Hot chocolate and marshmallows. Oranges and cloves. Milk and cookies. Certain Christmas combos just work, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t explore other options!
Hot cocoa tastes terrific with a dollop of whipped cream, for instance, and chocolate-dipped oranges are also ultra festive. And when it comes time to enjoy those Christmas cookies, wine pairings can make the season even more jolly for those in the 21+ crowd.
“The holidays are a wonderful time to socialize with family and friends, and you’d be surprised just how well wine can pair with cookies and dessert,” explains Anthony Bilwin, general manager and sommelier at von Stiehl Winery, Cidery, and Distillery in Algoma, Wisconsin.
The ultimate goal of any food and wine pairing is to elevate your enjoyment, according to Mariana Popescu, sommelier and restaurant manager for Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro in Milwaukee, Wisconsin: “That’s the guiding philosophy, and it’s especially true when pairing wine with something as whimsical and nostalgic as holiday cookies.”
Read on to find your cookie’s perfect match to enjoy at home or so you can pair a bottle with a dozen cookies for a spirited and sweet food gift.
Anthony Bilwin, general manager and sommelier at von Stiehl Winery, Cidery, and Distillery in Algoma, Wisconsin
Eugenio Egorov, head sommelier and wine buyer at The Stafford London in London
Thomas Kakalios, lead sommelier of Eat Well Hospitality in Chicago
Peter Marcy, beverage director at The Grange Estate in Willamette Valley, Oregon
Mariana Popescu, sommelier and restaurant manager for Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
How to Pair Wine and Cookie Recipes
Although wine and chocolate are often considered one of the culinary world’s top power couples, pairing sweets, including cookies or other pastries, can be very challenging due to their inherent sweetness and all of the layers of flavor, says Eugenio Egorov, head sommelier and wine buyer at The Stafford London in London. As we try to complement or contrast certain elements, “it’s difficult but not impossible to create delicious Christmas cookies and wine pairings. Keeping an open-minded palate, we can come up with very interesting matches,” Egorov says.
These three wine pairing principles can help you ace any cookie and vino collabs:
Go sweeter with wine. In most cases, the wine should be just as sweet or sweeter than the dessert or cookie being served, Bilwin and Popescu agree. “Sweeter food can bring out undesirable harshness or bitterness in a wine that doesn’t quite match,” Popescu says.Focus on the dominant cookie flavor. Christmas cookie recipes all have varying levels of sweetness, texture, spices and/or extracts, and density—all of which you could take into account for the drink you pour alongside, clarifies Peter Marcy, beverage director at The Grange Estate in Willamette Valley, Oregon. Since that can be a lot to try to consider and accommodate with a wine pairing, he suggests zooming out and thinking of the cookie as a whole. What is the most prominent base flavor? This may come from the cookie dough itself, mix-ins, or a topping. Thomas Kakalios, lead sommelier of Eat Well Hospitality in Chicago suggests that we “look to the base flavors and the toppings, as these will likely be the source for the dominant flavors and acidity. From a technical standpoint, sweetness and acidity is what you are truly looking to pair your wines with.”Match dark with dark. Save white wines for another day if you’re enjoying a chocolate cookie (unless it is a certain style of white dessert wine). “As a general rule, the darker the dessert, the darker the wine to use,” Bilwin says.
The Best Wine Pairings for 10 Popular Christmas Cookies, According to Sommeliers
Now that you know the best practices for Christmas cookie wine pairings, let’s get specific. Ahead, our panel of sommeliers are uncorking their top recommendations for what to pour with your favorite holiday cookies and candies.
Jake Sternquist
Sugar Cookies
Christmas cookie wine pairing: Chardonnay
Bust out that oak-aged Chardonnay. The wine’s subtle sweetness and buttery roundness will play nicely with the sugar, butter, and vanilla that take center stage in these classic Christmas cookies, Popescu says. Aging a wine in oak imparts a hint of vanilla flavor, which only makes this pairing even better.
Although you might think of Chardonnay more typically as a partner for pasta or seafood, the popular white wine will complement the simple, nostalgic flavors and tender texture of the sugar cookies, Kakalios and Bilwin agree. Sommeliers often suggest Chardonnay with nutty dishes, so if your sugar cookie recipe or its icing happens to be spiked with almond extract (like our Christmas Sugar Cookie Cutouts), you’ll unwrap an extra level of deliciousness.
Emily VanSchmus
Gingerbread
Christmas cookie wine pairing: Moscatel
With punchy flavors like molasses, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon, gingerbread isn’t shy. To make each bite of the powerful cookie really shine, enjoy your Gingerbread Cutout with a glass of wine made with Muscat grapes (which also happens to be one of our top Thanksgiving wine picks).
“Muscat-based wines often evoke a gentle, candied ginger flavor, making for a fun and complementary match for the spicy warmth of gingerbread,” Popescu says.
Moscatel is one of many types of Muscat wines. The dessert wine is floral, sweet, and tastes even more like butterscotch, figs, or raisins the longer it ages. Most Moscatels offer some orange essence, which is a delight with gingerbread’s spice.
Grant Webster
Thumbprint or Linzer Cookies
Christmas cookie wine pairing: Sparkling Rosé
When it comes time to consider the best wine pairing for fruit jam/jelly-preserve-stuffed goodies like Linzer or Thumbprint Cookies, let the spread take the lead.
