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.

TalkRADIO: Brands that do good

With the world in a terrible state, it’s nice to know that having a lovely drink can also have a positive effect on our environment. Here are three delicious drinks that all have another positive purpose for the environment and you can follow their progress online. Cheers to that!

SEAS - Hidden Sea Chardonnay

Hidden Sea is an Australian company making easy drinking, juicy, accessible Aussie wines from the Limestone coast using classic grapes: Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio and a GSM blend. This chardonnay is fruity and round with tropical fruit notes and zesty citrus. 

Green creds: Their mission is simple: for every bottle sold, they remove ten plastic bottles from the ocean. You can see their progress on their website too. The pledge to have removed 1 billion bottles by 2030. 

£9 from Sainsbury’s and other supermarkets.

TREES - Cloud Apple Cider by Cannabrew

The UK’s first CBD infused cider. Cannabrew was set up by an ex-rugby player who discovered how good CBD was for aches and pains. He also had a passion for craft beer, so decided to set up one of the UK’s first CBD Craft breweries. As well as a range of beers, the range now includes this crisp cider, made from British apples. All products are infused with a hefty15mg of CBD oil.

Green creds: plastic-free, recyclable packaging with two trees planted for every case sold in their company forest. They also support local British farmers. 

Buy 12 for £37.19 (£3.10 each)  cannabrew.co.uk

BEES - Avallen Calvados

Avallen is Climate Positive (carbon negative) Calvados. Made from nothing but apples, water and two years in oak barrels for, Calvados is a spirit made from apples in the appellation of Calvados in Normandy, France. 

Green creds: Avallen is Climate Positive (carbon negative) where each bottle removes 2.73kg of CO2 from the atmosphere without external offsetting. That’s the equivalent of driving 21 km in an average car. At the time of writing, they produced 15,421 bottles of Avallen, removing 41.8 metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. Each bottle only uses 1.2L of water to produce, which is 70-95% less than other spirit categories. They support charitable partners via 1% for the Planet membership and all the apples come from within 20km of the distillery. For the bees, their goal is to plant 10,000 flowering plants by 2022 thanks to their flower-powered Beeboms as well as restoring wild meadows at the distillery in Normandy.

£35 from www.avallenspirits.com

Thursday Club with talk RADIO: Crémant

Today’s Thursday Club is all about Crémant: the French fizz made in the same way (the traditional method) as Champagne, but from other regions in France, using their local grape varieties. You can get Crémant from many regions around France, the most famous being Crémant de Bourgogne (Burgundy) Crémant de Loire, Crémant de Bordeaux, Crémant de Limoux and Crémant d’Alsace. 

Only French wines can be called Crémants and they offer fantastic value, considering they are made in the same time consuming method as Champagne, where wine needs to be aged on the lees (dead yeast cells) albeit for a shorter amount of time. Lees is what gives fizz its biscuity, brioche notes. 

Today, we’re looking at Bordeaux and Burgundy.

Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux, Brut NV

Fizz from the world’s most famous wine region has existed for centuries but it was only officially recognised as a style in 1990. They are often more aromatic and fruity than Champagne thanks partly to the grape varieties used and less time on lees. 

Grape varieties: Sémillon and Cabernet Franc

£10 from Tesco

Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux, Brut Rosé NV

This rosé is made with the famous red grapes of Bordeaux, so offers a structured, savoury pink style that’s ideal for food like cold cuts. Cracking value and on offer at the moment. 

Grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot

Find it for £10.39 from Ocado (down from £12.99)

Crémant de Bourgogne, Blanc de Blancs, Brut NV

The famous white grape of France’s Burgundy region (Bourgogne in French) is Chardonnay and in this case, ‘blanc de blanc’ means 100% Chardonnay, though other local grapes such as Gamay and Pinot Noir can be used. While Chardonnay is also the grape used in Champagne, the region of Burgundy is a bit warmer and so Crémant de Bourgogne is often a bit rounder with more fruit. Very easy going. 

Grape variety: Chardonnay

Find it for £10.49 Waitrosecellar on offer (down from £13)

Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Rosé, Simonnet-Febvre, NV

The red wines of Burgundy are famously made with Pinot Noir and this Crémant is made purely with this grape. Pinot Noir is also one of the main grapes of Champagne but from here in Burgundy, the pinks are much more fruity with notes of cherry and spice. 

Grape Variety: 100% Pinot Noir

Find it for £15.75 from Vinatis

See what else we have tasted on the Thursday club here, here and here!

Thursday Club with Talk RADIO: Chardonnay

Join Helena every Thursday with Mike Graham on talkRADIO for the Thursday Club! This week, Helena took us all on a tasting tour of the Chardonnay grape. Here’s what she tasted with Mike and where to find them:

Crisp & Chalky: Chablis

Chablis is a region in cool climate France, famous for a style of Chardonnay that is crisp and chalky - perfect with seafood. Chablis is not normally associated with oak (though at the loftier premier cru and grand cru levels, there is sometimes a little). We tried Irresistible Chablis, J.M. Brocard from the Co-op.

