Not sure what to serve with your Christmas menu? We put together our favourite drinks fit for a festive feast.
Aperitifs
Get the meal started with a range of appetite stimulating sips.
Lillet Rose
Lillet is a classic French aperitif, made from wines and fruit in the south of Bordeaux. Expect flavours of orange blossom and grapefruit with a lovely bitter finish. Best served as a Lillet Rose Spritz.
Lillet Rose Spritz
50ml Lillet Rose
10ml Elderflower cordial
75ml Premium tonic
Lime
Build in a wine glass with ice. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Didsbury Gin Rhubarb & Ginger
This spicy, fruit flavoured gin is the perfect aperitif to get the tastebuds tingling. To really launch Christmas in style, try the Didsbury Rhubarb Spritz.
Didsbury Rhubarb Spritz
50ml Didsbury Gin Rhubarb & Ginger
Prosecco
Soda
Fresh Raspberries
Add ingredients to a spritz glass, top with Prosecco and garnish with fresh raspberries.
Graham's Blend No.5 White Port
Graham’s Blend No.5 is a delicate and floral take on white port with just a hint of oxidative character. With a clean and crisp flavour profile it’s delightful alone or with tonic for a classic Portuguese aperitif.
Baked Camembert
Tis the season to indulge, cue warm melty cheese with rosemary and garlic.
Wild Life Botanicals
Sometimes when pairing a wine to something rich and creamy, you need it to be crisp, clean and refreshing to cut through the heaviness. This, as well as their delicate herbal character, makes Wild Life Botanicals a perfect companion for a rosemary baked camembert. Offer this ultra-low alcohol wine for those customers looking for a lighter start to their festive feast.
Nederburg The Manor Chardonnay
The warm sunny regions of the Western Cape in South Africa lend a richness to this classic expression of chardonnay. With a creamy texture and juicy stone fruit, it has the weight to balance a dish like baked camembert.
Seafood
Whether baked lobster tail or freshly shucked oysters, seafood is a perfect Christmas treat.
Terrazas Selection Torrontes
Torrontes is considered by many to be the national grape of Argentina and is famously aromatic and fresh. This expression, with gorgeous citrus and floral character is the perfect match for a more subtly flavoured fish dish, like a salmon tartare. But with crisp acidity, it will also cut through the richer seafoods like lobster. A truly versatile drop!
Gérard Bertrand Orange Gold
This unique Southern French wine is made by leaving white grape skins in contact with the juice. The result is smooth and structured with just a hint of bitterness and plenty of white flower and candied citrus flavour. It’s a perfect partner for more intensely flavoured seafood dishes like a buttery baked lobster tail.
Orchard Pig Reveller
Reveller has a generous apple aroma, drawing you in to a crisp, refreshing cider. With a tangy note of freshly squeezed lime, it pairs wonderfully with a luscious baked lobster topped with a zingy lemon dressing.
Adrien Maréchal Sancerre
This Loire Valley Sancerre is full of crisp ripe acidity and gooseberry fruit flavour. Best paired with a lighter flavoured shellfish, like oysters with a shallot vinaigrette or grilled white fish with lemon.
Sant'Helena Pinot Grigio
This wine from the northern Italy region of Friuli-Venezia is a flavourful Pinot Grigio with aromatic floral notes amongst white
fruit flavours. Like many light-bodied Italian whites, it is the ideal partner for seafood, especially briny, ocean-flavoured oysters.
Honey Baked Ham
Smoky, rich, delicious.
Gérard Bertrand 6éme Sens Red
Full of red fruit flavours and spice, this blend from the South of France is well structured with smooth tannins. The balance of flavours is perfectly pitched to offset a sweet and savoury baked Christmas ham.
St Hallett Faith Shiraz
For a richer, more full-bodied red, try this St Hallett Shiraz from the legendary Barossa estate. The palate is entwined with pepper spice and a savoury finish; all the better to enjoy a ham baked with honey and cloves.
Innis & Gunn The Original
Maturation in single malt whisky barrels lends this beer an incredible smoothness with hints of vanilla, toffee, and oak. The depth of flavour makes it a great beer for pairing with a rich dish like Christmas ham, with gravy and all the trimmings of course.
Christmas Turkey
No introduction necessary for this Christmas staple.
Durbanville Hills Chenin Blanc
A richer white meat, turkey demands a fuller bodied white wine, like this South African Chenin Blanc. A fragrant blend of ripe tropical fruit salad, it will stand up well against the rich, yet lean meat.
Barnabe Pinot Noir
For a plate full of roast veggies and sauces, you may look towards a lighter bodied red. This Pinot Noir has loads of cherry and raspberry fruit on the nose, combined with a touch of spice and pepper and a well-balanced palate and a spicy finish.
Christmas Pudding
Fruits, spices, nuts, topped with piping hot custard.
Martell VS Cognac
A supremely smooth blend with luscious fruity notes, this cognac will build on the fruit and spice flavours in a classic Christmas pudding.
Graham's Late Bottled Vintage Port
This deep purple LBV port is full of the seductive aromas of blackberries, plums and cherry with opulent black fruit on the palate and a lovely long, smooth, chocolatey finish. A perfect complement to the richness of a Christmas pud.
Christmas Yule Log
A crowd-pleasing end to a delicious festive feast.
Drambuie
Drambuie and chocolate are a match made in heaven. With spice, fruit and honey character, the depth of flavour in this Scotch whisky liqueur is enough to balance even the richest chocolate dessert.
Jameson Orange
A twist on a classic night cap, this cocktail is rich, complex and utterly delicious.
Chocolate Orange Espresso Martini
45ml Jameson Orange
15ml Sugar syrup
15ml Kahlúa
40ml Espresso
10ml Dark chocolate syrup
Dark chocolate bar
Orange zest
Shake ingredients in cocktail shaker, strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with grated orange zest and dark chocolate.
About the author
Gabrielle Hutson
Gab found a love for wine (and spirits and beer and coffee!) during her years on the hospitality scene around Australia. The desire to dip her toes into a bigger wine and hospitality industry drove her to London and today she writes, reads and talks non-stop about wine for Matthew Clark's website and social channels.
