Short answer: The best wines for Christmas turkey are light-to-medium reds with fresh acidity and soft tannins, above all Pinot Noir and red Burgundy, or a rich, oak-touched white such as Meursault or another white Burgundy. Turkey is lean and the plate is crowded with sweet, salty and tangy flavours, so you want freshness and fruit rather than power. Start with champagne, and keep something sweet for the pudding.
Turkey on its own is mild and fairly dry. The real challenge is everything around it: cranberry sauce, stuffing, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, gravy and sprouts. A big, tannic red like a young Cabernet Sauvignon can taste harsh against lean white meat and clash with cranberry. A wine with bright acidity and red-fruit flavours does the opposite: it lifts the meat and echoes the sauce.
| Course | What to pour |
|---|---|
| Arrival and canapés | Brut champagne, Blanc de Blancs or English sparkling wine |
| Smoked salmon starter | Chablis, Blanc de Blancs champagne or Sancerre |
| Turkey and all the trimmings | Pinot Noir / red Burgundy, or white Burgundy |
| Christmas pudding and mince pies | Tawny port, Sauternes, or a Demi-Sec champagne |
| Cheeseboard | Vintage or tawny port, or the rest of the red |
A 75cl bottle pours about six glasses. For a long Christmas lunch, allow roughly half to two-thirds of a bottle per adult who's drinking, across fizz, white and red. For eight adults that's about four to five bottles, plus one bottle of champagne per four to six people for the toast. Have plenty of water and some alcohol-free options on the table too.
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Dry, high-acid whites such as Chablis and Sancerre, and brut champagne, are the classic matches for smoked salmon. Here is why they work, what to avoid and how cold to serve them.
