Here are some wine options to consider if you’re planning to opt for duck or goose this Christmas, drawing on previous advice published on Decanter.com and recommendations from Decanter experts.
Five wine styles to drink with duck or goose this Christmas
- Pinot Noir
- Barbera
- Rosé Champagne
- Riesling
- Pinot Gris
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A great quality roast Christmas duck or goose will give you a richer meat on the dinner table, compared to turkey.
Consider choosing a wine with relatively high acidity to cut through the fat content of the duck or goose, but enough fruit concentration and depth to meet the intensity of the flavour.
Pinot Noir is often named as a classic pairing for duck, although styles vary between producers and locations.
White wines that combine refreshing acidity with richness can be a good pairing for goose.
Think about the intensity of the dish, and any elements of sweetness or acidity delivered by other ingredients. These are some of the core principles of food and wine matching, as explained in this excerpt from The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil.
Ultimately, though, personal preference is a big part of the equation when it comes to food and wine pairing.
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Wine to drink with roast duck
Medium-bodied reds with a good concentration of bright red fruit and relatively high acidity should generally work well with roast duck.
Pinot Noir is regularly cited as a top choice for duck, although you’ll still find styles that differ in intensity and in their balance of aromas.
Some oak and tannin influence can add depth, but watch out for them overpowering the dish. Tannins should soften over time in the best red wines built to age.
The particular flavours in a sauce or stuffing mix might also affect things.
Matthieu Longuère MS, wine development manager at Le Cordon Bleu London culinary school, previously offered his expert advice on pairing wine with duck cooked in different ways.
He suggested looking to Pinot Gris from Alsace with a classic duck à l’orange. Mencia from Spain’s Galicia region is a great red wine option, he said.
‘[The wine] needs to have enough acidity and a hint of richness to cope with the sauce, yet enough body not to be overwhelmed by the texture of the bird’.
Wine with roast goose
The rich texture and refreshing acidity of some top Riesling styles is worth exploring for goose. See this buying guide to German Riesling for starters.
Some wines have ginger spice notes and slight sweetness, which may work particularly well accompanying a goose roasted with a classic five spice mix.
Decanter’s Tina Gellie also recently praised this Vouvray (Chenin Blanc) wine, noting its off-dry style balanced by brisk acidity.
Italy is a place to look when pairing red wine with goose.
Ronan Sayburn MS, a master sommelier and a Co-Chair at the Decanter World Wine Awards, said, ‘I think a great alternative wine to choose with goose would be a Barbera d’Alba from Piedmont.
‘Goose has dark meat which is full of flavour and a fattiness that Cranberry sauce cuts through well. Barbera is light and juicy with great acidity and fleshy red berry fruit.’
Explore Decanter’s Barbera panel tasting from late 2023.
Other red wine options with duck
Fiona Beckett, Decanter contributor and author of Matchingfoodandwine.com, previously recommended Mourvèdre, Barbera or Merlot as wine options with duck, alongside Pinot Noir.
Mourvèdre-dominant wines, like those from Bandol in southern France, ‘can be a sensual partner for duck, especially cooked Provençal style with olives’.
In this recent article on Thanksgiving pairings, Gavin Schmidt, chef-partner at The Morris restaurant in San Francisco, said: ‘Some of our favourite pairings at The Morris for the duck are Northern Rhône Syrah or Loire Cabernet Franc.’
Duck with rosé Champagne
Some rosé Champagnes are produced with a more gastronomic style in mind.
Master sommelier Kathrine Larsen-Robert MS, head of wine for Europe at members’ club 67 Pall Mall, said she would pair Larmandier-Bernier Rosé de Saignée Champagne with duck at Christmas.
Larsen-Robert said this wine would match well with roast turkey. She pairs it with duck, however, in a festive nod to her Danish roots.
This article has been updated in December 2024.
Wine reviews: Inspiration for Christmas duck and goose
A selection of wines reviewed by Decanter experts at varying price levels.
