These 12 wines of Christmas will have lords a-leaping, ladies dancing and quite possibly some drummers and pipers doing their thing too!
We’ve curated 12 delicious wines from around Australia (there is a Provençal Rosé in the list, but it’s a good’un) that we think would make any Christmas table—or Christmas tree for that matter—all the better.
From Hunter Semillons to Barossa Shiraz to fortifieds from Rutherglen to a magnificent 1.5litre magnum in its own special box, this wine list is the answer to all your wine-sipping gift-giving questions.
There’s even a totally new non-alc option here that we think is going to change how we see 0% wine.
This is part of our 2023 Hint Magazine Christmas gift guide, which you can see here.
It’s an online flip-book style mag with all kinds of gift ideas—from things like this list of wine to home and beauty products to travel ideas. And you can click through and buy everything directly.
12 Wines Of Christmas
Scarborough Wines Yellow Label Chardonnay 1.5l Magnum
A bottle of Scarborough wine is a pretty good gift in anyone’s books, but when it comes in large format like a 1.5litre magnum, you’ve just achieved Christmas Favourite status. And if you want to really ramp it up, you can have the magnum arrive in a fancy wooden case as well!
Based in Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley, the lovely Scarborough family and their wines represent the heartland of fine Australian Chardonnay. Their Yellow Label is an elegant fruit-forward wine balanced with a rounded sweet nuttiness and toffee from time spent on oak.
Briar Ridge Vineyard
Taking inspiration from the grape-growing regions of France, and set in a microclimate of the Mount View region of the Hunter Valley NSW, the Davis family at Briar Ridge Vineyard have been crafting low-yield estate-grown wine for the last 35 years.
Semillon from two separate blocks—Dairy Hill and Black Cluster—deliver iconic yet distinct flavours of this classic Hunter variety, while the winery’s best block, Briar Hill, produces award-winning Chardonnay.
Meanwhile, limited release Fiano and Albariño showcase the wine-maker’s skills, and the diversity and versatility of this unique, family-run vineyard.
2022 Single Vineyard ‘Briar Hill’ Chardonnay
Alongside the struck-match aroma characteristic of a well-made Chardonnay, this wine shows off stone fruit, a sweet nuttiness and balanced citric acidity.
2023 Single Vineyard ‘Dairy Hill’ Semillon
Flavours of juicy pears, sharp lemons and fine mineral tones make up the profile of this bright and lively Semillon that’s delicious now, but is sure to evolve those classic yet bizarre woody notes over the next 8-12 years.
2023 Single Vineyard ‘Black Cluster’ Semillon
Ripe citrus, sharp acidity, apple and smoky mineral flavours mark this as a seminal Hunter Semillon. Perfect for everything from seafood to cheese platters, this is a real foodie wine and will also cellar beautifully over the next 10 years.
2023 Limited Release Fiano and 2022 Limited Release Albariño
These two classic southern European varietals are taking Australia by storm and Briar Ridge has nailed both of them. The Fiano is bright and fresh with floral and spice notes, and the Alberiño is loaded with lemon zest, grapefruit and tropical notes with texture and richness from time on lees.
Gérard Bertrand 2022 Cote des Rosés
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but it’s hard not to be impressed by the bottle of this blushing Languedoc wine.
Decked out with everything from a crystal closure and a pink painted rose on the neck to the incredible contours of a rose on its base, this bottle is a work of art.
As for what’s inside, this Provençal rosé by renowned winemaker Gérard Bertrand is crisp, dry and light, singing with fine acidity and fresh fruit flavours, this is a wine for summer.
On the back is a QR code that takes you to a simple message system that lets you proclaim your love via the winery to the person you’re giving this bottle to. This is a wine for the true romantic.
Innocent Bystander’s Mea Culpa Range
From the verdant valleys of the Victoria’s Yarra wine region, Innocent Bystander has been quietly crafting exquisite wine for over 100 years. In the last 15 or so, things have really gone gangbusters though, and this demure winery has had to deal with its range of successes, in particular its Pinot Noir.
Perhaps in relation to this, their Mea Culpa range—meaning ‘through my fault’—shows just how good Innocent Bystander’s wine can be.
Innocent Bystander’s Mea Culpa 2020 Pinot Noir
Winning 95 of James Halliday’s coveted Wine Companion points, this Pinot is just the thing for the judicious red wine lover. Incredible structure and layers of flavour combine with—as Halliday puts it—“a fine mosaic of tannins.” I’m sold!
Innocent Bystander’s Mea Culpa 2020 Syrah
If, for whatever crazy reason, your red-wine loving giftee isn’t into Pinot Noir, the Mea Culpa Syrah is sure to win them over. Smooth, indulgent and rich with red fruit and berry notes, this Syrah and its richness finish with a bright spice.
Peter Lehmann’s 2017 Stonewell Shiraz
When it comes to magnificent full-bodied bold Shiraz, there’s really only one place you need to look: the Barossa Valley. And from there, you work your way up the pyramid.
Peter Lehmann’s Shiraz have a long highly-respected history, but the final step is up to the capstone of the Stonewell Shiraz. This deep crimson-almost-black wine is rich and full-blooded. Dense with blue and black fruits, ironstone and graphite tannins, the Stonewell is a wine that will only get better (if that’s possible) with age. For any red wine drinker, this truly is a gift from the heart.
Morris Classic Ruby Fortified Wine
For 165 years, Morris have been crafting superb wine from their Rutherglen estate in the Riverlands of northern Victoria. With a focus on fortified wine, the Morris name is synonymous with fine Australian tawny, muscat and topaque.
Morris Classic Ruby is the ideal gift or stocking filler for anyone who loves a fresh, vibrant sticky at the end of the night. Opulent and elegant enough to satisfy, yet light and agile so it’s not too rich, Classic Ruby is the perfect after-dinner drink.
NON’s NON8 Wine Alternative
Low and no-alcohol wine is so popular at the moment, but it’s still trying to be wine and—let’s be honest—with limited success. NON have approached the 0% wine experience from different direction.
Using an incredibly wide variety of ingredients, this Australian company has crafted a range of different beverages in their laboratory in Melbourne, the latest of which is Non#8.
With a base of orchard apples from Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula, NON have used caraway, cacao, oolong, keemun (a type of black tea), burnt sugar, ginger root, verjus and Murray River salt to bring a whole new 0% taste to the table.