“With fresh red fruit notes, a young, semi-sweet sparkling rosé sets off the fruit preserves in thumbprint or Linzer cookies while adding a touch of brightness to each bite,” Popescu explains.
The effervescence of a semi-sweet, often labeled as “demi-sec,” sparkling rosé acts as a nice counterpart to cut through the richness of the buttery cookie dough base.
BHG / Cara Cormack
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Christmas cookie wine pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon
Although they’re just as appropriate for bake sales and summer potlucks as they are for the winter holidays, we can’t go through a Christmas season without at least one batch of CCCs.
Remember our dark with dark scheme? That’s the focus here, thanks to the bittersweet and bold dark chocolate chips that are the hero ingredient in every chocolate chip cookie recipe.
While other fruit-forward red wines would also work, Bilwin believes that “not much is better than a piece of dark chocolate and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon by the fire, but this pairing comes close! Dark chocolate chips with the buttery flavor of the cookie help to highlight the fruit and nutty flavors in the Cabernet, adding a little vanilla undertone as well.”
Jacob Fox
Shortbread Cookies
Christmas cookie wine pairing: Moscato d’Asti
Ted Lasso’s signature cookie recipe is a lesson in editing and execution. Flour, sugar, and a lot of shortening or butter are all that’s required to make the most traditional shortbread. From there, vanilla extract and salt often join the party. While buttery shortbread is a treat as-is, come holiday season, we like to spiff things up with bonus ingredients like almond butter, maraschino cherries, and dried cranberries.
Whatever shortbread variation you bake up, Kakalios is keen on another Muscat-based wine: Moscato d’Asti. This low-alcohol, sweet, and bubbly vino is an elegant pairing that won’t overpower shortbread’s delicate flavors.
Plus, “shortbread’s high fat content begs for a light and slightly effervescent sweet foil, with understated flavors that permit the subtle tones of the cookie to shine,” Kakalios says.
Carson Downing
Peanut Butter Cookies or Peanut Butter Blossoms
Christmas cookie wine pairing: Merlot
Peanut butter and jelly is another dynamic and delicious duo that’s gratifying for kids and adults alike, and a similar approach is what we’re taking here: peanut butter and fruit.
For classic criss-cross-topped Peanut Butter Cookies or Kiss-crowned Peanut Butter Blossoms, Bilwin says your best bet is a popular red wine: Merlot. A full-bodied red with silky tannins “will pair perfectly with chocolate and help wash down the peanut butter,” according to Marcy. And with notes of plum, cherry, and chocolate, “Merlot offers incredible fruity qualities, reminiscent of peanut butter and jelly with chocolate,” Bilwin says.
Karla Conrad
Chocolate Truffles or Buckeyes
Christmas cookie wine pairing: Tempranillo
There’s nothing bashful about Triple-Chocolate Truffles, Peanut Butter Truffles, and Buckeyes. (In case you are unfamiliar, the latter is Ohio’s signature chocolate candy recipe that’s essentially a ball of peanut butter fudge partially dipped in melted chocolate.)
So once again, you’re going to want to go dark and open up a bottle of Tempranillo, a medium- to full-bodied red wine from Spain.
“The deep, dark fruit flavors of a Tempranillo, combined with its easy-drinking character make it a perfect match for the intensity of chocolate truffles or Buckeyes,” Popescu says. (Lucky enough to have extra? Transform it into a Tinto de Verano to enjoy later in the evening or week!)
Coconut Macaroons
Christmas cookie wine pairing: Sauternes
They look like snowballs and taste like a tropical vacation, so Coconut Macaroons are always a welcome addition to our dessert boards come holiday season.
That being said, the forceful coconut essence can make for a challenging pairing. Popescu says the fix can be found in the dessert wine section.
“French Sauternes, a Bordeaux dessert wine known for its lush tropical fruit and warm baking spice notes beautifully accompanies the sweetness and texture of Coconut Macaroons,” Popescu says.
Peter Krumhardt
Fudge
Christmas cookie wine pairing: Port
As one of the sweetest, most dense, and richest Christmas candies, Fudge asks for a wine with a similar luxurious build. Enter: Port, a Portuguese fortified dessert wine.
Popescu, Marcy, and Kakalios agree that Port is the perfect match, since the drink’s “layered sweetness harmonizes with the rich, intense flavor of fudge, creating an indulgent experience,” Popescu tells us.
Where other wines might get lost, Port’s fairly high alcohol content (18 to 21%), silky texture, and innate sweetness, mean that it can stand up to the boldness of the fudge. Try a Tawny Port, renowned for its nutty flavors, or a Vintage Ruby Port, with chocolate, warm baking spice, and dark berry notes.
Peter Krumhardt
Peppermint Bark
Christmas cookie wine pairing: Shiraz
The notion of combining chocolate and mint is controversial as it is. Now when you try to pair both of those—found in Christmas candies like Candy Cane Bark—with a drink, the plot thickens.
Luckily, Marcy and Popescu have our backs with their divine drink pairing: Shiraz, an Australian or South African red wine made from Syrah grapes.
“With its ripe blackberry, mocha, and subtle smoky notes, Shiraz pairs well with Peppermint Bark, balancing the coolness of peppermint with robust fruit and spice,” Popescu explains.