On the Eve, we always do the Feast of the Seven Fishes. A few of the fish choices vary, but the star is always lobster and an octopus salad with lemon, green olives, and celery. You can go a couple ways with lobster, but we’ve always done white Burgundy which has a light touch on the fruit but a big one on silk and elegance. 

• Faiveley Puligny Montrachet Les Folatieres 2017 Pour a glass and let your eyes roll back into your head. $119. 
• Domaine Chanson Beaune-Bastion 2016 Beautiful florals with a balance between apple and savory notes. $55
• Domaine Chanson Viré-Clesseé A more affordable version, very light, with hints of citrus, honey and minerality.  $20

Our menu on Christmas Day changes, but we usually go for more like a roast. Again, this isn’t the time to skimp so go bold with one of these amazing reds:

• Nicolás Catena Zapata, a big, structured, spicy red that honors the original Bordeaux blend (before they kicked Malbec out of the game over there) with 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Malbec, and 8% Cabernet Franc. $105 
• Clos Apalta, another red from South America, though this one’s from Chile and has lots more berry flavor with a hint of vegetal notes as well from the64% Carménère (the rest is 19% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot). $119 

Doing that Chinese food thing on Christmas instead? We got you covered here too. The traditional pairing with Chinese food is always said to be Gewürztraminer (guh-WURTZ-tra-meaner). It’s packed with lychee and baking spice and often has a hint of sweetness, which is what makes it a good pairing with flavorful, spicy Asian food. It’s often what I don’t like about it though, which is why I was super into this Gundlach Bundschu version ($25) which is totally dry. It has all the lychee wit none of the sweet.