For most Christmas dinners, pour a dry sparkling wine while guests arrive and a Pinot Noir once everyone sits down, since Pinot's acidity and soft tannin suit turkey, ham, duck and most seafood. If a marbled prime rib is the centerpiece, a fuller Pinot with firm tannin holds up well, though Cabernet Sauvignon remains the classic pick for that roast.
Our pick for this
The Table Case
This is how I'd stock a Christmas table: Brut for arrivals, the lighter Pinot for turkey or ham, the fuller Estate for beef or duck, and a few bottles left over to keep.
- 6 × 2024 Estate Pinot Noir, $45 a bottle
- 3 × 2024 Enchanté Blanc de Noirs, $45 a bottle
- 3 × 2023 Rogue Valley Pinot Noir, $20 a bottle
12 bottles, $465 before shipping.
Which wine goes with each Christmas main course?
The table covers five common centerpieces, with our pick and an alternative we don't make.
| Main course | Pour this | Why it works | Another good choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roast turkey | 2023 Rogue Valley Pinot Noir | Light body, 13.3% alcohol and delicate tannins leave room for white meat; bright cherry and zesty acidity | A lightly oaked Chardonnay, or our 2023 Estate Rosé, which our site already pairs with turkey |
| Glazed ham | 2023 Estate Rosé | Dry and crisp with ripe strawberry; ham is one of the rosé pairings on our site | An off-dry Riesling if the glaze is very sweet |
| Prime rib or beef roast | 2024 Estate Pinot Noir | Fuller body and firmer tannin than our 2023 Estate; best when the beef comes with jus or mushrooms | Cabernet Sauvignon for a heavily marbled rib; we go cut by cut in our prime rib guide |
| Roast duck or goose | 2024 Estate or 2023 Rogue Valley Pinot | Acidity cuts through rich fat; our Rogue Valley page names pan-roasted duck with wild mushrooms as a pairing we've enjoyed | Syrah for a heavily spiced glaze; preparations are in our duck pairing guide |
| Christmas Eve seafood | 2024 Enchanté Blanc de Noirs with oysters and smoked salmon; the Rosé with crab and shrimp | Brut acidity and fine bubbles meet salt and brine | A crisp white such as Sauvignon Blanc |
With turkey and beef on one menu, pour the Rogue Valley first and the Estate when the beef is carved.
What should you pour first, and what comes after?
1. Arrivals: the Brut. The Enchanté ($45) is our first sparkling wine, a dry Brut made only from Pinot Noir. Courtney Humiston gave it 91 Points in the JamesSuckling.com September 2026 Tasting Report and found "salted peach, brioche and red apple skin." That profile suits salty things before dinner: olives, cheese straws, smoked salmon on crackers. VinePair notes that Brut loves salty food. Serve it well chilled.
2. Dinner: the Pinot Noir. Open the Rogue Valley with the first plates, around 55°F. Bring out the 2024 Estate with the roast. Both the Estate and the Enchanté come from the same Pommard vines in Block 1A: we picked the sparkling fruit by hand before sunrise in late August to keep its acidity, then came back to the same block on September 13 for riper fruit at 23.2 Brix. That is part of why the Estate tastes of darker fruit and baking spice and has the grip to stand next to beef or duck.
3. Later: a bottle that keeps. The 2024 Estate drinks well now and can be cellared 10 years or more, so any bottle you don't open on the 25th still has a purpose. Put one away for a future Christmas. None of our wines is sweet enough for pie or pudding; for dessert, a sweet wine or coffee is the better match.
What if one wine has to cover the whole table?
If you want a single red for two or three mains, choose the lighter Pinot. Our 2023 Rogue Valley has delicate tannins and fresh acidity, so it moves from ham to turkey to a slice of beef without overwhelming any of them.
If some guests won't drink red, add a dry rosé or a Brut. Both work with ham and seafood, and the Brut doubles as the aperitif. How our Pinots differ in the glass is covered in our Pinot Noir flavor guide.
How far ahead should you order Christmas wine?
Our wines ship from Eagle Point, Oregon within 1 to 3 business days. UPS Ground takes 1 to 2 business days on the West Coast and up to 5 to the East Coast, and an adult 21 or older has to sign. Holiday orders received by 10 am Pacific on a weekday ship the same day, and the last order date for each region is in our holiday order-by guide.
We sell each wine in sets of three, and you can combine different wines in one order. For bottle counts by guest list, see how much wine you need for a party.
Our pick for this
Estate and Enchanté
For a smaller Christmas with one roast, three Estate and three Enchanté cover arrivals and dinner, with an Estate left to cellar for next year.
- 3 × 2024 Estate Pinot Noir, $45 a bottle
- 3 × 2024 Enchanté Blanc de Noirs, $45 a bottle
6 bottles, $270 before shipping.
Quick answers
What wine goes with Christmas ham? A dry rosé or a Brut handles the salt and sweet glaze; an off-dry Riesling suits a very sweet glaze.
Can one red wine cover turkey, ham and beef on Christmas Day? A light, low-tannin Pinot Noir comes closest; add a fuller red if the beef is a marbled prime rib.
What wine goes with the Feast of the Seven Fishes? A Brut sparkling with oysters and smoked fish, and a dry rosé or crisp white with crab and shrimp.
Should you serve sparkling wine before Christmas dinner? Yes, a dry Brut suits salty starters and gives guests something to drink while the roast rests.
Which Christmas wine can you save for a later year? Our 2024 Estate Pinot Noir drinks well now and can be cellared 10 years or more.
Humiston's Enchanté review and the reviews of our Pinots are on Press & Ratings, and every bottle for the Christmas table is in the shop.