ABV: 12.5%
Size: 750ml
Find here: £12.50.

Creamy & Fruity: Chile

If you like your Chardonnay with a whack of fruit and creamy, vanilla characteristics, then head to the New World: Chile, New Zealand or Australia in particular. These can be oaked or un-oaked. We tried Chardonnay, Montes Reserva, Curico Valley, Chile, 2020 from the Co-op.

ABV: 13.5%
Size: 750ml
Find here: £8

Blanc de Blancs Champagne

If your Champagne has ‘blanc de blancs’ written on it, it has to be 100% Chardonnay. Meaning ‘white from white’, it refers to white wine from white grapes, which in the Champagne region of France means it can only be Chardonnay. The other two grapes that can be used in Champagne are both black (red): Pinot Noir & Meunier. Champagne Delamotte is one of the most respected houses in the Champagne region. We tried Blanc de Blancs, Champagne Delamotte, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.

ABV: 12.5%
Size: 750ml
Find here: £27.25 for a half bottle.

Have you tried Crémant? Made in the same way as Champagne but at a fraction of the price you can’t beat it! Check out our suggestions here.

Premium Californian Wine: 3 Must-Know Producers

What does Californian wine mean to you? In the UK at least, it's not the easiest to find the real gems. I’m talking about those exclusive, hand-made wines; the ones sought after by wine lovers the world over. Strawberry-scented Pinot Noirs, sunshine-in-a-glass Chardonnays and powerful, brooding Cabernets are some of California's wine highlights these days and there are certain producers you can rely on to create something exceptional. Here are three that you should get to know for a real taste of premium California wine: Orin Swift, Talbott Vineyards and Bear Flag.

Orin Swift

Orin Swift is the personal project of esteemed, self-made winemaker Dave Phinney, who has very quickly managed to create one of the most exciting and highly prized, new wave wine brands in California. Named in homage to his parents (Orin was his father’s middle name and Swift, his mother’s maiden name), the winery started as a small project and grew in reputation quickly thanks to Dave’s excellent wines and their iconic, head-turning labels for which he has become known. His particular visual style grew from an appreciation of all kinds of art during his youth, from the fine masters his parents taught him about, to the funky, punky, street art of the ‘80s with which he grew up. This love of art translates to his labels and Dave thinks of each one as a unique piece of art, each with its own story that in turn, helps tell the story of the wine the label adorns. You can listen to the stories yourself by seeking out these Californian gems from Orin Swift:

Sauvignon Blanc

Orin Swift ‘Blank Stare' 2016

California is becoming known for oaked Sauvignon Blancs that turn this zippy grape into something gloriously tropical. Barrel fermented partly in new French oak, this Sauvignon has exciting layers of lime, jasmine and lemon meringue pie with a zinging, fresh core of acidity and a cool mineral spine. Drink it alone or with lightly spiced Thai food.

Find it at Vinum Fine Wines from July for £36

Chardonnay

Orin Swift Mannequin Chardonnay 2016

The idea behind Mannequin was to create a modern, fresh style of Chardonnay while not losing the characteristics that made the world fall in love with this full-bodied grape in the first place. The result is a honeysuckle-scented, golden wine packed with lush notes of vanilla and butter thanks to some delicate oak and lees aging, perfectly balanced by a refreshing vein of lemon rind, apple skin and peach.

Find it at Great Western Wine from July for £41  (or £36.90 in a mixed case of 12)

Cabernet Sauvignon

Orin Swift Palermo Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Cabernet, along with Chardonnay, was what put California wine on the world wine map after the famous ‘Judgement of Paris’ blind tasting back in 1976 where California took on the French and won. This is exactly the kind of Cabernet that did that: Full-bodied and bold, this is a long and complex wine with generous notes of blackberry, graphite and even tea leaf. Give it some air before drinking and it sings with barbecue beef.

Find it at Wine Rack now or Majestic Wine from July for £49.99 (or £39.99 in a mixed case of 6).

Talbott Vineyards

If you love your dreamy, soft and silky California Pinots and Chardonnays, reach for a wine from Talbott Vineyards. With vines based in the prestigious Santa Lucia Highlands AVA in Monterey County, conditions are cool and mild, perfect for these premium grape varieties. Within the rolling hills surrounding the estate, lies Talbott’s iconic Sleepy Hollow Vineyard. With full control over the growing process and production of wines from this plot, winemaker David Coventry leads the team to lovingly craft the greatest expression possible out of this exceptional fruit. 

