With the holiday season approaching, you might want to start thinking about what Christmas gifts to buy for your loved ones, your friends or work colleagues.
Many people decide on a classic bottle of wine to give as a Christmas present when short on other ideas. This might make you think, “Is wine an acceptable Christmas gift?”, the answer to which is — absolutely! Just like dark chocolate, a fine bottle of red or white wine or vintage champagne is the ideal gift to bring to a Christmas dinner party during the festive period or gift to the wine lovers in your life.
What Is a Really Good Wine for a Gift?
There is no universal perfect bottle of Christmas wine to satisfy all tastes. Just like choosing the best Christmas gift, selecting a wine as a gift depends on the recipient as well as what food will be served with the wine. Some wine lovers prefer a full-bodied red wine, while others prefer a crisp white, some like the taste of Cabernet Sauvignon, whereas others would rather go for Pinot Grigio…
If you have set your heart on gifting wine this holiday season, but don’t know what to choose, we have selected a list of ten of the best wines to gift for Christmas.
1. Nyetimber Classic Cuvée
This sparkling wine offers a fine flavour profile with delicately balanced orchard fruits and zesty candied citrus. Crafted from a mix of pinot noir and chardonnay grapes from the region of West Sussex and Hampshire, this makes for an exquisite wine gift for someone special in your life.
2. Brut Tradition, Champagne Michel Guilleminot
If you’re looking for an elegant bubbly wine with fresh acidity, this Michel Guilleminot brut is an excellent choice. Its fragrant notes of crunchy dark berries combined with a classic biscuity note make it the perfect accompaniment to serve with sushi, fish or a range of canapes. Made exclusively from pinot noir grapes, a bottle of this champagne would be a perfect gift for wine lovers gathering on Christmas day.
3. Vintage Claret 2018
You simply cannot go wrong with one or two bottles of red wine at the Christmas dinner table. This Vintage Claret, beloved by the wine society, features deep, jammy fruit flavours and earthy notes, as expected from a good claret wine.
4. Château Les Moines, Cru Bourgeois, Médoc 2010
If you seek a red wine that is incredibly versatile, rich in flavour and also affordable as a Christmas gift, then you can’t go wrong with this one. Made from the finest blend of merlot and cabernet sauvignon, this Cru Bourgeois is laced with delicious black fruit flavour and just the right amount of oak, making it the perfect accompaniment for red meats and a great red wine gift for any Christmas party.
5. Arlaux Champagne Premier Cru
A rich champagne with outstanding aromatic notes and a brilliant gold colour, such as this one is a great choice for a Christmas gift. With delicate aromas of ripe fruit and slightly honeyed notes, this French sparkling wine could be a great pairing for Christmas pudding.
6. Brut, Champagne Pierre Courtois
What’s more festive than wishing each other Merry Christmas with a glass of wine or bubbly champagne? A bottle or even two bottles of this Pierre Courtois champagne would be the perfect Christmas gift to bring to any party. It’s fresh, elegant and well-balanced; made of a fine blend of pinot noir and pinot meunier with a delicate fizz.
7. Rosé, Bollinger
Bollinger Rosé has a distinct bronze tone with the intense depth of a red wine. It combines a subtle structure with bright acidity. It has flavours of wild red berries with bubbles as fine as velvet. A bottle of this fine fizz would make a perfect wine gift for a rosé lover for Christmas.
8. Chablis ‘la Sereine’ la Chablisienne 2018
Chablis ‘La Sereine’ is the model dry white wine, combining bone-dry minerality with the richness of chardonnay grapes. If you’re looking for a superb white burgundy to give your loved ones on Christmas day, then you can’t go wrong with this one.
9. Châteauneuf-du-Pape ‘Cuvée Lucile Avril’, Domaine Durieu 2013
For anyone looking for red wine gifts, a bottle of wine as superb as this Lucile Avril could be the best Christmas present. Intense in taste with tasting notes of dark fruit and sweet spices, combined with medium acidity and firm tannin, this red wine is a delight at any holiday party.
10. Vintage Port, Churchill’s 1997
Vintage Port is one of the most refined ruby red wines, perfect for a Christmas gift. A dessert wine as delicate as this one should be reserved for special occasions, such as Christmas Eve. This fortified wine, with intense taste and spicy notes, would make an exquisite wine gift and a sublime finish to any Christmas meal.
