The holidays are approaching, and for the traditional Christmas dinner, you think it would be nice to impress your family by bringing along a bottle or two of wine… or better still, by giving your parents and brothers-in-law/sisters-in-law a nice bowling pin at the foot of the Christmas tree!

3 ideas to accompany a Christmas meal!

We’re not going to lie to you, every year Christmas meals are one and the same… and that’s just how we like it! Oysters, foie gras, stuffed capon, turkey and Yule logs… So many dishes that, when served side by side, need to be enhanced by exceptional wines, which are not enjoyed every day.

Traditional Champagne

What better way to start a Christmas meal than with a glass of champagne? Ideal as an aperitif, or with oysters or even foie gras, a good Champagne will delight your guests during this festive meal. Depending on the match you’re looking for, you’ll be able to consider different types of Champagnes.

For an aperitif, I recommend a classic Blanc de Blancs from Charles Heidsieck. The bubbles are fine, and the attack on the palate is airy and fruity, an ideal way to whet the appetite. You can enjoy it on its own, or with oysters like caviar. In the same spirit, you could opt for a Blanc de Blancs from Billecart Salmon, or (on a smaller budget) a Prisme 14 from Guiborat.

With a starter of foie gras, oysters with caviar (or another type of seasoning), or a scallop carpaccio, I’d recommend a slightly windier champagne. You’ll naturally think of a late-disgorged cuvée. For this, I suggest Jacquesson’s Cuvée 735 dégorgement tardif. Although expensive, it is absolutely exceptional, with aromas of quince and candied fruit that will sublimate these appetizers.

The sweet wine of the holidays

A platter of seafood, foie gras, capon, turkey… It’s all tempting, and even more so when enhanced by a great sweet wine. Its melt-in-the-mouth, bewitching aromas of candied fruit and yellow flowers, as well as its saline, iodine notes, are ideal for accompanying white meats, seafood and other refined products.

When you say “liquoreux”, you say Sauternes. Let’s face it, AOC Sauternes is the queen of sweet wines. Its terroir benefits from an exceptional microclimate, at the junction between the cool waters of the Ciron and the warmer waters of the Garonne, which creates a mist that is highly conducive to the development of botrytis cinerea, a fungus that produces grapes with a high concentration of sugars and aromas, resulting in highly aromatic wines that are a real nectar on the palate.

Among the Sauternes, I’d obviously recommend a Château d’Yquem, the king of sweet wines. Recognized worldwide, this white wine is the fruit of a harmony between tradition and technology, and presents a highly varied aromatic palette specific to each vintage. As a result, each year you’ll find a different Château d’Yquem cuvée with its own specific characteristics, making it a perfect match for different dishes. In the same AOC, you can also choose Château d’Arche or Château la Tour Blanche.

Bordeaux/Rhone for game

If your family isn’t opting for a stuffed capon or turkey, but rather game for Christmas dinner, it’s best to opt for a more tannic, powerful wine that’s ideally suited to game and the condiments that go with it (wine, foie gras and truffle sauce).

In the family of powerful wines, I offer you two choices: either a Bordeaux wine with lovely tannins and empyreumatic aromas (wood, cocoa, coffee…) or crushed black fruit, or a Rhône wine with spicy, red fruit and undergrowth aromas. For the appellations, I suggest you choose the most prestigious ones, because at Christmas you have to treat yourself!

In the Bordeaux region, we recommend the wines of Pauillac, Saint-Emilion and Margaux (focus on the 1855 Grand Cru Classés or those in the Saint-Emilion classification). Otherwise, I’d recommend the wines of the Mitjaville family (Tertre Roteboeuf, Roc de Cambes, Aurage), with their bewitching aromas and body.

In the Rhône, I recommend Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Saint-Joseph Crozes-Hermitage and Hermitage (I’m thinking of Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, or in a more affordable vein, Maison Guigal, Clos des Papes or Christophe Pichon). Try lesser-known appellations like IGP Vaucluse with Jérôme Bressy’s Gourt de Mautens.

3 ideas to spoil your family!

This time, it’s no longer a question of matching your dinner dishes, but rather of spoiling your family members with a bottle they won’t forget. A wine for laying down can be a very good idea. It will improve with age, making it all the more memorable when tasted.

Of course, the wines chosen for the Christmas dinner are also wines that can be offered under the tree.

Stick to the classics (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône)

For Bordeaux and Rhône Valley wines, you know what to look for, as I explained above. Let’s focus now on the much-loved Burgundy. Did you know that eight of the ten most expensive wines in the world come from the Burgundy region? In fact, this vineyard concentrates a large proportion of the wines that are highly prized and sought after by collectors, making it one of the most expensive regions in the world.