Chardonnay

Talbott Vineyards Kali Hart Chardonnay 2018, Monterey

If you’re after a morning sunshine style Chardonnay, then this Kali Hart Chard is it. Crisp and bright thanks to the super cool microclimate where the grapes are grown, this wine showcases tropical notes with a touch of vanilla and an incredibly refreshing finish. Try it with creamy pasta dishes like carbonara or squash ravioli with a sprinkling of parmesan. Delicious!

Find it in store at Majestic wine from July for £24.99 (£19.99 in mixed case of 6) 

Pinot Noir

Talbott Vineyards Kali Hart Pinot Noir 2017, Monterey

Soft and approachable but not without complexity, this Pinot Noir is elegant but generous, with notes of cola nut, cinnamon spice, ripe blackberries and a hint of smoke. Easy-drinking enough to have alone, but it sings with mushrooms and roast chicken with all the trimmings.

Find it in store at Majestic wine from July for £24.99 (£19.99 in a mixed case of 6)  

Bear Flag

Bear Flag wine celebrates the brave souls who stand their ground, grabbing the most out of life and being who they want to be. Aaron Piotte, Bear Flag’s winemaker and a Sonoma County native, thought this spirit would best embody the wines he wanted to make. Choosing to harness the power of the region's wild and untamed vines, he crafts bold and beautiful wines from Zinfandel as well as Cabernet and a plethora of other grapes in honour of those who do not wish to waste one moment of this glorious life.  

Zinfandel

Bear Flag Zinfandel Sonoma County

Zinfandel is California’s flagship grape and the area of Dry Creek Valley is one of the most renowned for it in the whole of California. This is thanks to its day to night temperature swings, which concentrate the aromas and flavours and keep a beefy, flavoursome wine fresh. Concentrated, dark and toasty, with notes of fig jam and blueberry pie this wine is bold, yet brilliant. If it were a person, it would be Marlon Brando and it loves a meaty barbecue.

Find in store at Wine Rack for £24.99 or Majestic for £24.99 (or £22.49 in a mixed case of 6).

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Tasting Terroir: Wakefield ‘Jaraman’ Chardonnay

They say the more you know about a subject, the more you enjoy it and nowhere is this more true than with the wonderful world of wine. Understanding what makes a Chardonnay (for example), from one region of a country different to one from another is not just the key to finding  - and remembering - your favourite styles of wine; it is the thing that turns wine drinkers into wine lovers. Chardonnay is never just Chardonnay. Cabernet is never just Cabernet. The exact combination of natural elements in the vineyards where the grapes were grown such as soil type, topography and climate, will add a unique characteristic to the final wine, be it in aroma, flavour, texture or all three. The word that sums up all these unique elements is ‘terroir’; a word that once understood, opens up a world of delight to anyone who enjoys wine as they explore grapes and bottles from all over the world. 

Wakefield Wines and their terroir

Australia is well known for its wine making prowess with numerous, diverse wine regions, each with its own distinctive style thanks to its unique terroir. One family-owned, Australian wine producer called Wakefield, has long understood the importance of this and have created a range that showcases the distinctive characteristics of some of Australia’s iconic wine regions using the grapes that region is well known for. This is their Jaraman range, named after the Indigenous word for ‘seahorse’, as fossilised seahorses were found in Wakefield’s Clare Valley property from when the area was submerged by an inland sea eons ago.

What is the Wakefield Jaraman range?

The Taylor family, based in the Clare Valley with their own vineyards, have owned Wakefield for three generations. For their Jaraman range, the winemakers source parcels of the best fruit available from their vineyards in Clare Valley, but also from other iconic regions such as Coonawara and Margaret River, gently hand crafting them into wines that preserve and enhance the distinctive characteristics from those places. 

The Jaraman Chardonnay

The Jaraman Chardonnay takes grapes from Margaret River and Clare Valley and blends them to create an unbelievably delicious drink when the whole is even greater than the sum of its parts. With a searing, lime citrus, freshness and intense aromatics of ripe melon, nectarine and pineapple together with an almost flinty, mineral core, this is an incredibly complex wine that manages to say so much, but quietly. Elegantly. The Clare Valley fruit offers a characteristic fleshiness, while the Margaret River Chardonnay throws in moreish, guava and fresh figs notes. A gentle amount of oak brings everything together and adds a light, creamy texture and a hint of warm spice.

Find it at Majestic for £17.99 (£15.99 mix six price).

Read about the Jaraman Cabernet Sauvignon here. 

One Minute Wine Ace: Chardonnay

Words by Helena Nicklin

Weren’t there always at least four people in your class with the same first name at school? In my year, it was Kate: fat ones; skinny ones; drippy ones; foreign ones, you name it! Variations on a theme of Kate were popular the world over.

It was hard to work out how to feel about Kates, because just as you had decided that you hated the name because of spotty-faced Kate who smelled of potato, you met supermodel-in-training Kate who had a perm and older friends who could get into nightclubs. Suddenly, you wanted to name all your future children Kate. Even the boys.

