Lifestyle

Holiday Wines: What to Serve, Drink, and Gift

November 2, 2023

Holiday Cheers

The holidays are fast approaching—it’s a wonderful time of year when many people are getting ready for gatherings with family and friends. The smell of crisp autumn leaves and impending snow is enough to put even the grumpiest grandparent into a good mood. Menus are often planned in advance, and everyone knows what to expect when it comes to eating.

While it’s always nice to visit with family and friends, executing the dinner of your dreams can also be stressful, not to mention choosing the best wines to make your guests happy. Luckily, we’re here to remove the guesswork and help you pick wine for the holidays.

Thanksgiving Wines

For those of us who celebrate Thanksgiving, the foods we see each year are generally standard throughout the country–turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, green bean casseroles, and more typically fill the table. Picking which wine to bring is a less standard process. Fortunately, with over 40 premium independent winery partners, we have the perfect wines for all of these foods to round out your Thanksgiving Feast.

Sparkling Wine

Celebratory wines are very classic for get-togethers. These wines are a great choice to use for a toast at the start of the meal, and can be sipped on while guests are settling in. Your Thanksgiving table may have appetizers or small bites—if so, sparkling wines wonderfully complement lighter style snacks like a cheese board or fall fruit and veggie platter.

brick & mortar 2021 Brut Nature

Bright and refreshing, this Brut sparkling wine is a party pleaser. Although classically served at the start of the evening, this wine has enough body and acidity to hold up nicely to any biscuits or flaky rolls, and can cut through the richness of a green bean casserole or the thick gravy on your turkey.

Lean and Crisp White Wines

When hosting a larger gathering, we recommend serving two styles of white wines. You’ll want to have a lean and crisp style like a Vermentino or Grüner Veltliner on hand for those who typically enjoy that style. These also pair well with the tartness of your cranberry sauce, light turkey meat, as well as the delicate rolls. White wines are typically lower in alcohol and higher in acids, making them the best aperitif. Alcohol stimulates acid production in your stomach and helps prepare your stomach to digest a big meal, making lower alcohol beverages the preferable choice for an empty stomach.

Flâneur 2021 La Belle Promenade Grüner Veltliner
Pairing exceptionally well with light pre-dinner appetizers, this wine can be enjoyed all the way through your main course because of the deep layers of complexity on the palate. Grassy and green, this is a fantastic wine to start off your meal and warm up your appetite. The minerality and citrus notes also do an amazing job complementing fish.

Heavy and Textured White Wines

The second style of white wine you should consider serving is one that’s heavier with more texture. A wine with more structure would pair excellently with darker turkey meats, roasted sweet potatoes, mashed and buttered potatoes, stuffing, and more.

Ricochet 2022 MRV White Blend
Another stunning white wine with a fuller body and flavor to complement your meal–this wine has all the tropical flavors you’ll love, with the texture of a thicker Chardonnay. This winning combination makes it an ultimate people pleasing wine. Pair with silken mashed potatoes, turkey, and sweet potato pie.

With these two white wine styles covered, you’ll have wines that will pair with an array of foods and keep all your guests happy.

Red Wines

No Thanksgiving meal is complete without a lighter style red wine. Although the weather is starting to shift toward cooler temperatures, this meal is typically paired with ample-fruited leaner styles of red wine. The bright acidity can work to cut through any rich dishes, while the red fruit notes supplement the overarching theme of seasonal fruits and vegetables. Tart cranberry, lean pomegranate seeds, and rose petals on the palate can elevate your meal to a degree most restaurants are aspiring to.

Alexana 2021 Estate Pinot Noir
Paired with your Thanksgiving meal, we recommend this refreshingly juicy Pinot Noir. Cherry blossoms, ripe cranberries, and pomegranate burst to life on the palate. With so many tart flavors in season during November, this wine will stand head-to-head with your cranberry sauce, turkey’s dark meat, and your green beans.

