MIX AND MATCH

There are new rules for pairing wine with your holiday dinner: the secret is in matching to the side dishes and to your particular style of cooking. Bring on the red, white and rosé to match every menu!

Simplify wine matching for Christmas dinner by homing in on your menu’s flavour profile—glazings and sweet toppings, creamy herbal dishes and other styles point the way to three ideal wine matches.

Traditional wine-pairing rules focus on matching the main protein of a meal: red wine with red meat, white wine with white meat and perhaps rosé with salmon. There are some good reasons for this: tannins in red wine, for instance, bind to meat proteins, which pleasantly softens a big wine and makes a great pairing. But what sommeliers understand so well is that matching the body, brightness and sweetness level of a wine to the other ingredients and dishes in a meal is perhaps more important than catering to the main protein you serve.

So, starting with favourite holiday side dishes and considering the choices a cook makes around ingredients and preparation style, we’ve selected wines that will delight every guest at your table—even those who select from the gluten-free and vegetarian or vegan dishes—because they match with the entire menu. If your holiday dinner is a potluck or group effort, we’ve still got your back; select virtually any wines from these versatile options and pour on the pairing success.

So, what kind of holiday cook or you? Whether you tend to prepare food with sweet and smooth tastes, creamy and rich textures, savoury and herbaceous flavours or using the ingredients that feature prominently in vegetarian and vegan diets, these holiday menu-friendly wine ideas are all ideal accompaniments.