity wines to match. And if the turkey has ended up a bit dry, then the juicy feel doesn’t hurt either. Chilean bottles in particular bring that vibrance, as well as acidity to cut through any fats and refresh the palate. It’s a good option for Christmas ham too.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14%
Find here: £11.60

Barolo

If you’re serving goose or even duck and red is a must, then an Italian number like Barolo could be the answer. The foods are very indulgent and fatty, so you need something like a well-structured Barolo to slice through. If you’ve scrapped the turkey and gone for any darker, more savoury meats like the above or beef, then big, punchy Barolo is the answer.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14.5%
Find here: £24.99 (less with Mix Six)

Pinot Noir

Light-bodied and brimming with soft red fruits, Pinot Noir will sing with those cranberry sauce helpings alongside the turkey. Central Otago New Zealand Pinot tends to fit the bright and fruity profile we’re looking for, and they’re also some of the richest and structured, so work particularly well with any sweet glazes (usually ham), or spices. Make sure you don’t go for something too tannic, because it will seem harsh without the fat to soften the tannins. The great thing about leftover Christmas day Pinot is that it’s perfect for the Boxing Day leftovers, ideally light for cold meats.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £19.99

This is just a guide for the big meal itself, but we know as well as you do that Christmas grazing is an all day and all night affair. What should you drink with Christmas pudding or mince pies? Or perhaps you’re after some wine and cheese pairings in the evening? We’ve got recommended bottles for every occasion on the site, as well as tonnes of handy gift guides and recipes.

What Should I Drink With Christmas Cake, Pudding and Mince Pies?

If you’re not gorging on at least one of these this December, then are you even doing Christmas? Of course, mince pies, Christmas cake, and Christmas pudding have their differences, but they’re all based around rich fruits, usually dried, or candied, as well as nuts and spices. Because of this, the same kind of drinks tend to work with them, and work they certainly do – these pairings are mouth-watering, and exactly what Christmas indulgence is about.

Sherry

Sweet, luxurious sherry is such a perfect match. Stick to Pedro Ximenez or Oloroso styles, and the dried fruits, nuts, and silky, rich chocolatey notes will pair up like a match made in taste heaven. It’s a traditional pairing too, so fully embraces the season. We’ve just uploaded our sherry guide for Christmas too, which details recommendations and information about all the styles.

Size: 375ml (half bottle)
ABV: 17%
Find here: £13.65

Port

Tawny Port in particular is a great way to go, brimming with red and black fruits, and if it’s got decent aging, nutty undertones too. The tawny is slightly less sweet than ruby ports, so the richer, nuttier, treacley flavours work well, especially if you’re using brandy butter. This Kopke Tawny is lovely and rich, with a velvety mouthfeel complimenting any cream.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 19.5%
Find here: £14.99

Madeira

Part of Madeira wine’s fundamental manufacturing is heat, giving tonnes of stewed fruits and burnt sugar notes, as well as delicious nutty flavours. I mean, the nose often smells of Christmas cake even! They also keep their acidity nicely, which helps to avoid everything becoming a bit weighed down and cloying. It isn’t as traditional as a glass of sherry but works just as well.  This Blandy’s number is full-on and fruity, but most decent sweet Maderia wines will do the job.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 19%
Find here: £12.99 (usually more!)

Muscat

Dessert wines with carrying hints of apricot or orange work nicely, playing into the festive fruits nicely. Spanish Moscatel de Valencia is a good option – it’s a honeyed wine that’s also fresh and fruity, with lofty florality. It also provides a bit of refreshment and tang if the richness is getting a bit much,

Size: 750ml
ABV: 15%
Find here: £7.99

These Christmas sweet treats are all similar in profile, but the same cannot be said for other desserts, where they may be sharp citrus, custard or other difficult to match flavours and textures. Luckily, we have a whole guide on what to drink with Classic British Puddings here!