When I was growing up, the Christmas Eve dinner was a very festive occasion. My family, including aunts and uncles, grandparents, cousins, parents, and siblings, along with a few extended family members or friends alone for the holiday, would gather at my grandparents’ Arkansas home for a lavish feast of seasonal flavors.

Everyone dressed in their holiday best and gathered around the table to celebrate the joy of being together. After the meal, every person around the table was required to perform some sort of skit, whether it be playing an instrument, telling a story, doing an interpretative dance, or sometimes all three.

The entertainment was a judged occurrence, done each year by my grandmother. My sister, cousin, and I were always a team, beginning the planning of our act months in advance. As luck would have it, we often won…I will say this is due to the incredibly talented performances we gave and not because we were my grandmother’s favorite. It was likely the latter, though.

The beauty of the holidays is being able to be with the ones you love. Honoring that time, laughing, talking, and reconnecting. Enjoying a stellar bottle of wine while you do this makes the celebration that much better. Each of these options is sure to please anyone gathering around your holiday table. #Cheers to Christmas

From Alejandro Bulgheroni, Lithology Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon shows power and grace, defining why Napa Valley is such an ideal area for growing Bordelais varieties. It is plush and expressive upon release yet has the structure and backbone to age for many years. With layers of blue and red fruits, dusty leather, mocha, and espresso, the wine will pair beautifully with a holiday crown roast of tenderloin of beef.

The Queen of Italian wine, Barbaresco, is the softer expression of the Nebbiolo grape in comparison to its brawny, bold, tannic neighbor, Barolo. Marchesi di Gresy Martinenga Barbaresco shines as a beautiful example of the variety from the rolling hills of Martinenga within the Barbaresco region of Piemonte, Italy. The dry, full-bodied red wine shows layers of black plum, cherry, and blackberry with black tea and crushed herbs. Pair the wine with short ribs or truffle pasta.

From the Los Carneros region within Napa Valley, Cuvaison Spire Pinot Noir is well-rounded and structured, melding complexity with character to create a luscious wine that shows nicely integrated tannin, layers of blue and black fruit, black tea, cola, and savory woody herbs. With a full-bodied character, this is a Pinot that can handle rich dishes like roasted lamb or bone-in pork chops.

If a Christmas goose adorns your holiday table, pair it with a slightly more savory Pinot Noir option from Three Sticks Vineyards and Winery. The winery’s Gap’s Crown Pinot Noir hails from the Petaluma Gap on the Sonoma Coast. Here, constant winds blow through vineyards, creating thick-skinned fruit with bold flavors. The wine opens with aromas of blueberry, violets, and rose, followed by black and blueberry, black cherry, and plum flavors that meld with savory spice and sweet tobacco. The wine is ideal with game birds, like quail, duck, or goose.

If you recreate the Thanksgiving meal for Christmas, complete with roasted turkey, dressing, and cranberry sauce, Pinot Noir is your perfect pairing here as well. However, instead of sipping a wine layered in blue and black fruits, try one with more red berry and cherry flavors, like Presqu’ile Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir. With juicy red fruits, wildflowers, woody herbs, and toasted spice notes, the wine will pair beautifully with the meal’s seasonal flavors.

For those hosting a feast of the seven fishes party, you will need a refreshing white wine to pair with your seafood specialties. We suggest a Grillo from Sicily to toast the traditional Italian meal. From the small island of Mozia off the coast of Sicily in the Marsala lagoon, Tasca d’Almerita crafts its Mozia Grillo. The grapes are grown in marine seabed soils laden with limestone and fossils, giving a mineral-intense character to the fresh, high-acid wine. The wine is aged on the lees for a short period, adding texture and roundness to the wine and enhancing the natural flavors of lemon, apple, and herbal notes.

If your holiday guests prefer something a bit more traditional with their white wines, Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc is also a spot-on seafood pairing that is sure to please. Fruit from throughout the Napa and Sonoma goes into Spottswoode’s selection, including from the Spottswoode St. Helena estate, as well as Atlas Peak, Carneros, Sonoma Mountain, and Knights Valley, creating a dual-appellation wine. Fermentation occurs using multiple vessels, including barrel, stainless steel, clay amphora, ceramic, and concrete, with each vessel helping create the multi-dimensional wine. With white flowers, fresh citrus, passionfruit, and soft herbal flavors, the structured wine is ideal for a holiday meal.

A bubble is always appropriate for celebrating the holidays. Agyle Winery Spirit Hill Blanc de Blancs is an elegant, elevated choice from one of Willamette Valley’s oldest wineries. The Spirit Hill Vineyard sits at 700 feet elevation within Eola-Amity Hills near the Van Duzer Corridor, where Pacific Ocean breezes constantly blow, keeping the fruit fresh and bright with acidity.  Made in the traditional method, the 100% Chardonnay sparkling wine layers baked apple, brioche, and blanched almonds with lemon blossom, fresh cream, and a hint of saline.

Finish off the night with something sweet, like a glass of Sauternes. Chateau Doisy-Védrines blends 87% Sémillon with 13% Sauvignon Blanc grown in clay and limestone soils within Haut Barsac. The noble rot wine ages for 18 months in partially new French oak, lending spice, caramel, and butterscotch notes to the wine. Though the wine has a syrupy sweetness, there is also a lovely note of freshness, making this a match for fruit tarts, pies, or aged cheese.