Seasonal meals and celebration over the Holidays lend themselves well to a wide array and assortment of exciting wine choices, from aperitifs, whites, reds, champagne, even dessert or ice wine! You do not need a special occasion necessarily to pair these up, but what a great way and opportunity to do exactly that! No excuses needed here! Christmas is a known month of holiday meals get togethers. Many chefs and families start to prepare their grocery lists for the entire month starting as early as November. In addition to the meals, wines and champagnes are also chosen to compliment their menu selections. How do you choose the right pairings for your meal?

The first thing to consider is what you will be serving. Are you going to serve the traditional ham Christmas dinner? No matter if you are going to serve turkey, ham, goose, prime rib, mashed potatoes, yams, green beans, rolls or pie; you will want to compliment your holiday meal with quality wine pairings.

There are several selections to consider adding to your menu list in order to have available for your family and friends to enjoy when they come over to share on this special day. Keep in mind however that your wine tastes are personal, so it acceptable to choose whatever your personal preferences are.

Pairings for a Ham or Lamb Dinner

White wines while many traditional wine drinkers will only think to match red wines with red meat and white wines with fish and poultry. You may even want to consider selecting a sparking wine or champagne for the big day; why not, it is a holiday. These 3 wines are great compliments to a ham Christmas dinner:

?Zinfandel- Zinfandels are robust red wines that are extremely popular as dinner wines and drinking wines.

?Pinot Noir-This wine became extremely popular a few years ago, and is an extremely good wine to drink alone or with meals. Pinot Noir is a full body red that is full of great flavors.

?Beajolais Nouveau- This is a young wine that is very fruity, light in body and easy to drink. For red wine lovers who like a lighter body, this is the best choice.

?Gewurztraminer- This is a white wine grape that is predominately grown in France, Germany and a few places in the U.S. where the climate is cooler.

Pairings for a Goose Dinner

Goose is becoming a more popular holiday choice for Christmas dinner. Here are 3 great wines to consider pairing with this meal:

?Zinfandel

?Chardonnay-Chardonnay is a green skinned grape that is made into white wines. It is believed to have originated in France, but today it is made all over the world. Chardonnay is a smooth wine that often has a slight bite.

?Burgandy- This is a great full body red.

?Savingnon Blanc- This wine is made of grapes that were originally grown in New Zealand and is available as a variety blend or as a single variety wine.

Any of these wines will go great with your holiday dinner. Keep in mind that wine preference is a personal choice and while there are some traditional pairings, you should choose a group of wines that match your tastes. Enjoy! Regardless of what you have on the menu, this is your chance to shine! Merry Christmas Everyone!