Our buyers live and breathe wine, and Christmas is the perfect opportunity to show off their favourite bottles to their nearest and dearest. We caught up with five of the team to get the inside track on what they’ll be enjoying this year. Have you ever wondered which bottle our Champagne buyer uncorks on the big day, what the failsafe wine for cold cuts is or whether any of our buyers drink beer? Read on to find out all this and more.
Victoria Mason MW
Buyer for South Africa
‘While some family traditions are sacred, the Mason family likes to mix it up at Christmas (where we go, what we do) and I definitely like to mix up my wine choices each year! Christmas Eve if we stay in tends to be a higgledy-piggledy assembly of party food – sausage rolls, charcuterie, crunchy veg and dips, assorted breaded things (from prawns to chicken bites to melty cheese balls), etc. Not very glamorous but most of us have been working on Christmas Eve so something simple we can throw together is what’s needed. And with all of this, I want a juicy, refreshing, all-rounder kind of red, something that could be lightly chilled and is easy drinking – my go-to wines here would be South African cinsault (like Angus Paul’s perfumed example from Stellenbosch Angus Paul 'Diapsalmata' Cinsault, Stellenbosch 2023), Sicilian frappato, or (and a firm favourite of my parents) Beaujolais (my new obsession is Moulin-à-Vent La Vigne de Mon Père, Elisa Guerin 2023).
‘Christmas Day morning was once upon a time scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, which when I introduced this as a teenager was the height of sophistication (then served with Buck’s Fizz, of course!). These days it is just as often bacon butties – always after I’ve gone on a mega run, in the Peak District if we’re doing Christmas at my parents or around Richmond Park if we’re doing a London Christmas. And obviously the first drink of the day is bubbles – the first bottle will probably be Society’s Champagne, but this year I’ll then be plying everyone with our brand-new Exhibition Cap Classique, which is very possibly the best-value traditional-method sparkler in our range right now.
‘We’re a roast turkey family when it comes to Christmas lunch and I have long preferred drinking whites with this than reds (though I am the only one); my very favourite pairing is chenin blanc – I’ve definitely been on record saying this before – as there’s enough bright acidity to match even the zingiest cranberry sauce, but this year I’m going to ring in the changes with a grenache blanc from Ridge (which you’ll see in our Christmas Fine Wine Collection; I bought a case when we offered it as a First Release earlier this year)! The rest of the family will want red, and probably pinot noir (last year I went California and Oregon with our pinots, but this year I’m going to be raiding our Burgundy selection). Much later in the day when it comes to the pudding (we tend to need hours to recover from the main event), I’ll bring out something delicious and fortified. This year it’s most probably going to be a Tawny Port, as I’m a little bit enamoured with the Douro at present after an amazing trip to Quinta do Noval earlier this year.
‘My friends and I have just started planning New Year’s Eve, and we’ve opted for a rerun of an amazing party my best friend hosted last year, where dozens of toddlers seemed to play more or less in harmony (!) while the adults chatted away. This featured Carinus Syrah with crispy duck pancakes and magnums of vintage Nyetimber at midnight along with fireworks in the pouring rain. And we just might go for the same again as it was SO good! (Hopefully minus the rain.)’
Fiona Hayes
Buyer for the Rhône, Germany, Alsace, Jura, Savoie, Eastern Europe and Lebanon
‘I think Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the festive period, revelling in the build-up of excitement and anticipation of the big day. My partner’s birthday is on Christmas Day, so we also try to celebrate a little the day before and open a bottle of Vintage Champagne to have with Chalk Stream smoked-trout and crab crostini. Alfred Gratien is an absolute favourite, and their Cuvée Paradis is always incredible value. Red Burgundy is almost inevitably drunk later in the evening, with a special glass kept aside for Father Christmas!
‘On Christmas Day, I will always open a riesling kabinett at 11am, a pick-me-up from the early start. Merkelbach is a benchmark Mosel riesling from prized vineyards and so quaffable. Rather predictably, we always have turkey for Christmas dinner and magnums are my go-to. They add theatre to the celebratory nature of the day, and volume is often needed in my household. I often play it safe with more classic regions and ideally wine with a bit of age and development. Fontodi’s Chianti Classico is always a great option.
‘Boxing Day is for leftovers; I am going to try to make some homemade pickles and kimchi this year to go with all the cold meats. I am also a big fan of Kombucha, so will no doubt have You + I Lime Sea Salt Kombucha or LA Brewery Sparkling English Blush Kombucha followed by a couple of G&Ts from Cambridge London Dry Gin.’
Freddy Bulmer:
Buyer for Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Austria and beers / cider / low & no
‘For Christmas Eve, it’s always smoked-salmon blinis with a glass of Champagne, perhaps Champagne Henriot Brut due to its excellent value and luxurious flavour. This will likely be followed by a classic Negroni or a slightly more seasonal “Sloegroni” with a twist of sloe gin.
‘On Christmas Day, it’s got to be the turkey, and as is always the case with all home cooks, I take great pride in my roast potatoes. I’ll also have some honey roast parsnips and cheesy leeks, but the highlight for me are the Brussels sprouts with walnuts, pancetta and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
‘As my family’s wine expert, they trust me to take the lead with the wine, which is no bad thing! I’ve usually tucked away a good bottle of red for the occasion – it's an excellent time of year for a special bottle of red Burgundy. There’s also always a riesling or grüner veltliner on the table too, naturally!
‘Boxing Day is reserved for sandwiches of leftover meat and vegetables. I also like to crack open an old beer with my dad and my dog, Baxter. A pub visit with my brother-in-law is a Boxing Day must, but I love to explore craft beer at Christmas time as well.’
Sarah Knowles MW:
Buyer for Champagne, North America and Italy
'On Christmas Eve, we go out for great Turkish food – mostly the wonderful starters – lots of filo, feta, aubergine and hummus. A brilliant meal with no washing up! On the day itself, we have Christmas-tree crumpets with Marmite and Champagne for breakfast, with turkey and trimmings for late lunch and leftover tea with extra ham.
‘When it comes to wine it’s Champagne, Champagne, and more Champagne! We always try and have extra Society Champagne for this time of the year (in magnum, if possible). We usually opt for old favourites for the Christmas meal – lots of young fresh pinot noir and Langhe nebbiolo. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, so I’ll have Champagne for dessert with all the cheese.’
Matthew Horsley:
Buyer for Bordeaux, Greece and England
‘Christmas Eve is always a large roast ham, cheesy leeks, mashed potato and spiced red cabbage (a prized Delia Smith recipe). It’s my favourite meal of the Christmas period. To drink, we often go for a South African chenin (something like The Society’s Exhibition Chenin Blanc). Or, my wife and I will happily slug through a bottle of quality Kabinett riesling.
‘We normally have around nine drinkers for Christmas Day, so it’s very much volume over quality in our house! Christmas Day is always turkey, and we’ll typically have a white and a red to go alongside. My sisters insist on New Zealand sauvignon blanc, while I’ll plump for an old Rhône such as a Gigondas, a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or a Saint-Joseph – but that depends on who’s paying!’
'Boxing Day is always cold cuts. Leftovers from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with a selection of salads, pickles and baked potatoes. For me this has cabernet franc written all over it. Lightly chilled and enlivening.’
