Which wine should you pour with Christmas dinner? That depends mostly on what is on the plate. Below we walk through the menu course by course: what works, why, and at what temperature. Every bottle comes from our own selection. This is a buying guide, not a ranking.
The product pages show current prices, vintages and availability; these can change, so the price bands below are only a guide. We deliver to the Netherlands and Belgium, with free standard shipping from €250 and €8.95 below that, and also to Germany and Luxembourg (€8.95), Austria, France, Spain, Italy and Portugal (€14.95), plus Switzerland (€14.95). In Maastricht you can collect free of charge by appointment. Browse our red wines or the full shop.
Quick guide: which wine with which course?
- Aperitif: Guerrieri Spumante or Gosset Grande Réserve.
- Fish, shellfish or soup: Les Truffières Chablis.
- Turkey or duck: Bramìto della Sala or Grand'Cour Fleurie.
- Game: Pio Cesare Barolo or Janasse Cuvée Chaupin.
- Beef, braises or a tabletop grill: Cignomoro Primitivo or Altesino Brunello.
- Vegetarian: Ghercina Barbaresco or Valenciso Rioja Blanco.
- Cheese and dessert: ORO dei Guerrieri or La Gatta Moscato d'Asti.
Aperitif and Christmas bubbles
Bubbles open the evening: they are fresh and cope with salty nibbles better than still wine. You can read more about the differences in from Prosecco to Champagne.
The Guerrieri Spumante is based on Bianchello, with citrus, white flowers, green apple and a mineral finish. It suits shellfish and costs under fifteen euros. Serve at 6 to 8 degrees.
The 47 Anno Domini Prosecco DOC Spumante is an organic Glera with fine, persistent bubbles, fruity and floral aromas and a good balance between acidity and softness. An easy choice for a table full of different nibbles; serve it at 4 to 6 degrees.
For the toast there is the Gosset Grande Réserve Brut Champagne: lemon tart and mirabelle plum on the nose, a creamy, soft attack and at least four years in the cellar before disgorgement. All options are in our sparkling wines.
Starters: wine with fish, seafood, carpaccio and soup
With the starter you want freshness and precision, not power yet.
The Domaine Jean Collet Les Truffières Chablis 2022 combines the freshness of Chablis with extra ripeness: citrus, green apple, stone fruit, honey and a saline minerality. The classic choice with oysters, shellfish and grilled fish. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees.
With smoked salmon or tuna carpaccio, pour the Kreyss Alto Adige DOC Weissburgunder: green apple, pear and citrus, a saline minerality and a creamy texture from ageing on fine lees. Serve at 8 to 10 degrees.
For a clear soup, the simple Guerrieri Bianchello del Metauro DOC does the job for under ten euros: peach, white pear and white flowers, fresh and harmonious, with low alcohol. Serve at 10 degrees. More styles are in our white wines.
Wine with Christmas turkey and poultry
Turkey is mild; the stuffing and gravy often matter more than the meat. Two directions work: a full-bodied white or a light, juicy red with soft tannins.
The Marchesi Antinori Bramìto della Sala Chardonnay 2025 comes from Umbria. Part of it ferments in wood and part in steel, so richness and freshness go together: yellow apple, citrus and almond, with a long, saline finish. Serve at 8 to 10 degrees.
Duck, guinea fowl or turkey with a fruity sauce calls for a red with silky tannins. The Domaine de la Grand'Cour Fleurie Clos de la Grand'Cour 2023 is an organic Gamay from old vines on granite: raspberry, cherry, violets and pepper, supple and lively. Serve it lightly chilled, at 14 to 16 degrees.
A quieter red under twenty euros is the Altùris Pinot Nero 2024 from Friuli: redcurrant, blackberry and raspberry, a soft texture and more elegance than power.
Wine with game: venison, wild boar and game stew
Game is darker and spicier than beef, and the sauces are often sweet with berries or red wine. Choose a wine with structure, fruit and freshness.
With venison steak or saddle of hare we choose the Pio Cesare Barolo 2020. Nebbiolo with red cherry, rose, orange peel, liquorice and tar, fresh acidity and ripe tannins. Give it plenty of air in a decanter.
For a game stew or wild boar in a rich sauce, try the Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin 2021: one hundred per cent Grenache from vines over a hundred years old, with cherries, raspberries, garrigue and lavender. Full and velvety, with surprising freshness.
From the Marche comes the Guerrieri Guerriero Della Terra: Montepulciano and Sangiovese with black fruit, sweet blackberries, balsamic and menthol. The late harvest gives it a slightly sweet touch that suits the usual game garnishes. More reds are in our Italian wines.
