We’ve asked the team what they are drinking this Christmas, and they’ve come back with some serious goodies! Spice up your table with some of our favourite festive wines.
My Christmas/New Years Eve wine this year will be a mixture of Airlie Bank Sparkling Brut, Thalia Sparkling Brut & Rose, Nocturne SR Rose, Villa Wolf Pinot Gris and topped of with Thierry Fournier Reserve. It’s the festive season and why not go sparkly! – Jude Chapman, Customer Service
Of course I’m bringing Champagne Thierry Fournier Reserve to the Christmas table – maybe a Magnum for drama (and sharing)! With its 2016 base and 80% Pinot Meunier construction, this Champagne is pretty unique in its price bracket and reliably impresses just about everyone, as well as being well-matched with the piles of seafood that typically make up a Coastal Christmas table. – Ashleigh Evans, NSW Account Manager
Pink dominates the Christmas table in our house. Prawn cocktails, cured salmon, the ham I look forward to for the entire year, and I manage to incorporate pomegranate into just about everything. So, this year, my special guest will be the NV Rose Champagne from A. Bergere. One of the two new Champenois families we welcomed into the CellarHand portfolio this year, so it seems quite fitting to celebrate with this ‘gourmand’ style of fizz. Layers and layers (and layers) of complexity alongside exquisite freshness, this wine is made for the table. DRINK PINK! – Nevada Jones, NSW State Sales Manager
I’m bringing Chalmers Lambrusco to my Christmas lunch, because it’s fun and festive and will go down like a treat with all the delicious food everyone will be bringing to the table. The Dönnhoff Black Label Riesling will also be a crowd favourite, so I’ll make sure I’ll bring a couple bottles of that too! – Kaylah Jones, Customer Service
After being asked the other day “long day?” I simply replied ‘It’s been a long year’. As such something a little extra needs to opened Xmas morning as my close family prepare for antoher round of overcooked seafood. Dr Loosen’s Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett Magnum hasn’t yet let me down to this day. There’s the odd relative who enjoys my meal but they also use phrases like ‘Riesling is too sweet for me’. Life’s all about balance. Merry Xmas. – Harry Seville, NSW Account Manager
Hoping for good weather on Christmas day! A late lunch with a seafood starter is on the menu and I reckon we’ll open 2022 Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Riesling to go with that. Not wanting to be caught out we recently did a ‘trial’ – had a bottle of 2018 that was in easy reach and was just the ticket with some grilled Prawns! Looking forward to pairing the 22 in all its minerally glory with something similar and easing into lunch…. – Patrick Walsh, Founder and Director
Christmas in Sydney and expecting the humidity to be rocketing so something refreshing will be required to start the festivities and this year its 2023 Geoff Weaver Sauvignon Blanc & 2023 clos Clare Riesling. I’m looking forward to Christmas pudding which we will have with Balnaves Sparkling Cabernet, there’s a little dollop of vintage port in the cuvee which gives it that something special. – Meg Daniher, VIC Account Manager
I will be drinking this Christmas Nocturne Rose Magnum to kick thing off followed by a refreshing glass of Gunderloch Jean Baptiste Kabinett. Once we’ve eased into the evening, I’ll then whip out Onannon Mornington Chardonnay, finally to finish on Frédéric Mabileau Fred Cabernet Franc. Now that sounds like Christmas if you ask me! – Cornelis Ribbe, Domestic Purchasing Manager
I’ll be opening bottles of Corymbia ‘Rocket’s Vineyard’ Chenin Blanc on Christmas and Boxing day because it’s the perfect match for prawns, family and friends alongside the Maroochy River, where I plan to spend most of the day. The thought of the tension and interplay of saline energy and creamy textural mouthfeel in the wine is as exciting as the beachside cricket we’ll be playing, maybe a little bit moreso… – Ben Boscoe, QLD Account Manager
Tough to look past Rose whilst tucking into the smorgasbord of deliciousness that is on the table when Santa comes to town, so will for sure be a bottle or two of the thirst slaking Chalmers Rosato chilled and ready to go. There’ll definitely also be a couple of bottles of Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett in the fridge too for those moments when a wee pick me up throughout the day is needed, and tucked away behind the turkey will no doubt be a bottle of Chardonnay for a bit of late afternoon indulgence and this year there’s a high chance that it’ll come from the tender hands of Tassie legend Joe Holyman, who’s 2022 Holyman Chardonnay is in super fine form as always and is without doubt one of the wines of the year! – Michael Jappy, Purchasing Manager
2021 Weaver Chardonnay is definitely one I’ll be brining to this Christmas table this year. Chardonnay is a bit of a hit our house and this one is rich, powerful but still manages to stay light and fresh, the wine geeks adore its complexity, and the wine novices just dig the deliciousness. A super fancy crowd pleaser. The other one would have to be the Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Riesling – one of my favourite wines of the year. It’s a riesling that has freshness in spades but lovely texture and depth, quite unique for Australian Riesling. A wine I think will be great with the cheese and nibbles we have at the start and should stand up well into entrée and mains. – Gabriel Soltys, VIC Account Manager
I’ve chosen the Scorpo close-planted project wine as its everything that I like Pinot Noir to be. Beautiful and perfumed with a savoury undertone and structure that is a rolled up with drinkability but also a pausing moment of seriousness. It has me reaching of that next slice of glazed ham and also planting a decoy bottle on the table so I don’t need to share it with the weird uncle that just drinks all my wine . – Mark Williamson, VIC Account Manager
I’m bringing the TWR Clayvin because of course Pinot Noir is going to work pretty well with most of Christmas lunch, so why not have one that’s both right up there with any new world example we’ve tasted this year and made by two of the most incredible people you’ll ever meet – Anna and Jason Flowerday. – Sam Hooper, General Manager
I’ll be bringing a bottle of Onannon 2023 Pinot Noir to Xmas! The wine has beautiful Red and Blue fruit characters with a hint of delicate spice. A perfect drink for Christmas lunch. A real crowd pleaser! – Kane Clayton, VIC Account Manager
After the turkey, I’m going to crack open the Deep Woods Reserve Cabernet, as its elegant and complex and will keep those conversations flowing. Fragrant and expressive, the 2021 has those crunchy cranberry flavours, very Christmassy indeed! – Nick Baker, Sales Support & Accounts
This Christmas I’ll be bringing Vajra Moscato D’Asti, a sort of informal dessert wine, along with Ansgar Clusserath Trittenheimer Apotheke Spatlese followed by some sparklings Piron Cremant De Bourgogne and Lowestoft Sparkling Rose. And then, of course, going to get into the spirits trolley. – Courtney Ferriere, Customer Service
Because it’s Christmas, I’m bringing in some sweet and sticky wines to finish off the night on a high. I’m talking Chalmers Appassimento, Dr Loosen Riesling Beerenauslese and Ansgar Clüsserath Trittenheimer Apotheke Auslese. We all know we save the best for last *chefs kiss* the real show begins! – Lucy Nock, Communications & Marketing Manager
OUR SUGGESTIONS:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Sparkling
Sparkling
Pinot Gris
Pinot Meunier
Chardonnay
Lambrusco
Riesling
Riesling
Chardonnay
Cabernet Franc
Chenin Blanc
Rosé
Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Moscato Giallo
The CellarHand Team