Christmas is a time for eating and drinking in grand style. Sparkling wine bubbles as an aperitif, fish calls for white wine, and ham needs a good red. We've gathered all the wines for the Christmas table in one place and found options that work on a small budget and a slightly larger one.
Sparkling wines for the Christmas celebration – pop open some classics for starters
Cheers! Let's pop open a festive drink and pour bubbly glasses. An aperitif nicely awakens the appetite. A dry or extra dry sparkling wine works well as a starter.
Which quality sparkling wine should it be, Italian Prosecco or French Crémant?
Tosti Prosecco Extra Dry refreshes the palate and brings something special to the table – a joyful festive feeling.
You can always trust the high quality of this sparkling wine from the hills of Canelli in Italy, as this bubbly is the work of Tosti's experienced and skilled 200-year-old family business.
We also give extra points for the fact that this approachable and briskly bubbling wine also suits a vegan diet.
May I join the party? Of course – a spot at the table is squeezed out for such a fine guest.
From the esteemed Alsace wine region comes Wolfberger Crémant d'Alsace Brut from the Wolfberger winery, which specializes in Crémants.
The handsome bottle tells of equally handsome contents, and inside you'll find a crisp and balanced companion.
It's typical for Crémants to express their home region, and getting to know these French quality sparkling wines is excellent to start with this very classic.
What does the Alsace region taste like? Find out!
Safe choices from the white wine shelf for the fish course
Eternally trendy Riesling for the fish course, or would it be time to try Chardonnay at its most charming, in the form of delicious Chablis?
Both are excellent fish wines, so here (too) you can and should go purely by feel.
Specifically titled as a fish wine, Brocard Chablis Sainte Claire Organic is a fresh and upright organic wine. If you're also serving seaweed roe at the fish course, you can confidently serve this vegan white wine.
The grapes come from the southern slope of the village of Préhy, whose soil is Kimmeridgian with layers of limestone and clay. You can even find fossils there. The taste is pleasantly citrusy and green apple-like.
Even if you're not normally a fan of the Chardonnay grape, try it in the form of Chablis. You might fall in love!
If you're a Riesling enthusiast, you probably already know the Alsace treasure, Wolfberger Riesling.
Riesling is one of the world's best white wine grapes, and it's hard not to love it. The producer of this wine, Wolfberger, is the region's largest, and its production follows sustainable development principles.
Wolfberger Riesling also works for vegans, so if there's "vege-fish" like carrot lox at the table, this is a perfect match for that too.
Has summer arrived in the middle of winter – Try rosé with the Christmas table's vegetable dishes
From the fish course to the vegetables, meaning the casseroles and beetroot salad. Rosé is by no means just a summer drink, but an unmatched food wine with vegetables and fish.
Barton&Guestier Côtes de Provence Passeport Rosé is a French passport, and this Provence rosé from the land of eternal summer brings lovely strawberry and floral notes.
An equally versatile table guest is the fruity charmer Barth Riesling Fructus, true to its name, where the Barth family made a good Riesling even better.
Should we actually have these for the entire meal...? Why not!
The reddest bottles of Christmas to pair with ham
Red wine with ham and ham with red wine. Here are a couple of good ones we wouldn't trade.
The delicious Ironstone Old Vine Zinfandel is an American wine without equal. It represents elegance and balance in a wine style that's easily overdone. For a Zinfandel, this is only medium-bodied, and the alcohol content stays at a moderate 14.5%.
Fun fact: Zinfandel is a typical variety for California, but it's actually been proven to be the same grape as Primitivo in Southern Italy. Surprising, but delicious!
Speaking of Italy, there's also the smooth Casa Charlize Cuvee Forte Toscana Rosso IGT. A suitably full-bodied but not heavy-feeling glass.
Psst... This is also available as a generous and long-lasting bag-in-box for larger groups.
The best flavor pairings for desserts and cheeses
Even though your belly is, so to speak, already full, there's still a separate stomach for dessert.
The dessert table wines speak the same language as sweet treats, and Messias 20 Anos Port and Baron de Ley Semi Dulce shine here. So what's on the dessert table?
A good first encounter with port wines is Messias 20 Anos Port. Port wines are wonderfully sweet, and there's no need to be shy about them.
This discovery offers a blend of two decades of aging, where the oldest port wines provide depth and the younger ones bring freshness and acidity. The price of such port wines can often be quite high, but here the value for money is really spot-on.
Roasted nuts or almonds and cheeses or fruit and chocolate treats caress the taste buds alongside this. Or with this sweetness, really any dessert works – put it to the test and tell us what you thought!
Sweet Baron de Ley Semi Dulce may be familiar from summer's floral glory. However, this bottle also fits beautifully on the Christmas table! The beautifully packaged wine also works as a table decoration with elves and evergreens.
Baron de Ley Semi Dulce pairs especially well with fruit treats, like fruit salad, Christmas tarts topped with plum marmalade, or even grandma's mixed fruit soup.
It's also perfect for green grapes and holiday table confections. You choose the treats, it will accompany!
Order the Christmas table wines!
Ordering is easy. By clicking ”Go to order”, you will be taken to the Alko online store, where these wines have already been selected for you. You can add the wines you want to your shopping cart and choose delivery to your preferred store. Alko is responsible for the order, and there is no extra charge for ordering.
