Christmas Food and Wine Pairings for Every Palate

Freshly shucked oysters, juicy prawns, delicious baked hams and the quintessential Christmas pudding. There’s nothing quite like our Australian summer Christmas food to tick all the boxes for a sumptuous festive lunch or dinner!

When it comes to Christmas food pairings, it can be tricky to know which wine matches best with which dish. Whether you’re planning a cold, fresh seafood lunch or a traditional hot Christmas dinner, you can find a wine match to perfectly complement the unique flavours and textures of your meal.

Check out our Christmas food and wine pairings guide below to suit every palate, so you can create a truly sumptuous festive experience for you and your loved ones.

Scrumptious Starters

Every great Christmas gathering starts off with a round of delicious appetisers, but they’re not complete without a magically matched glass of wine to get the festivities started. 

Cheese platters and charcuterie boards blend beautifully with a light, floral rosé, the ultimate summertime combination. Rosé wines can offer a range of tasting notes from sweet to savoury to dry, so take a look at the flavour profile first. While rosé is technically a red wine and leans towards the fruity side, this classic European drink boasts a lovely zesty acid that pairs perfectly with cheeses, meats and nibbles.

Our 2022 Rosato features a palate of vibrant spice and ginger notes with a scrumptiously floral Turkish delight aroma, the perfect Christmas Day drink.

Serving up something sweet for starters? Nothing beats a platter of strawberries with a crisp, dry sparkling. Alternatively, pop the champagne (yes, the really good stuff) and indulge in some creamy cheeses and canapés like baked brie, camembert or cucumber and caviar bites.

Fresh Seafood Plates

It’s not an Australian Christmas without plenty of fresh, cold, juicy seafood and a crisp glass of white wine. Are you an oysters and prawns type, or do you gravitate towards the tender baked salmon? Whichever your preference, you can guarantee there’s a wine to suit your palate. 

Oysters and Semillon are a match made in heaven. The wine’s light, refreshing notes pair perfectly with the briny mineral taste of the oysters, and its acidity helps to cleanse the palate between bites. For a complex and lightly zesty wine, try our 2019 Oakey Creek Vineyard Semillon with your plate of freshly shucked oysters. 

When matching with smoked salmon and fresh prawns, we can’t go past a crisp Sauvignon Blanc to balance out the salty, fishy flavours. While seafood generally pairs well with white wines, these more flavoursome foods require a wine with strong tasting notes and enough of its own flavour to match well. A flavoursome palate like that of our 2021 Forest Edge Sauvignon Blanc is your ideal option. The lifted talc and passionfruit notes are aided by a juicy acidity that remains soft on the tongue to pair perfectly with these salty seafood dishes.

For something more substantial like baked salmon, we love a more textured white wine that will really bring out the richness of the salmon. A Chardonnay with a long, pure acidity and minimal oak will create an indulgent yet light seafood sensation. We recommend our 2021 Chardonnay here, which boasts beautiful citrus flavours and wonderful complexity on the palate.

Traditional Tastes

Feeling hungry yet? Wait till you hear our best food and wine pairings for traditional Christmas dishes enjoyed hot or cold.

Nothing says Christmas quite like a classic glazed ham. A sweet glaze matches best with a ripe, fruity wine to offset the ham’s saltiness. Look for a mid-weight red like our 2018 Tallawanta Vineyard Shiraz, a perfect Christmas red wine. The fine tannins and background oak provide a nice acidity with warm fruity notes that create a deliciously festive flavour combination when paired with baked ham. Alternatively, a complex white like Chardonnay or Riesling will suit those with a preference for white wines.

Tender roast chicken or duck can be paired with richer whites like Chardonnay, or a light, fruity red like Pinot Noir. A glass of our 2021 Pinot Noir matches perfectly with these meat dishes, its crunchy red fruits and ripe tannins lifting the soft textures and balancing out the fattiness often potent in duck.

Cooking up a classic Australian BBQ for Christmas? Say no more. A vibrant medium-density red like our 2022 Sangiovese will transform any flame-grilled red meat dish into a richly festive indulgence. This wine’s fragrant nose of red and maraschino cherries lifts the bright, savoury fruit notes to perfectly complement barbecued meats and root vegetables.

Delicious Desserts

We know you still have room for dessert, especially one that’s paired to perfection with a delicious glass of wine. While we can’t go past another celebratory glass of sparkling, you could also try a sweet dessert wine for a true festive match.

The best Christmas pudding wine pairing is a Ruby or Tawny Port. The Ruby Port’s warm fruitiness and the Tawny’s rich nutty profile both complement this denser dessert. Our NV Tawny is a great choice here, and also pairs well with chocolate, tiramisu or even just a coffee to finish off the day’s eats.

Pavlova or trifle are scrumptiously elevated by a sweet dessert white. Our 2017 Sticky Wicket Semillon’s citrus peel aromas and caramelised sugar notes strike a decadent match with fresh fruit or cream-based desserts.

Treat Them to a Brokenwood Bottle this Christmas

What better way to finish your fabulous Christmas food than with a parting gift of a favourite vintage? 

Discover our range of wines online to tie the bow on your festivities this season. Available in single bottles, packs or gift sets.

Enjoy great wine responsibly and have fun this Christmas!