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I’m just going to come out and say it: this is the best time of the year! I have never been the biggest fan of Christmas but the absolute deliciousness of the holiday finally wore me down, and now I love it. The gifts are nice, if you haven’t been too naughty, but sitting around that dinner table - whoa! It’s just the best thing ever.
Christmas dinners around the world are very different, but they often have a similar rhythm. It usually starts with various different kinds of small bite-sized treats and delicious starters. Then dinner continues to slowly evolve towards some sort of an epic main dish such as turkey or a big ham, followed by some dessert and two-day food coma. But what makes a Christmas dinner truly great is some carefully selected drinks to go with “the best meal of the year". And, of course, the question is: which are the best wines for Christmas 2018?
The best wines for Christmas 2018
Rule number one: don’t overcomplicate things. Good-quality beer is always an excellent and delightfully versatile companion to have on the table. But let’s be honest, without some good wine you can call Santa and tell him that Christmas dinner is canceled. Wine loves Christmas almost as much as I love wine, and that’s a lot! Crisp whites and nuanced reds, plus some tasty dessert wines, are the perfect way to make the atmospheric Christmas evening absolutely unforgettable.
Here is a handful of the best wines to get you through Christmas 2018.
Château de Durette Juliénas Colline les Mouilles
The best Christmas dinner wine is flexible with a wide range of dishes, easy to drink and it delivers a lot of bang for the buck. Beaujolais is just that. A delightfully bright red wine from Juliénas with great acidity and notes of raspberry. Yum!
Charles Heidsieck Réserve Champagne Brut
Champagne is perhaps the most versatile Christmas drink there is. You can serve this with anything, at any given time, and not worry about a thing. An attractive Champagne with the rich and complex flavor profile. The small savory bubbles are like millions of tiny Christmas gifts for your tongue. Perfect as an aperitif but goes well with almost any dish.
Alexander Laible Riesling Trocken Chara
A bottle of good German Riesling is a must-have on the Christmas dinner table. This wine has tons of tropical fruit flavors, nice citrus-like acidity, and it’s just incredibly tasty. A fine “palate cleanser” between heavier dishes.
Yalumba Patchwork Barossa Shiraz
Deeply colored and intense berry fruit flavors with a touch of spice. This sturdy Barossa is as powerful as it is refined. The classic “go big or go home” works well on Christmas, especially if you have a beautiful plate of cheese in front of you. Add a fireplace and you won Christmas.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Moulin Teyroud
The king of all Christmas wines is a debate that will go on forever. However, a good Châteaneuf-du-Pape red must be among the finalists. A beautifully inky and nuanced wine with notes of thyme which will go perfectly with that epic main dish of yours. The slightly herbal and surprisingly smooth finish will make you wish there’s another bottle in the cupboard.
Quinta Vale D. Maria Late Bottled Vintage Port
There is nothing like a good Port Wine to finish a meal. Licorice, pepper and dark fruit with a long lingering finish. This wine is a gamechanger. If you want your family to go to sleep or the guest to leave, do not serve this Port. A good Port always has this crazy delicious energy to it that makes you want to sit around the dinner table until the end of days. And if that’s the case, no better way to finish than a glass of Port.
