We’re sure you can’t wait to have family and friends around the table for a Christmas feast to remember. Let us guide you in your choice of wines for the big day! Grower champagnes and illustrious maisons, whites to lift your flavourful starters, sipping cuvées for a mindful moment, and unctuous dessert wines all feature in our hand-picked selection.
Note: deadlines for Christmas delivery vary by country; the final order date should be displayed for your country on the iDealwine home page.
Festive fizz
What could be more festive than a bottle of bubbly? Whilst the big names shine bright via vintage bottles such as the 2013 Bollinger and Pol Roger’s Blanc de Blancs from the same year, grower champagnes are also worth your attention, such as the 2014 Brut Nature Expérience by Agrapart, and the 2015 Leclerc-Briant from La Croisette. We also highly recommend Charles Dufour and Cazé Thibaut, two of our newest partner domains producing top-shelf wines. As Georges Sand would say, ‘Champagne helps us to marvel’…especially when presented in a beautiful set like this 2003 Vintage Krug (we added that last bit ourselves) 😉
Dreaming of a white Christmas
If you’re serving a salty starter such as smoked salmon or oysters, these will pair nicely with a Muscadet from Luneau-Papin or a Chablis from François de Nicolaÿ. If, on the other hand, you’re cooking something a bit more unctuous, pick a richly aromatic wine from Alsace; its fragrances will go beautifully with the dish whilst the acidity will lift the whole thing. For example, we like the 2018 Pinot gris Clos Windsbuhl from Zind-Humbrecht. In a slightly different style, you could opt for a Chardonnay from Château de Meursault, an Arbois Savagnin from Domaine de la Touraize, or for something more powerful, try a biodynamic Pessac-Léognan cuvée from Haut-Bergey.
Rich reds
If you like to really impress with gourmet dishes, something non-traditional involving truffles, for example, you’ll want a bottle of Burgundy to stay on theme, such as one from Génot-Boulanger, Jacques Prieur, or Baillot Millot. Otherwise, go Italian with a classic Nebbiolo by Vietti, Angelo Gaja, or Roagna. How about a bottle of Les Vignes de l’Enfant Jésus from Bouchard…this is the occasion!
With a rich meaty dish of roast beef, we recommend a classic Bordeaux bottle. In our selection, we have some excellent grands crus classés from the likes of Branaire-Ducru and Cheval Blanc. Also delicious are the reds from Château Le Gay (Pomerol), Clos Puy Arnaud (Castillon-Côtes-de-Bordeaux), and Carles (Fronsac).
With game-based recipes, it’s a strong wine that will complement your cooking, so why not pick a cuvée from the Rhône? Beaurenard’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape, La Ferme Saint-Martin’s Beaumes-de-Venise, and Côte-Rôtie from Stéphane Ogier and Clusel-Roch are just a few sumptuous examples. Corsican wines fit the bill here, too, and we recommend those from Comte Abbatucci, and Clos Canarelli (Figari).
Golden dessert wines
The golden glow of the festive period couldn’t be better reflected than by a beautiful sweet wine. If you haven’t already opened one with your aperitif, the grand finale of your feast might well be the moment to uncork one of these treasures. How about serving it alongside an exotic fruit tart or a Yule Log? Our favourites include Klein Constantia’s Vin de Constance from South Africa, Marcel Deiss’ Altenberg de Bergheim, the Côteaux-du-Layon Layon by Belargus, Huet’s Vouvray 1ere Trie, and the renowned Tokaji from Disznoko.
If a fortified wine is more your style, we recommend Mas Amiel’s Maury cuvées, as well as port from Niepoort and Quinta da Gaivosa. The perfect companion for a rich, chocolate dessert, these wines will also delight the cheese board fanatics among you!
Finally, it wouldn’t be Christmas without the spirit of generosity. Whether it’s a large format bottle to share with your nearest and dearest, or a special wine presented in its original wooden case, we have whatever you need to make the festivities fantastic.