However, whether you’re looking for a white or a red wine, you can hope to find certain bottles at affordable prices… or break down and sacrifice a pretty penny to please your parents! When it comes to reds, you have a wide choice of appellations producing Pinot Noir wines that are unique to each soil type. If you have a limited budget, consider a Mercurey (Mercurey 1er Cru Clos du Roy from Château Chamirey, for example), a Santenay or a Savigny-lès-Beaune. On the contrary, you can venture to the Côte de Nuits and its renowned crus (Vosne-Romanée, Echezeaux, Grand-Echezeaux, Gevrey-Chambertin), the Côte de Beaune with Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Corton, Corton-Charlemagne… In terms of estates, Domaine de la Romanée Conti comes to mind, as does Clos de Tart in Morey-Saint-Denis, or Maison Joseph Drouhin.

On the white side, the best Chardonnays can also be found on the Côte de Beaune or Côte de Nuits, with appellations such as Meursault, Bouzeron, Corton-Charlemagne, Bâtard Montrachet… Winemakers such as Hubert de Montille and Jean-François Coche-Dury offer you the best wines of the appellation, and will immortalize the moment. In the Puligny appellation, you’ll find the Marc Colin and Ramonet estates.

Discovery (Languedoc, Beaujolais, Loire)

Tired of drinking Bordeaux, Burgundy or Rhône? We invite you to discover new horizons and taste regions which, while they may seem less prestigious at first glance, contain appellations and vineyards that have nothing to envy to Bordeaux’s grands crus classés or Burgundy’s premiers crus.

Languedoc-Roussillon is France’s largest wine-growing region. So, naturally, there’s a lot of good and a lot of bad to be found here. My favorite appellations in the region include AOC Terrasses du Larzac, Pic Saint Loup, Coteaux du Languedoc and Côtes Catalanes. In terms of estates, I’m thinking of Mas Bruguière, Soula, Domaine de l’Hortus and the legendary Domaine Grange des Pères (IGP vin d’Hérault).

On the Loire side, look for appellations such as Saumur, Anjou (and Anjou-Saumur…), Saumur-Champigny, Savennières, Chinon… As a major wine-growing region, you’ll also find a wide range of quality wines. However, we have a few sure-fire favourites in store for you. For reds, treat yourself to the excellence of Clos Rougeard, or Sylvain Dittière’s Porte Saint-Jean (for a much more affordable budget). For white wine, I’ll give you just one reference, because you absolutely must taste it (or have someone else taste it…), and that’s the Coulée de Serrant vineyard, owned by Nicolas Joly, king of Savennières.

Last but not least, let’s talk about Beaujolais, a region that isn’t very prestigious, but which has a few winemakers producing absolutely divine cuvées (and at low prices, to boot). For the appellations, it’s not going to be too complicated, given that the region only has 12 appellations, including 10 crus (excluding AOC Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages). Morgon, Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Chénas, Juliénas… you won’t be disappointed. As for producers, my absolute favorites are Jean-Claude Lapalu, Marc Delienne and Domaine Chamonard.

Surprise (atypical wines, natural methods)

Finally, let’s turn to the unconventional and atypical part of this suggestion “guide”. As you know, the French vineyards are full of nuggets and offer a wide variety of wines. In addition, the emergence (or re-emergence) of certain agricultural practices (biodynamic agriculture, vins natures, sulfite-free wines, amphora vinification…), as well as the recognition of certain regions such as the Jura, are helping to promote even more singular wines. To do this, I’d like to focus on two areas that I think are unusual and interesting enough to surprise your loved ones.

Firstly, Domaine de l’Ecu, located in the Loire Valley vineyards of the Nantes region, produces wines that are certified biodynamic and organic, and have the Vin de France label. Wines not complying with the specifications were deliberately produced under this appellation. Truly alive with vibrant aromas, the estate’s wines are vinified in amphora using very natural methods in a cellar worthy of a fairytale crypt. With almost no cuvée over €50, this estate has nevertheless managed to be selected by the sommelier of the world’s best restaurant, René Redzepi’s Noma in Copenhagen.

Now let’s talk about Jean-François Ganevat. This winemaker, who could be described as a radically natural winemaker, produces wines in the Jura region that are as natural as possible. If prices are a little higher, it’s mainly due to the reputation, good or bad, that the estate has acquired over the years. Jean-François Ganevat offers us the most authentic and faithful wines to the terroir he works with. More than any other estate, Ganevat wines are a must-taste in your life.