There’s only one wine you really need at Christmas – and it’s champagne

In the melee of this time of year, it can be overwhelming thinking about the selection of wines to drink at Christmas. As you can probably imagine, I love choosing a selection of wines to pair with every stage of the day – but if you asked me to pick just one, then my choice would be simple: champagne.

Do you want to get the appetite ready for a feast? Have a glass of champagne. Are you looking for a drink that goes with everything? Then you better crack open the champagne. Feeling sluggish after a large meal? Yep, you guessed it – drink champagne.

Madame Bollinger put it perfectly when she said: “I drink champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am.” The only thing she missed out is: “I always drink it at Christmas.”

To start with, there’s a multiplicity of foods that it perfectly accompanies, thanks to its racy acidity: from turkey, prawn cocktail, parsnips and cranberry sauce, to trifle, smoked salmon, nut roast, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, bread sauce, and cheese (you get the idea).

Couple this with the fact that special occasions deserve a special wine, well, there is no wine that compares to the sparkling joy that champagne brings. A glass of champagne is the most beautiful decoration to adorn your table (or better still, your hand).

On average, around 300 million bottles of champagne are produced annually in the north-eastern French region, with over 16,200 grape-growers working in this most marginal of areas. According to 2023 figures published by the Comité du Champagne, the United Kingdom accounted for 25.5 million bottles exported, just a whisper away from the 26.9 million bottles exported to the United States. This means that per capita consumption, we are the largest consumers of champagne in the world – and I genuinely believe we should all be proud of this. Shall we crack open a bottle to celebrate?

It seems I’m not the only one who buys more champagne at Christmas either. At the UK’s largest wine retailer, Majestic, analysts estimate that a bottle of champagne will be sold every five seconds throughout December, and that on average, nearly 40 per cent of its yearly champagne sales take place during November and December.

Similarly impressive figures can be found at Waitrose, where, in 2023, they saw a 365 per cent uplift for champagne at Christmas when compared to the rest of the year. As someone who has, in a previous wine life, worked in retail, I know that these figures are needed, as sales in December are the ones that help retailers survive the slow months at the start of the year.

Champagne offers such stylistic variety, from the lean and crisp through to more aged, decadent and gastronomic wines – it really can support everything.

But how to choose? If you’re in an independent wine shop then just ask; they will be able to guide you to something completely delicious. But, if you’re standing in a supermarket wine aisles it can be a little trickier.

A great, and often more affordable starting point, is supermarket own-label champagnes. The wine buyers will have worked tirelessly to find the best possible champagne, for the best price – which provides a degree of confidence to us, the consumers.

So, to help you out for any last-minute inspiration, here are my picks of some widely available champagne heroes:

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Aldi, £21.99, 12.5 per cent ABV

This premier cru (meaning grapes from higher-quality vineyards) has impressive richness for the money in this pinot-noir-dominated champagne. Appealing aromas of strawberries and cream topped with toasted almonds, it’s lovely and rounded in the mouth.

Co-op, £22.75 (£15 until 24 December with a Co-op card), 12 per cent ABV

In the current offer, I struggle to imagine a better champagne available. Made under the roof of Piper Heidsick, this has some serious pedigree to it. It is crisp, refreshing and so uplifting with its appealing nose of fresh citrus, baked apple and a touch of soft brioche.

Waitrose, £24.99, 12.5 per cent ABV

Smelling this is like taking a stroll down the freshly baked goods aisle of a supermarket. Think peach-topped danish pastry with swirls of creamy custard. A steadfastly excellent champagne, looks very smart too.

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Waitrose, £29.99, 12.5 per cent ABV

Made by Maison Bonnet which also produces Fortum and Mason’s house champagne – it is like walking through an early spring garden, fresh strawberries, early raspberries and a table full of freshly baked scones and cream – very pretty indeed.

The Wine Society, £33.81, 12.5 per cent ABV

The Wine Society has been working with Alfred Gratien of Epernay since 1906 – with a relationship that long, they must have a really fabulous champagne, and indeed it is. By far the most refined of all the champagnes tasted, this is next level in quality. It has a deep nutty richness thanks to the barrel fermentation and longer ageing (five years in bottle in fact). It is brimming with warm brioche, whipped cream, soft stone fruits and toasted hazelnuts – an eminently versatile wine, incredibly keenly priced.

M&S / Ocado, £29, 12.5 per cent ABV

This is a fine example of a vintage Blanc de Blancs (made from 100 per cent chardonnay) – an abundant nose of butter croissant and soft apricot. It is rather decadent and makes you feel rather glamorous enjoying a glass of this.

Rosamund Hall (DipWSET) is a freelance writer, presenter and columnist specialising in wine and spirits as well as travel, lifestyle, and parenting