What Wine To Pair With Christmas Dinner?

Every December, the same dusty old wine advice gets wheeled out: "Pair this specific Burgundy with your turkey, that particular Bordeaux with your beef, and for God's sake don't forget the vintage Port for the Stilton".

It all sounds very sophisticated until you actually sit down to Christmas dinner.

Here's what's really on your plate: turkey, ham, three types of potatoes, stuffing with about fourteen herbs in it, pigs in blankets, Brussels sprouts with bacon, bread sauce, cranberry sauce that's both sweet and sharp, gravy, and those honey-glazed carrots your aunt always insists on bringing.

This isn't a carefully composed dish where one wine can shine. This is chaos on a plate (controlled chaos, if you're lucky, but chaos nonetheless).

So let's talk about what actually works, based on how food and wine genuinely interact, not on what sounds impressive.

Why Christmas Dinner Makes Wine Pairing Difficult

The real problem with pairing wine for Christmas dinner is that the strongest flavours aren't coming from the turkey. Turkey is quite mild. The big flavours are coming from everything else: the herby stuffing, the rich gravy, the sweet-and-sour cranberry sauce, the salty bacon from the sprouts.

Wine pairing usually works by matching the wine to the main protein. But when the protein is the blandest thing on the plate and everything else is shouting for attention, you need to think differently. You need wine that can handle multiple strong flavours at once without falling apart or clashing with something.

This means you're looking for wines with three key qualities:

High acidity cuts through rich, fatty, creamy food and stops your palate feeling overwhelmed. It's why sparkling wine works so well with pretty much everything.

Low or moderate tannins prevent clashing with complex, herb-heavy food. Big, tannic red wines taste harsh and bitter when you're eating herby stuffing and cranberry sauce. Turkey doesn't have enough fat to soften strong tannins the way beef does.

Versatility over perfection means choosing something that works reasonably well with everything on your plate, not something that pairs brilliantly with turkey but tastes awful with cranberry sauce.

The Easy Answer: Sparkling Wine

If you only take one thing from this article, take this: good sparkling wine is probably your best bet for Christmas dinner, and not just for the toast.

Sparkling wine works because the bubbles and high acidity cut through rich food beautifully. It refreshes your palate between bites. It doesn't clash with the sweet elements (cranberry sauce) or the salty elements (bacon, ham, gravy). It works with turkey, works with ham, works with most of the sides, and even works with cheese later.

Champagne

Champagne is obviously the luxury option. If you're splashing out, go for something Brut or Extra Brut (dry styles) rather than anything sweet. A Blanc de Blancs (made entirely from Chardonnay grapes) is particularly good because it's got that crisp, citrusy character that cuts through butter and cream.

English Sparkling Wine

Take the opportunity to bang the patriotic drum. English sparkling wine genuinely rivals Champagne in quality now. It's got the same bright acidity and fine bubbles, and supporting British producers whilst serving traditional British Christmas dinner has a certain logic to it.

Cava

Cava from Spain offers brilliant value. Look for Brut Nature or Brut Reserva, these are bone-dry styles that work beautifully with food rather than feeling sweet. You can often find excellent Cava for £10-15 that performs as well as much pricier Champagne when dealing with the complexity of Christmas dinner.

Prosecco

Prosecco works, though it's generally lighter and softer than Champagne or Cava. Fine for a casual meal, but if you're looking for something that can really handle the richness of Christmas dinner, go for something with a bit more structure.

If You're Drinking White Wine

White wines for Christmas dinner need to have enough body to stand up to rich food, and enough acidity to cut through it. Thin, light whites just disappear.

The Safe Bet: Chardonnay

Chablis (which is Chardonnay from a specific region in France) is excellent. It's crisp, mineral, and completely unoaked, so you get pure, clean flavour with serious acidity. That acidity is perfect for cutting through buttery sides and herb-heavy stuffing.

If you want something richer, go for an oaked Chardonnay, something from Burgundy if you're splashing the cash, or from California or Australia if you want better value. The fuller body matches the weight of the meal, and if it's got some richness from oak ageing, that complements the whole feel of Christmas dinner.

Just avoid anything too heavily oaked. You want the oak to support the wine, not dominate it.

The Alternative: Aromatic Whites

Viognier (one of my favourites) is worth trying if you want something a bit different. It's got an aromatic character (think apricot, peach, floral notes) and a rich texture that works surprisingly well with herb-heavy stuffing and roasted vegetables.