Well, Chardonnay is the wine version of Kate. The sheer number of styles you’ll find worldwide can make it difficult to pin down your thoughts on it.  After all, nearly every wine-producing region in the world has a go at growing it! And as styles of this wine go, Chardonnay moves from the sublime to the ridiculous, being responsible for some of the greatest white wines in the world. Climate and winemaking techniques may leave their mark, but the key elements will always be there somewhere: look for a golden colour, ripe melon flavour and a fuller body than many other white varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc. Vanilla and buttery notes are also good indicators that the wine is a Chardonnay. Try it unoaked for a true reading of its merits. 

Tasting Tour

Wine regions all over the world are making wine with Chardonnay, but here are some keys styles to try first. Taste them together (in moderation, of course) and then go out and explore the world of Chardonnay! One thing to bear in mind with Chardonnay: what you pay for is very much what you get. 

Chardonnay 1: Chablis, France. Yes, Chablis is always made from Chardonnay. It’s just named after the region in northern France rather than the grape, as often happens in Europe. Don’t be that person who ‘loves Chablis but hates Chardonnay! Chablis has a particular style that’s lean, mineral and elegant, thanks to the very cool climate there and its famously chalky soil. If it were a Kate, it would be Kate Moss, the catwalk model. Start with a Petit Chablis, then a straight Chablis before working up to the Premier Cru and Grand Cru Chablis wines, which are fabulous, but a bit richer and often have a touch of oak - getting towards the classic ‘Burgundian’ style of Chardonnay (see below). Chablis, by the way, is technically part of the greater Burgundy region, but it’s slightly removed, just to the north west of Burgundy ‘proper’ and while it’s all still Chardonnay for the whites, the styles are distinctly different. 

Try: Chablis, Domaine Louis Moreau. £17.99 Ocado

A great producer making classic Chablis. Lean, chalky and refreshing. Excellent with seafood.

Chardonnay 2: Burgundy, France. The greater Burgundy region in France also has its own style that tends to be fuller-bodied, with more fruit and savoury oakiness than Chablis. Golden, complex and sophisticated, this is the Kate Winslet of wine. The oscar winner -  statuesque and structured, with a lot to say. Burgundy (Bourgogne in French) is one of the world’s most famous regions for Chardonnay. It’s also a region with many villages, the names of which will be shown on the label in large letters - villages you may have heard of like Puligny-Montrachet or Macon or Meursault. These still fall under the general umbrella style of Burgundy as I’ve described but each will have their own nuances thanks to their specific geography. 

Try: Domaine Carrette, Pouilly Fuissé 2017. £22.95 from CorneyandBarrow

A popular style from the Maconnais in southern Burgundy. Rich, ripe fruit and spice with refreshing acidity. 

Chardonnay 3: Mornington Peninsula, Australia. The country that put Chardonnay on the map for a new generation is doing incredible things with this grape, especially from the relatively cooler parts, like Mornington Peninsula in the south and Margaret River on the coast in the west. Think exotic, ripe fruit with a zingy freshness. It’s a million miles away from those cloying Chards of the early ‘90s.

Try: Ten Minutes by Tractor, Estate Chardonnay, 2015. £36 mix six price from Majestic.

The is the Cate Blanchett of wine styles: cool and restrained, this is an elegant Chardonnay with plenty of structure. Made in a Burgundian style with French oak but showcasing an extra dollop of pure fruit. 

Chardonnay 4: California, USA. The best Californian Chardonnays are like actress Kate Hudson: golden, curvy California girls with brains, capable of fun as well as complex roles, and everyone wants them at a party. Napa and Sonoma are the places that fly with it.

Try: Mannequin Chardonnay 2017, Orin Swift. £46 from winebuyers.com

Brilliant, mind-boggling label aside, this Chardonnay is multi-layered with notes of melon, honey and nectarine supported by a well-integrated oak spice. Velvety and mouth-filling, it’s a real head-turner.

Chardonnay 5: Blanc de Blancs Champagne or Sparkling Wine. ‘Blanc de Blancs’ with fizz usually means it’s made from 100% Chardonnay and the style is more ethereal, fine boned and delicate in its youth than the wines traditionally blended with the red Champagne grapes (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier). With age, it puts on weight and becomes deliciously creamy and rich. 

Try: Charles Palmer Blanc de Blancs 2014, £26.10 on offer from charlespalmer-vineyards.co.uk

Incredible value bubbles with some age on them. Deliciously creamy thanks to extra lees ageing. Would be lovely with seafood and anything umami, like parmesan cheese snacks. If it were a person it would be Kate Middleton. Elegant and English, with porcelain skin…

If you like this, try Helena’s One Minute Wine Ace features on Pinot Noir, Cotes du Rhone and Sauvignon Blanc