Choosing the Right Wines for Your Christmas Celebration

By Laura Conde, wine writer 

Wines play an important role in our holiday meal planning. Making the right choice can be hard for hosts, who have to make compromises to please all palates while bringing out the best in the food, from aperitif to post-meal conversation. 

Some might be considering an ambitious evening built around extensive wine and food pairings comprised of various components. This is a complicated option, especially if you are bringing together people with different tastes and preferences. Organizing every aspect of such an important day is inherently stressful and choosing the wines – as well as opening, serving, and storing them properly and changing glasses for each new bottle – adds another layer of complexity. It is therefore best to keep things simple and precise, both in terms of the wine list and the holiday menu, by opting for crowd pleasers that combine quality and versatility. 

A Christmas table setting awaits a guest 

Take Your Time

Waiting until the last minute to choose your wines is never a good idea. There is always a last-minute detail that demands our attention, from adding a finishing touch to the decoration to buying bread, frying croquettes, or even rushing out to get that one gift we haven’t found yet. The days before the festivities are usually taken up with shopping and cooking, so it is best to have the wines ready ahead of time since they can be stored easily and do not spoil. In fact, it is a good idea to keep an eye out for special deals during the weeks or even months leading up to Christmas to purchase the wines we want at a good price, try them without being in a rush, and take our time to consider food pairings that do them justice.

Wines at the Service of Food

Some of us love long complex menus, each item carefully paired with a specific wine, whereas others are partial to a “less is more” philosophy, in terms of both food and drink. A few select dishes and wines – in abundance and of excellent quality – are enough to turn a dinner into a glamorous affair. 

Fortunately, we have moved beyond the old-fashioned notion that reds go with meat and whites with fish, so everyone can choose the wine they like best without worrying about these classic (and by now obsolete) rules. All you really need is a fresh versatile white and a young red, perhaps with a touch of oak, so your guests have a choice. Or you could combine the white with appetizers and starters, and the red with meats and stews. We can round out our wine list with a dessert wine and a sparkling wine for a festive toast. 

Read the Table

Before making any decision and trying and comparing wines, it is important to assess your Christmas guest list and choose your bottles based on who is coming to dinner. Older generations often prefer classic oak-aged reds with a potent personality, which pair beautifully with oven roasts traditionally served at Christmas time. Younger people or those less accustomed to drinking wine might prefer a fruity white or a rosé all-rounder: both can be good compromises to cover the entire meal, from aperitif to dessert.  What if you are hosting a round of connoisseurs? A natural wine from some little-known appellation of origin is sure to cause a sensation.  

The Correct Temperature

During the Christmas holidays, the fridge tends to be stacked to the rafters, so keeping the wine at the correct temperature can be a major headache.  If the bottles don’t fit in the fridge or freezer, the go-to option is usually a bucket of ice. Whites and rosés should be kept in an ice bucket at the table to make sure they maintain their ideal temperature. This ranges from 8 to 9ºC for young whites and 10 to 12ºC for more full-bodied ones. As for reds, young wines are best served at 10 to 14ºC, whereas their oak-aged siblings can handle 14 to 18ºC.  Keeping an eye on the serving temperature is important, even when it comes to reds, because if we leave them sitting out in the kitchen at room temperature, the heat from the stove will most likely make them too warm. 

How Much Wine to Buy

Given how Christmas tends to be a season of long meals and endless conversations around the table, it is easy to exceed the classic recommendation of one bottle for every four people. The best is to estimate a little higher and calculate one bottle for every three people, plus having a couple extras to make sure you never run out of wine. Most likely one of the wines will be a big hit, for whatever reason, and having a couple more bottles on hand for an encore will make everyone happy. 

Winning Combinations

Those of us determined to up the ante on complexity and go for precise pairings aimed at pleasing very discerning palates should keep a few basic rules in mind. If the appetizers revolve around Ibérico cured hams, remember that this type of charcuterie pairs beautifully with a Fino sherry, or that foie finds a good friend in sweet wines (and chocolate!), and off-dry wines can turn dessert into something truly spectacular.   If the meal is built around seafood, an Albariño or Chardonnay are your best bet, although a young red or light rosé can also make for an exceptional match. 

The red wine Purgatori, a Familia Torres property, pairs perfectly with organic roast chicken cannelloni topped with Ibérico ham bechamel and gravy 

What Wine Should I Bring?

If you are invited to a Christmas gathering and wish to bring your hosts a bottle of wine, several factors are worth considering.  One good option is to bring a wine from where we live or come from or from a place we visited recently, because viniculture is among the most delightful ways of getting to know the characteristics of a particular place. 

Here it is also important to choose a wine that will please a wide range of palates, especially if we don’t know who will be joining us at the table. Renowned wines from leading appellations of origin are always a safe bet compared to lesser-known and more daring options, which are best saved for a different occasion. 

Milmanda, a white wine from DO Conca de Barberà, a Familia Torres property 

The Importance of Glassware

Serving a great wine is pointless if a poor choice of glassware or a low-quality corkscrew could ruin the experience. Christmas is the season to bring out our finest glasses and, if necessary, update or upgrade our bottle openers so that nothing stands in the way of our shared enjoyment. 

Details Make All the Difference

As hosts, we should know a thing or two about the wines we are serving so we can describe their attributes to our guests – after all, wine love is contagious! Serving tip: fill glasses halfway (or even three-quarters) and make sure they are never completely empty.  And remember to keep plenty of water on the table as well and provide each guest with a water glass.