Corazon Del Sol 2019 Block 13 Grenache
Paired with a Thanksgiving feast, we also recommend this shockingly deep expression of Grenache. Silken and smooth, this wine is rich and luscious. Red fruits are reminiscent on the palate, while deeper earth characteristics are suggestive on the nose. This wine is heavy enough to pair with your entree on Thanksgiving, but delicate enough not to overpower your side dishes.

Christmas Wines

Wines for Christmas Dinner

Depending on your classic Christmas dinner, there are a lot of wines you can pair with your meal. If you’re indulging in a roasted Prime Rib, a bold Cabernet Sauvignon would be appropriate. On the other hand, if you’re enjoying the Italian tradition of the “Feast of Seven Fishes”, a larger style Cabernet Sauvignon would not be your best option. This mighty and powerful wine with austere tannin might overwhelm your delicate choice of fish. As usual, it's helpful to know the food being served—here are a few suggestions for all of the decadent possibilities.

Zeitgeist 2021 Chenin Blanc
Lean and crisp, Chenin Blanc is a perfect pairing for those delicate fish dishes—especially the ones with a touch of lemon on them. Bright and lively, this gorgeous wine has some flecks of gold in the color and lingering notes of crispy Golden Delicious apples.

Seavey 2022 Chardonnay
One of the best crowd pleasing Chardonnays, this wine has enough minerality to appease a Chablis loving guest, while sporting enough texture for the California Chardonnay lovers.

Pepper Bridge 2021 Merlot
Presenting light and juicy on the palate, this wine is a fantastic pairing for duck, ham or filet mignon. Exceptional texture lends soft and supple tannin with acidity that can truly emphasize the beauty of your carefully prepared meal.

Sleight of Hand Cellars 2020 The Conjurer Red Blend
This Cabernet Sauvignon dominant blend is the head-turning wine we suggest with that prime rib roast you spent hours working on. Rich and luscious, this wine is sure to spark up a conversation with any oenophiles at your Christmas party.

New Year's Wines

An exciting holiday filled with sparklers and friendship, New Year’s Eve is the quintessential time to delve into some sparkling wines. When the clock strikes midnight there’s nothing more satisfying than ringing in the new year with a freshly cracked bottle of bubbles. Rolling into the next morning, New Year’s Day begs for a refreshing brunch wine to accompany your eggs and French toast.

New Year's Eve Celebration

Brick & mortar 2022 VP Rosé Nature
Unique and perfect for the ball drop, this sparkling blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is a fantastic twist on the classic Champagne. Bone dry with no residual sugar, this lean and light wine is the ideal sipper to celebrate the start of the New Year.

New Year's Day Brunch

Amavi Cellars 2022 Semillon
Tropical with an amazing mouth feel, this wine is textured enough to stand up to your brunch quiche, but complex enough to go with your eggs benedict. Notes of passionfruit and pineapple make for an energizing and invigorating breakfast and brunch wine.

And, one important thing to remember—stay hydrated when you drink around the holidays. Alcohol affects each person differently, and staying hydrated can help alleviate some of the effects of wine.

Wine Gifts for the Holidays

Selecting a Perfect Wine Gift

When searching for the perfect wine to gift a friend, colleague, or family member, it always helps to know the style of wine the gift recipient enjoys, but it’s not always necessary. Knowing they’re passionate about drinking New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc would make that an easy gift, but choosing a similar alternative such as cool climate Chardonnay would be a great way of introducing them to a new wine they could potentially love.

Wine makes an outstanding gift for many reasons. You can personalize the price point to your budget. You can dress up the wine in a basket or with personalized wine bags. There are always wine accessories—new glasses, wine keys, decanters, coffee table books—that you can bundle together for an even more varied gift.

A good rule of thumb to follow: wines that are ageable make for a wonderful gift, as they can be enjoyed right away, or put into a cellar for a few years without going bad. If you're unsure about how long your wine can age, book a consultation with our sommelier team.

Curated Wine Gift Baskets

Shopping for the holidays can be stressful, but with our thoughtfully curated wine sets, choosing the right wine (or wines) has never been easier—or more exciting. You can order an entire set and ship directly to one lucky person, or have an entire case delivered to your house so you can divide it and knock out gifts for multiple people at once.