Can you believe that we are only one week(ish) away from Christmas?  Did this year just fly by or what?! Every major holiday, I try to come up with some themed wines or wine pairings that would go with that specific holiday meal. So, of course, here are some different options to pair wine with Christmas dinner.

(The wines listed in bold have links to their tasting notes as they are ones I have personally reviewed)

Wine With Christmas Dinner

If You Serve Ham…

If your family likes to have ham with your Christmas dinner, you will want to go with wines that have a hint of sweetness to them, since most hams have a natural or added sweetness as well.

Try serving a Riesling if you want to go with a white. Try going with a Pinot Noir and/or Zinfandel for a red option.

Riesling: Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Riesling, 14 Hands Riesling, Smith-Madrone Riesling

Pinot Noir: Rex Hill, Pacific Redwood “Organic Pinot Noir” ,

Zinfandel: Cameron Hughes Lot 537 Old Vine Zinfandel, Smoking Loon Zinfandel, Ravenswood Zinfandel, Chateau Montelena Zinfandel,

If You Serve Prime Rib…

Prime Rib is a really strong flavored red meat. The bold flavors that brings needs a wine that will match up in intensity and amount of flavors so that it doesn’t get lost. Red wines are going to  be your best bet if this is the route you are going for Christmas dinner. White wines are not as bold in flavor as reds by nature, so unless you have one in mind that is extremely intense in flavor (maybe a very oaky Chardonnay), it would be best to stick with red wine for this pairing.

You can pretty much get away with almost any red wine, besides a Pinot Noir since they aren’t usually a bold and carry more sweetness then intense flavor.

Cabernet Sauvignon: Cameron Hughes Lot 609 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Charles Shaw Cabernet, Chateau Montelena “Cabernet Sauvignon Estate”, Mondavi Cabernet Reserve, Kirkland Cabernet Sauvignon 

Merlot: Challis Lane Merlot, 14 Hands Merlot, Columbia Crest “Grand Estates Merlot”, Rodney Strong “Sonoma County” Merlot, H3 Merlot

Red Blend: Tie Dye Red Blend, Wine Sisterhood “Red Blend and (obviously) Dave Matthews “Crush” Red Blend

Shiraz: Peter Lehman Shiraz, Elderton Wines Shiraz, Shoofly Shiraz

If You Serve Turkey…

You will want to pair this with a wine that is something lighter and one that will bring out all the herbs and herbal flavors that are paired with turkey dinners. A never-fail option is to go with a Sauvignon Blanc.

Take a look at my Thanksgiving Dinner pairings for some great turkey and wine options.

If You Serve Brunch…

To me, this is a no brainer. Brunch to me always equals mimosas. My mom always used to make a big brunch on Christmas Day rather than make a big dinner. It was always full of yummy egg dishes, pastries and different breakfast meats. The acidity from the orange juice always seems to tone down the sweetness of sugary brunch foods. I would go with a dry champagne like a Brut or an Extra-Dry. The Brut will be dry with no added sweetness and the Extra-Dry will be dry but have a touch of sweetness to it if you like that.

How perfect would this “bubbles and bears champagne gift set be from Cameron Hughes Wine? It would make the perfect host gift for whomever is hosting your holiday meal this year as well.

Hope you found some of these pairing ideas helpful. What are you serving for your Christmas meal?

*Cheers to yummy meals with family*