5 Festive Wines For Christmas Dinner

Christmas meals vary widely from household to household. It's not like Thanksgiving where turkeys are standard operating procedure for lunch or dinner. No matter what food is on your table, I have some drink ideas. Here are 5 festive wines for Christmas Dinner and Wine Wednesday.

My family does Italian for Christmas. It started with my grandmother and has continued now that she is no longer with us. So I'm starting my holiday wine recommendations with two selections from Italy that are versatile enough to go with more than cuisine from that country.

Let's start with bubbles. Sparkling wine should always be on a holiday table in my opinion. Not just because we are celebrating the season, although that is an important reason. But also because the crisp, dry notes and fresh fruit found in bottles like this one are great with salty, fatty foods.

For red wine lovers, I just tried this one with a sausage and pepper sandwich as seen below and man did it hit the spot. It's got great fruit and the right amount of acid to compliment the food.

I love how this bottle looks on a holiday table. It's produced by the famous Baron Pilippe de Rothschild family in Bordeaux, France. They make this one with a more modern approach. It is an easy drinker and fairly easy to find.

This one comes from the historic Biltmore Estates in North Carolina although the grapes were grown in Virginia. Talk about all-American.

Think about adding a dessert wine to your menu this year. This one comes from Ontario. I tend to like these wines with cheese. However, if you are serving a fruit dessert this would work. Also try it with crème Brulé and crème caramel; or panacotta with fruit like pineapple.

I had three holiday parties over the weekend and more are on the calendar as we count down to Christmas. That does not count gatherings I'm helping to host. If you're like me and always looking for something fun to make, here are 5 fast and easy Christmas appetizers for your next soiree and for TikTok Tuesday.

No matter how much I plan, I always seem to be scrambling to put things together. There are three things that are important for my appetizers and party foods. First, I want them to taste great. Second, I want them to look appealing. Third, I need them to be easy to execute for the sake of time.

Another thing I like, is to find one recipe that can be easily adapted when it comes to ingredients. Something I can use as a base for a variety of flavors. These are the types of recipes you'll find when you scroll down.

Last week I posted some delicious cookie recipes if you are looking for some new ideas. Click here for those.

If you don't have a TikTok account, don't worry. I've made it easy by taking these links from mine. Simply scroll down and watch from this post. Some of the recipe details are in the captions and some have links in the bios so you might have to click to see in full.

Also, turn up the volume for good advice and instructions.

Finally, share these videos and recipes with friends who are tasked with bringing a dish to dinner or a party. Or those hosting friends and family. They could be just the thing that puts your gathering over the top.

These are so versatile. I've also done this with feta and sundried tomatoes and mozzarella and basil too. I love the ingredients in this one though. Fast, easy and delicious.

This one would look great on any holiday table. It's also an appetizer that you could have some fun with in regards to the filling. If you are not a fan of spinach, there are so many other things you could put on the dough and bake.

Nothing says a holiday party quite like a cheeseball. I love that these are bite sized. Well, maybe two or three bites, but still manageable. And no utensils are needed, not even a toothpick.

Every time I see this I want to try it. This is another one you can customize with your favorite ingredients. I might even leave it whole and let people break off what they want. 

Who doesn't like cheesy biscuits? Or garlic butter? Put the two together in one little bite and that is a near perfect appetizer anytime of the year. I love this one.