If there ever were a year we needed a fantastic selection of Christmas wines effortlessly delivered to our door, 2021 would be it. With this in mind, now is the time to invest in some restaurant-worthy wines that you can sip and savor safely at home. Whether it’s a Sauvignon alongside your smoked salmon or a Riesling with your roast and redcurrant jelly, this December, fill your flutes, goblets, and wine glasses with our top picks of what to uncork this Christmas.
It’s hard sometimes to find the best Christmas wines for Christmas eve. Many people give their best to find the finest wine for Christmas eve, but often they fail. So, Eating London has found out the top 10 Christmas wines that can increase your holiday celebration.
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Duque Miralta Rioja – 2015 – Best Spanish Christmas Wines
Produced in the region of Rioja (arguably Spain’s top wine region) is the El Coto winery. Established in both its regional surroundings and the wine they produce, El Coto pride itself in the quality of their vineyards showcased in the excellent standard of their wines and significant growth across 800 hectares of vines.
This ethos blends tradition with accessibility for all to enjoy the wines they produce; this Rioja holds the royalty of luxury without being unaffordable. A barrel-aged red wine, it retains an oaky smooth texture and is aged for two years. Our recommended pairings include lasagne, lamb, and cheese – a perfect bottle of red to take you right through the festive season!
Prices start from £10, visit: www.elcoto.com
IG: @cotoderioja
Clarendelle Medoc – 2016
Recognized for upstanding the values of patience, commitment, and perseverance, the family-owned company Clarendelle demonstrates the care taken into producing great wine. Founder Clarence Dillion visited Bordeaux in France back in 1934; he fell in love with the area, spotted its great potential for vineyards, and ignited his passion for fine wine. Since then, the company has expanded, enabling them to offer grapes from various properties, giving a flavored and multi-dimensional taste to their wines. Ruby-red and offering notes of cherries, this luxurious red would be a solid contender to sit aside a rare roast beef.
Prices start from £22, visit: www.clarendelle.com/en
IG: @clarendelle
Sorcova Pinot Noir – Top Christmas Wines
Romania is a place known for offering great value, and this is true of its Sorcova Pinot Noir – allowing it to be consumed frequently without the hefty price tag attached! So, if you have a budget problem, then Sorcova Pinot Noir is the perfect choice for that lovely range of Christmas wines.
The eastern European country’s Cremale Recas winery has had a surge in award-winning wines, establishing themselves widely across the domestic market. Instilling the principles of strict quality standards, they have become the most significant wine exporter of Romanian wine, which makes sense when there appears to be no skimping on aroma or taste! Its juicy and fresh feel allows it to be drunk at any time of day without feeling heavy, enabling it to be both a lunchtime and dinner choice.
Prices start from £7.99, visit: cramelerecas.ro
IG:@cramelerecaseu
McGuigan – Eden Valley Riesling
This Australian Riesling is perfect as the everyday tipple. This vibrant white is fresh and well-balanced and embodies citrus notes of lemon and lime. This McGuigan Eden Valley would pair up nicely with a smoked salmon breakfast or turkey dinner. With adaptability that allows it to travel throughout the days of festivities, this is a signature from the McGuigan family.
Prices start from £14, visit: www.mcguiganwines.com.au
IG: @mcguiganwines
Resonance, Willamette Valley 2017
The 2017 Resonance from Willamette Valley in the US is the debut release from the vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton wine region of Oregon. Demonstrating the delicacy and consideration put into the crafting of Pinot Noir, this wine is made in the beautiful valleys where the origins of wine production are incorporated into the statement label.
The climate of Willamette Valley allows for the progressive ripening of grapes to flourish, and with its blend of black fruits such as wild cherry and blackberry, its attractive aroma and silky feel are perfect for evenings at home.
Prices start from £32.30, visit: resonancewines.com
IG: @resonancewines
Journey’s End Cape Doctor The Red 2015 – A Christmas Wines Best Pick
Named after a solid South African wind known as the ‘Cape Doctor,’ this red is big and rich in taste. The Journey’s end vineyards that nurture the grapes rely upon the wind that blows across its vines to prolong the ripening period. These subtle but necessary factors ensure that bold notes are present but not overwhelming.
This ties into Journey’s End Vineyard’s naturalistic approach, keeping all intervention to a minimum. The elements themselves cultivate the grapes to ripen in the way that they should. Only a select few hand-crafted wines are produced, meaning that emphasis is put upon quality, not quantity – just what we need in our lives!
Prices start from £20, visit: www.journeysend.co.za
IG: @journeysendwines
Destination Chardonnay 2018
On the other end of Journey’s End vineyard in South Africa, we have their Chardonnay as a white alternative to enjoy with your turkey this Christmas. The Gabb family took over the winery in 1996, replanting and cultivating the land for the best results. Today it is one of the most premium wine estates and appropriately won the Decanter World Wine Awards Silver in 2020. This wine offers alternative flavor notes of melon and pineapple paired with vanilla. Try it alongside roast pork and some apple sauce.
Prices start from £25, visit: www.journeysend.co.za
IG: @journeysendwines
Chateau de Tracy Haute Densité 2018
Originating in the upper Loire Valley in France, Chateau de Tracy has a rich family history dating back to the 14th century. The Pouilly Fume appellation of Sauvignon Blanc offers fragrant and crisp notes, perfect to combine with seafood. The complexity of this wine relies upon the varying terrains in which the grapevines grow, with clay and limestone contributing to its unique taste. The vineyard runs on a plot by plot basis, tasting the grapes to ensure they have reached their full potential for maximum flavor. Clean and fresh, we recommend enjoying this wine with some fresh shellfish or creamy goat’s cheese.
Prices start from £45, visit: www.chateau-de-tracy.com/en
IG: @chateaudetracy
The V-Rosé
Entering with some summer nostalgia (or ideal if you happen to be somewhere warm) is The V- Rosé. Made at Bodegas Nodus, which produces organic wines under the Denominación De Origen Valencia in Spain, the V-Rosé leads with Mediterranean aromas and characterizes itself as elegant and sophisticated.
Recently entering the market in 2017, old friends Sander Horsthuis and Huub van den Muijsenbergh dreamed of creating an organic and natural wine that was also glamourous in its offering. V-Rosé offers a unique treatment of grapevines, keeping it 100% honest with a three-step process of stemming, crushing, and pressuring to ensure a crisp and fresh finish. The V-Rosé comes in a sleek, beach club-ready bottle. With its booming success, it would be wise to stock up now for summer 2021.
Prices start from £18, visit: www.thevrose.com
IG: @thevrosecom
Alta No.10 Ten-Year-Old Tawny Port
Ten-year-old Tawny Port is the finest Christmas wines, and no Christmas is complete without a glass of port. This ten-year port blends light and complex flavors, including fruity taste notes with a subtle spice undertone. Positioning itself as ideal for pairing with a variety of cheeses makes it a crucial addition to any Christmas cheeseboard. Achieving silver for the 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards, this port would be a solid contender to join you at the dinner table this December.
Prices start from £25, visit: www.qpa.pt
IG: @quintapedraalta