Wine with beef, braised meat and a tabletop grill
At a Dutch-style tabletop grill (gourmetten) everything ends up on the plate, from steak to prawns and sweet or spicy sauces. Choose a red with ripe fruit and soft tannins.
The Cignomoro Primitivo di Manduria DOC 2023 is the logical start: plum, cherry, blackberry, chocolate and a hint of vanilla, full and soft, with the subtle sweetness of Primitivo. More from the region is in our Puglia wines.
The Guerrieri Guerriero Nero blends Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Cabernet Sauvignon into a red with black fruit, violets, vanilla and cocoa, made for stews and red meat. It costs under fifteen euros.
With roast beef or beef stew, pour the Altesino Brunello di Montalcino 2020: violets, wild berries, tobacco and undergrowth, dry and velvety with fresh acidity. Serve at 18 to 20 degrees.
Vegetarian Christmas dinner: which wine?
Mushrooms, truffle and roasted root vegetables call for an earthy red; a vegetable dish or creamy bake calls for a white with body.
The Cascina Ghercina Barbaresco DOCG 2023 is Nebbiolo from Piedmont with balsamic nuances and a supple tannic structure, aged for eighteen months in large Slavonian oak. It suits mushroom risotto. The Pio Cesare Barolo from the game section also works with truffle and mushrooms.
With a vegetable dish, pour the Valenciso Rioja Blanco: Viura and Grenache Blanc from old vines, six months in oak, with citrus, fresh bread and a fresh, lively palate. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees. More in our Spanish wines.
Wine with cheese and dessert
After the main course you choose sweetness or power. More in our guide which wine with which cheese.
With aged cheese, the Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2020 is our regular choice: dried plum, fig, marasca cherry and cocoa, warm and full. Serve at 18 degrees. In best Amarone wine we compare it with other bottles.
The Guerrieri ORO dei Guerrieri is a passito from dried Verdicchio, amber, sweet and enveloping. It suits cheese and foie gras; serve at 10 to 12 degrees.
With a fruit dessert, try the Vite Colte La Gatta Moscato d'Asti: lightly sparkling, 5% alcohol, orange blossom and peach. If chocolate comes to the table, the Guerrieri L'Amico Ciliegia, made from Sangiovese and wild black cherries, is a sweet, round finish.
How much wine do you need for Christmas dinner?
A 75 cl bottle gives six glasses. Count on one glass per person per course, and one and a half to two for the aperitif and main course. For six guests with an aperitif and three courses, that comes to two bottles of fizz, one white, two to three reds and one dessert wine: roughly a bottle per person. Buy one extra bottle of the main-course wine; whatever stays closed will keep.
Red wine belongs at 16 to 18 degrees, cooler than most living rooms, so keep it away from the radiator. White goes into the fridge a few hours ahead and comes out ten minutes before pouring. A young Barolo, Brunello or Amarone benefits from one to two hours in a decanter; a light Gamay or Pinot Noir does not. Which glass to use is covered in which glass for which wine.
Wine as a Christmas gift or hamper
Put together your own Christmas hamper with a Prosecco, a red for the main course and a dessert wine. A bottle looks better in our Wijnkistjes, wooden boxes for standard bottles, magnums and jeroboams; they are delivered empty. If you don't know the recipient's taste, there is the digital NEVINI Giftcard, valid for all wines in the webshop. More ideas on wine as a gift.
Frequently asked questions about Christmas dinner wine
Which wine goes with Christmas turkey?
A full-bodied white with fresh acidity, such as the Bramìto della Sala, or a light red with soft tannins, such as the Fleurie.
Red or white wine with Christmas dinner?
Both, spread across the courses. Bubbles and white with the aperitif and starter, red once beef or game arrives. With poultry, white can stay on the table.
Which wine with a tabletop grill?
A red with ripe fruit and soft tannins, such as the Cignomoro Primitivo. Put a fresh white alongside for the fish and prawns.
Which wine goes with game?
A red with structure, spice and freshness. Venison suits the Pio Cesare Barolo; game stew or wild boar suits the Janasse Cuvée Chaupin.
Can you have wine delivered for Christmas?
Yes. We deliver to the Netherlands and Belgium and also to countries including Germany, Luxembourg and France. In the Netherlands and Belgium, standard shipping is free from €250; below that it costs €8.95. We do not promise a delivery date, so it is best not to order at the last minute. Collection in Maastricht is free by appointment, see buying wine in Maastricht.
Drink responsibly. 18+
