How to Pick Wine That Will Work with Christmas Lunch

I’ve probably mentioned before that my approach to wine selection is randomness at its best – what’s on offer, what takes my fancy or what’s a type I haven’t had before are my three main methods.  When the meal in question is Christmas lunch, however, I feel the need to pick wine a little more professionally, so I decided to do some research on the topic and here’s what I found.

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A drink before the meal

Lots of us like to start Christmas with a little drink to celebrate and to open the festivities.  Champagne is very popular for this or you can go for a sparkling white wine if you want something a little more budget friendly.  Prosecco and some of the simple Prosecco cocktails are also ideal for this.

Not only that but sparkling wines work well with some of the seafood based starters we enjoy at Christmas.  So if you have things like smoked salmon or dish as a starter, then keep that bubbly in hand.  It also works well with some vegetable starters and poultry terrines.

Starters and wine

If you don’t want drinks before the food, then you need to choose your first wine based on what you are serving for a starter. Smoked salmon or seafood dishes are popular at Christmas, contrasting nicely with the main course.

If you are choosing a wine to go with this kind of starter, then look for something that is lightly acidic to counter the richness of the food.  A Riesling can be a good choice or a Gewürztraminer though this can also be a chance to bring in some champagne or other sparkling white wine!

Pick wine for turkey

Many of us will have a focus on turkey for Christmas and it remains top of the charts in terms of traditional meats for the lunch.  There are two things to remember about turkey that affect wine choice:

• It doesn’t have a strong taste
• It doesn’t have a lot of fat (which is why it dries out when overcooked)

But how does that affect the choice of wine to pair with turkey?

Tannin is an ingredient of wine that interacts with the fat in food and enhances the taste of both.  But if the meat doesn’t have a lot of fat, like turkey, then lots of tannins are a bad thing.  This means if you are looking for a red wine for the meal, go for one with medium tannin. 

So what does that mean? This means something like a Pinot Noir or a Beaujolais Cru.  You can also go with something like a claret, a chianti or a rioja but look for one that’s a few years old as the tannins soften after time and this makes for a good pairing with turkey.

White wine may not be the most popular choice with Christmas lunch but a good Chardonnay will be ideal, especially if you have bread sauce with it like my husband.  The creamy acid flavours of the chardonnay give a boost to the dry turkey.  If you can find one, a white burgundy is another good alternative.

Other main courses

We often have two meats in our house on Christmas lunch – turkey and beef.  So, this means picking wine for Christmas lunch can be either selecting for one or the other or just picking a favourite. 

For beef on its own, if you have a low fat cut of meat then stick with low tannin wines much the same as with turkey.  Cabernet Sauvignon or red Bordeaux are good choices.

If you go for goose or duck for the meal, then the oiliness of these meats work well with red wines that have a high acidity such as a red Burgundy.  In terms of white wines, go for those that are a little sweet such as a Riesling.

Christmas pudding

Many of us enjoy a spot of Christmas pudding after the meal and brandy or whiskey sauce is a common accompaniment with the dish.  But if you want something to drink alongside it then head towards the port aisle rather than the wine. 

A good tawny port is ideal to match up with the nutty flavours in the pudding.  Port is also perfect to match up with cheese boards if you are a cheese fan or plan to add that final course after the pudding.

Other ideas for dessert pairings

Personally, I’m not a Christmas pudding fan so if I manage a dessert after Christmas lunch, it will be something else.

If you choose something seasonal like a pumpkin pie, then look for a sweet wine with a good acidity.  Loire Valley French wines can be perfect for this while Sauvignon Blanc is another good option.

I tend to opt for something chocolate based for a pudding.  Interestingly, it depends on the type of chocolate in the pudding as to what wine is best.  Dark chocolate can suffer from too much tannins so something with a little sweetness can pair well.  For milk chocolate, look at things like Pinot Gris or tawny port.  And if you are a white chocolate fan, rose wine or lighter Pinot Noir are perfect.

Choose a favourite wine pairing

Of course, there’s no rule that says you have to go with these ideas – it’s about what you like and enjoy.  As a kid, we always had a bottle of Asti Spumante with Christmas lunch as my parents aren’t wine drinkers and it was the only one they liked.  I still enjoy a glass of it now!

What’s your favourite wine?  And how do you pick what wine you are going to drink with a meal?