Pinot Gris (the proper Alsace style, not watery Italian Pinot Grigio) has body and a slight oiliness that handles rich food well.

For both of these, you want something with weight. Light, crisp aromatics will just get lost.

If You're Drinking Red Wine

Red wine with Christmas dinner is trickier because you've got to avoid tannins clashing with the complexity of the plate. Big, structured reds like Cabernet Sauvignon or Barolo are generally too much. The tannins taste harsh and bitter against herby stuffing and cranberry sauce.

The Best Red: Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is the safest red wine choice for Christmas dinner, and there's actual reasons for this rather than just wine snobbery.

It's got low tannins, so it doesn't clash with the trimmings. It's got red fruit flavours (cherry, strawberry, raspberry) that actually complement cranberry sauce rather than fighting with it. It's light enough not to overwhelm turkey. And it's got enough complexity to be interesting.

Burgundy is the classic region, but it's expensive and the quality is inconsistent unless you know what you're buying.

New Zealand Pinot Noir is much more reliable for the money, fruitier and more approachable.

Oregon makes excellent Pinot Noir that sits somewhere between Burgundy's elegance and New Zealand's fruit.

Serve Pinot Noir slightly cooler than room temperature (about 15-16°C). It works better that way with food.

The Alternative Red: Beaujolais

Beaujolais (made from Gamay grapes) is another light, low-tannin red that works well. It's fruit-forward, refreshing, and doesn't take itself too seriously. The cherry and raspberry flavours work nicely with cranberry sauce.

Avoid Beaujolais Nouveau (the stuff that came out in November), it's too thin and simple. Look for proper Beaujolais or one of the Cru Beaujolais villages like Morgon or Fleurie.

You can, again, serve Beaujolais slightly chilled, which makes it surprisingly refreshing with rich food.

If You Want Something With More Body

Rioja Crianza or Reserva gives you more structure without overwhelming tannins. The oak ageing adds complexity, and there's enough acidity to handle rich gravy.

Merlot works if it's a softer style. Avoid anything too big. Chilean or Californian Merlot is often a safe bet.

Rhône blends (wines with Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre) can work if you're serving really rich sides like spiced red cabbage. They've got spicy, herby notes that complement those flavours. But they're quite full-bodied, so they're better if you're not serving turkey.

What About Ham?

If you're serving glazed ham alongside your turkey (or instead of it), the pairing changes slightly because you're dealing with salt and sweetness together.

The salt content in ham is high, and if there's a honey or maple glaze involved, you've got significant sweetness as well. Wines need to handle both.

Off-Dry Riesling

Off-dry Riesling is brilliant with ham. The slight sweetness complements the glaze, and the high acidity cuts through both the fat and the saltiness. German Riesling (look for Kabinett or Spätlese on the label) is ideal, though it can seem unusual to people who only drink super-dry wines.

Fruity Pinot Noir

Fruity Pinot Noir works well (again) because the fruit character complements ham's sweetness, and the acidity balances the salt.

Lambrusco

Lambrusco, yes, the slightly fizzy, slightly sweet Italian red wine, is actually great with heavily glazed ham. It's refreshing, the bubbles cut through fat, and the sweetness matches the glaze. It's unconventional, but it genuinely works, honestly.

Starters: The Easy Course

Starters are straightforward because you're dealing with one main flavour rather than eight different things competing on the plate.

Smoked Salmon

The oiliness and smoky character of smoked salmon need wines with high acidity and a mineral quality.

Champagne or English sparkling wine is the traditional choice and it's traditional because it works. The acidity and bubbles cut through the oiliness perfectly.

Chablis, Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé are all classic pairings. Clean, zesty, and they handle the richness well.

If someone absolutely insists on red wine with smoked salmon (which is odd but fine), it needs to be very light. A cool-climate Pinot Noir is about the only thing that won't taste wrong.

Prawn Cocktail

Yes, people still serve prawn cocktail, and there's nothing wrong with that. The Marie Rose sauce (basically mayo and ketchup) needs something crisp and citrusy.

Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño (Spanish white with lovely acidity and a slightly salty character), or Vermentino (Italian, crisp, refreshing) all work perfectly.

Pâté

Depends entirely on the type. Rich duck or game pâté can handle a light red or even something sweet like Sauternes. Chicken liver pâté works with medium-bodied whites or light reds.

