Many would agree that fresh seafood is one of the true highlights of the Christmas table. If oysters make their way onto your menu, the bone-dry yet bright and vibrant Ruinart Blanc Singulier NV is a superb pairing. For richer dishes such as lobster thermidor, I reach for a delicate but textured rosé such as Louis Roederer Brut Nature Rosé 2018. Smoked shrimp is a personal favourite and nothing beats its combination with the gently spicy and silky-vinous De Venoge Princesse Rosé Brut NV.

Champagne with its acidity, structure, salinity and finesse is in fact one of the most versatile partners you can invite to a holiday meal. Let it shine beyond the starters and give it a place alongside the main event. If roast turkey with all the trimmings is the centrepiece of your Christmas feast, Henri Giraud’s age-complexed, Pinot Noir-driven PR 90-20 NV will do it full justice. For Christmas ham, I choose Bollinger’s elegant yet profound PN TX20 NV, which cuts through the richness while enhancing its deep, grounded flavours. And for a hearty, luxurious fish pie, go all in with the sumptuous Boizel Joyau 2012.

Champagne has an uncanny talent for brightening both sharp and creamy cheeses, which is why the beautifully ageing Thiénot Cuvée Alain Thiénot 2008 makes such a decadent, gourmand finale to a meal. Sweet desserts may be Champagne’s Achilles’ heel in food pairing but perhaps you share my guilty pleasure: skipping the pudding altogether and letting Champagne be the dessert. And what could be more indulgent than sipping the peerlessly complex Krug Grande Cuvée 173ème Edition while waiting for Father Christmas to arrive?

READ MORE: THE CHAMPAGNE REPORT 2025

When it comes to gifting, a liquid treasure is perfect for the person who has everything. Some bottles deliver not just flavour but a love letter in liquid form, like the bright and radiant Deutz Amour de Deutz 2014. For the Champagne connoisseur, newly released single-vineyard cuvées are guaranteed to thrill. With roots in Burgundy, Valentine Leflaive brings terroir-driven precision to its fine and focused Les Longues Raies Verzenay | 20 | 3.0 NV. Not to be outdone, Pommery has unveiled a new brand of single-vineyard wines from its iconic Reims monopole. Clos Pompadour Blanc de Blancs is debuting with a pristine Blanc de Blancs 2017.

As the holiday season moves on to New Year’s Eve, Champagne takes its rightful place centre stage. To charm a lively crowd over tasty nibbles, reach for a magnum of the juicy, mouthwatering Lanson Le Rosé Création 69 NV. Planning a soirée built around an extravagant charcuterie board? Elevate it with the saline, intense, and deeply expressive Bruno Paillard Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru NV. And when the clock strikes midnight, welcome the year ahead with the timelessly elegant, age-defying Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque 2013, also in magnum, of course. After all, beginnings should be generous.