Seven Wines for the Christmas Table - Pairings to Savour

At Christmas, the food takes centre stage.
The ideal wine adds a little sparkle to the occasion while quietly making the food taste better.

"Champagne, obviously."
"Red or white? I never can decide."

There is nothing wrong with choosing that way, but
simply pausing to think about how a dish actually tastes changes the whole experience.

Here we have picked wines from the Cépages range and
matched them to the dishes that turn up on Christmas tables year after year, with specific bottles to look for.

According to the survey below, this is how Japan ranks its favourite Christmas dishes.
Source: The most popular Christmas dishes: chicken, pizza and everything else we want to eat

No. 1 | Chicken

No. 2 | Roast beef

No. 3 | Pizza

No. 4 | Beef stew

No. 5 | Gratin

No. 6 | Cheese fondue

No. 7 | Chips

Below, a wine for each of them.

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🥇 No. 1: Chicken × 🍷 White wine or a light red

The dish & how to match it

Chicken - roasted, fried, however you like it - is the fixture of a Japanese Christmas, all tender white meat and savoury crisp skin. What you want is a wine with enough refined acidity and fruit to refresh the palate between mouthfuls.

For roast chicken

• Bordeaux Supérieur, L'Écuyer de Couronneau 2022, Château Couronneau (red / Bordeaux): a light-footed red whose gentle spice falls into step with the savoury depth of the bird.

For fried chicken

• Villerazé 2024, Maison Ventenac (white / Languedoc): nicely judged body, ripe fruit and fresh acidity - a natural companion to fried chicken.

White wine leaves the delicate flavour of the meat alone and lets acidity cut through the fat, giving the meal its rhythm. A lighter red, meanwhile, echoes the toasty char of the roast and amplifies the flavour on the palate.

🥈 No. 2: Roast beef × 🍷 Red wine (medium to full-bodied)

The dish & how to match it

Juicy roast beef, with all the savour of good lean meat, calls for a red with a bit of structure behind it.

Our recommendation

• Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise Rouge 2023, Domaine de l'Évêché: (red / Burgundy) elegant fruit and supple tannins that stand alongside the beef rather than fight it.

Tannin binds with the fibre and fat of the meat, and the flavour stretches out and lingers. This is the classic pairing for good reason.

🥉 No. 3: Pizza × 🍷 A bright, easy red

The dish & how to match it

Where tomato and cheese lead the way, you want a wine with fresh acidity and generous fruit.

Our recommendation

• Alfa 2020, Montepeloso: (red / Tuscany) tomato base or cheese base, a Tuscan red is pizza's natural partner.

The wine's acidity chimes with the tomato and leaves a fresh finish. A fruity red will handle almost any topping you throw at it.

🍲 No. 4: Beef stew × 🍷 A rich red

The dish & how to match it

A deep, dark demi-glace stew wants a red with ripe fruit and real body.

Our recommendation

• Gigondas Vieilles Vignes 2022, Domaine Saint Damien (red / Rhône): spice and layered fruit that follow the long, slow-cooked flavours of the stew.

🧀 No. 5: Gratin × A white with some richness

The dish & how to match it

With a creamy béchamel and melted cheese, the balance of richness and acidity is everything.

Our recommendation

• Mon Grand-Père Était Limonadier 2024, Domaine Julien Pilon: (Rhône / white) the acidity tightens up all that richness and leaves a long, generous finish.

🍢 No. 6: Cheese fondue × A properly structured white

The dish & how to match it

Salty, molten cheese needs a wine with acidity and a depth of fruit to match.

Our recommendation

• Côtes du Jura Cuvée Tradition 2018, Noir Frères - Domaine de la Petite Marne: (Jura / white) it meets the richness of the cheese head-on and still leaves the palate clean.

🍟 No. 7: Chips × Sparkling wine

The dish & how to match it

For crisp, salty chips, nothing cuts through the oil like a good sparkling wine.

Our recommendation

• Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Extra Brut, Audax 2024, Bortolomiol: it cuts the fat and brings a sense of occasion with it.

🍷 In short: the wines that make Christmas

Christmas cooking covers a lot of ground, but the guiding principle is always the balance of acidity and fruit. Lighter whites for poultry and creamy dishes, medium to full-bodied reds for meat, and sparkling wine for everything from the first toast to the last handful of chips.

Match them well, and the evening becomes something to remember.