Alternative Mains: Goose, Duck, and Beef

If You're Serving Goose or Duck Instead of Turkey

Goose and duck are much richer and fattier than turkey, which changes everything. You need wines with much higher acidity to cut through all that fat.

Dry Riesling from Alsace is excellent. The high acidity manages the fat, and the aromatic character (sometimes a bit of sweet spice, grapefruit, petrol notes) handles the gamey flavour.

Gewürztraminer (also from Alsace) works if you're doing a fruit stuffing with the goose. It's aromatic, slightly exotic, and the bit of residual sweetness complements apricot or apple stuffing beautifully.

For red wine, you can go a bit bigger than you would with turkey. Pinot Noir still works, but you could also try a Chianti Classico or even a Barolo. The higher tannins and acidity cut through the fat.

If You're Serving Beef

If you're doing roast beef for Christmas, you can go much bigger with the wine. Beef has enough fat and protein to soften strong tannins, and it can handle full-bodied, structured reds.

Bordeaux is the classic choice, particularly Left Bank styles like Pauillac or Saint-Émilion if you're splashing out.

Cabernet Sauvignon from anywhere works well. Australian, Argentinian, Chilean, all good options at various price points.

Malbec from Argentina is excellent with beef. Bold fruit, good structure, usually reasonably priced.

Rhône reds like Châteauneuf-du-Pape work if you want something with a bit more spice and complexity.

If you're serving horseradish sauce with the beef, you want wines with a bit of oak or smoky character. The cedar notes in some barrel-aged wines complement the heat of the horseradish.

The Practical Strategy

Here's what actually makes sense when you're planning Christmas wine:

For Christmas Dinner Itself

• Have both sparkling wine and still wine available. Sparkling works all the way through if people prefer it.
• Choose one versatile white (Chablis or good Chardonnay) and one versatile red (Pinot Noir or Beaujolais).
• Make sure everything's at the right temperature: reds slightly cool (15-16°C), whites properly chilled (8-12°C depending on style).

Quantities

• Plan for about half a bottle per person for dinner, plus whatever you're drinking before and after.
• Buy more than you think you need. You can always drink it later, and running out is worse than having leftovers.

Budget Wisely

• With all the strong flavours on a Christmas plate, a £15 bottle often works just as well as a £50 bottle.
• Save expensive wines for when you can actually appreciate them properly, not when you're eating eight different things at once.

The Right Glassware for Christmas

Whilst we're talking about what to drink, it's worth mentioning that how you serve wine matters almost as much as which wine you choose.

For sparkling wines, avoid those tall, thin flutes that look elegant but hide all the flavour. Egg-shaped Champagne glasses allow the wine to breathe whilst still maintaining the bubbles, letting you actually taste the complexity rather than just fizz.

For Pinot Noir, which is likely to be your red wine choice, you want a generous bowl that emphasises the delicate aromatics. The Burgundy-style glass shape directs the wine to the parts of your palate that best appreciate Pinot's red fruit character.

For Chardonnay or other full-bodied whites, a medium-sized glass with a slightly tapered rim concentrates the aromatics whilst allowing the wine to breathe.

The science behind varietal-specific glassware isn't pretentious wine snobbery. Different glass shapes genuinely deliver wine to different parts of your palate, emphasising different characteristics. When you're serving quality wine at Christmas, serving it in appropriate glassware lets everyone appreciate what you've chosen.

The Truth About Wine Pairing at Christmas

Wine pairing for Christmas dinner isn't about finding the one perfect bottle that transforms the meal. It's about having wine that works well enough with the food that it doesn't distract from what matters: enjoying a good meal with people you care about.

The wine you choose should complement the food, not dominate it. It should refresh your palate between bites, not add to the overwhelming richness. And crucially, it should be something people actually want to drink, not something you've chosen because it sounds impressive.

Get something decent that handles the complexity of the plate, make sure it's at the right temperature, have both red and white available, and then stop worrying about it. You've got enough to stress about at Christmas without agonising over whether your Pinot Noir is showing enough forest floor notes to complement the sage stuffing.

And if your family has always drunk the same wine at Christmas and everyone loves it, keep doing that.

Christmas wine isn't about perfection. It's about keeping the table happy, the glasses full, and the meal joyful.

So, Happy Christmas. May your turkey be moist, your wine be decent, and your relatives be tolerable.

Next week: We'll cover vegetarian mains, Christmas pudding, cheese boards, and what to drink with Boxing Day leftovers.