Nyetimber Classic Cuvée
Nyetimber planted its first vines in 1988 and did more than anyone to show that English sparkling wine could stand next to Champagne. The Classic Cuvée is its signature wine.
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Christmas
English wine for Christmas
English sparkling wine has the Christmas toast covered, and there are English whites and reds for the rest of the meal too. These are the bottles we would buy for the day itself, course by course, and a few to give as presents. Every one is in stock with our wine partners this week.
The short version
- For the toast: a non-vintage English sparkling wine such as Nyetimber Classic Cuvée or Chapel Down Brut.
- With smoked salmon: a crisp Bacchus, England’s signature white grape.
- With the turkey: a light English Pinot Noir, or a fuller white such as Chardonnay or Pinot Gris if your table prefers white.
- On Boxing Day: sparkling rosé with the cold cuts and the cheese board.
- To give: a vintage or single-grape sparkling wine in a box, such as Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs.
We check prices and stock every week, and a bottle that sells out drops off this page. Prices are for a single 75cl bottle.
The toast and the canapés
Most English sparkling wine is made the same way as Champagne, from the same grapes, and it is fresher and more citrussy than most Champagne, which suits salty, rich nibbles. A non-vintage brut from an established house is the safe choice for a crowd. Hambledon’s comes from the Hampshire estate first planted in 1952, if you want a story to tell when you pour it.
Chapel Down Brut
The everyday sparkling wine from one of England’s biggest producers, and the easiest of these to find.
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Hambledon Classic Cuvée
From the estate often called England’s oldest commercial vineyard, first planted in 1952 in the chalk of the South Downs.
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Bolney Classic Cuvée
From a Sussex estate a few minutes off the A23, easy to visit from Brighton or London.
Visit Our guide to Bolney
Starters: smoked salmon, prawns and pâté
Bacchus is the English answer to Sauvignon Blanc: dry, aromatic and sharp enough to cut through smoked salmon or a prawn cocktail. Chapel Down’s is the one most people know. Westwell’s Ortega, from Kent, is an unusual grape your guests may not have tried.
Chapel Down Bacchus
Bacchus is England’s signature still white grape, and this is the bottle most people start with.
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Lyme Bay Sandbar Bacchus
A coastal Bacchus from Lyme Bay Winery, on the Devon and Dorset border, fresh and grapefruit-bright.
Visit Our guide to Lyme Bay
Westwell Ortega
Westwell is known for its Ortega, an unusual grape it makes into one of Kent’s most distinctive whites.
Visit Our guide to Westwell
The turkey
English reds are light, so they sit well with turkey, cranberry and the trimmings without swamping them. Pinot Noir is the grape to look for. If most of the table drinks white, a Chardonnay or a Pinot Gris has more weight than Bacchus and stands up to the gravy.
English reds are light, which is exactly what turkey, cranberry and bread sauce need.
Bolney Pinot Noir
Red wine from Sussex, made from the grape that also goes into much English sparkling wine.
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Polgoon Rondo and Pinot Noir Précoce
A light red from the far west of Cornwall, made from two early-ripening grapes that suit England’s cooler summers.
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Westwell Village Chardonnay
An unoaked Chardonnay from the Charing winery, fermented cool in stainless steel.
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Bolney Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris made in the Alsace style: a little fuller than Bacchus, with pear and citrus.
Visit Our guide to Bolney
There are only a handful of English reds with our wine partners. For the full list, see English red wines.
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Boxing Day and the cheese board
Sparkling rosé is the most useful bottle for the day after: it goes with cold turkey and ham, smoked fish and most cheeses, and it looks festive in the glass. Balfour Brut Rosé is the wine the Kent estate made its name with. For a simple red with cold cuts, Bolney Lychgate Red is the best value of the English reds we list.
Balfour Brut Rosé
The wine Balfour is best known for, from the Hush Heath estate in the Weald.
Visit Our guide to Balfour
Nyetimber Rosé
The pink sparkling wine from the West Sussex estate that did most to put English sparkling wine on the map.
Visit Our guide to Nyetimber
Bolney Lychgate Red
A medium-bodied dry red from Bolney, and the best value of these.
Visit Our guide to Bolney
A bottle to give
For a present, go for something a little special: a vintage wine, a single-grape Blanc de Blancs, or a new name. Domaine Evremond is the Kent estate of the Champagne house Taittinger, and its first wine came out in 2025. Camel Valley in Cornwall has made wine above the River Camel since 1989.
Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs
Gusbourne makes only vintage wines, from vines first planted in 2004 on the edge of Romney Marsh.
Visit Our guide to Gusbourne
Rathfinny Blanc de Blancs
Made only from Chardonnay at the big estate in the South Downs near Alfriston.
Visit Our guide to Rathfinny
Domaine Evremond Classic Cuvée
The first wine from the Kent estate of the Champagne house Taittinger, released in 2025.
Camel Valley Cornwall Reserve Brut
Camel Valley has made wine above the River Camel since 1989, and it did more than anyone to put Cornwall on the English wine map.
For tours, tastings and vouchers rather than bottles, see our English wine gift guide.
Good to know
- Order in timeEach wine merchant has its own last date for Christmas delivery. Check it before you order, and leave a few days’ margin.
- Chill the fizzSparkling wine is best well chilled, so give it a few hours in the fridge. Light English reds are good slightly cool too.
- How many bottlesA 75cl bottle of sparkling wine fills about six flutes, which is a useful guide for the toast.
- Buy at the cellar doorMany vineyards open for Christmas shopping in December. See what’s on this month and Christmas at an English vineyard.
Questions people ask
Is English sparkling wine good for Christmas?
Yes. The best is made the same way as Champagne, from the same grapes, and costs about the same. It is fresher and more citrussy, which suits canapés, smoked salmon and the toast. See English sparkling wine vs Champagne.
What English wine goes with turkey?
A light English Pinot Noir, or a fuller white such as Chardonnay or Pinot Gris. English reds are lighter than most, which suits turkey and the trimmings.
Where can I buy English wine for Christmas?
Every bottle on this page is in stock this week with one of our wine partners, who deliver. Many vineyards also open their cellar doors for Christmas shopping in December, and some hold Christmas markets.
Photo credits, via Geograph
- Snow-covered vineyard, Surlingham: Evelyn Simak, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Barrels at Chapel Down Winery, Small Hythe: pam fray, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Harvest at Rathfinny: David M Clark, CC BY-SA 2.0