The Art of the Holiday Pour

Holiday entertaining is not about perfection. It’s about bringing people together, creating warmth, and using food and wine to spark connection. I love adding those extra touches that make guests feel something. A thoughtful wine plan guides the evening, supports the food, and adds intention without any stuffiness. The goal is not to impress for the sake of it, but to make people feel comfortable, curious, and excited to share the table.

When planning wines, think about flow. Start bright and refreshing, move into wines with a bit more texture and comfort, and finish with something sweet or sparkling to wrap up the night with a little celebration. The best pairings feel effortless, not formal.

I like to begin with energy. Guests are arriving, catching up, and grazing on small bites. Sparkling wine is always the perfect opener. The bubbles wake up the palate and pair beautifully with anything from smoked salmon to cheese boards, olives, or pastry bites. I love a dry French sparkling, labeled extra brut or brut. If you prefer still wine, look for crisp whites or something aromatic like Muscadet or Chablis. The first pour should feel fresh, fun, and inviting.

Holiday mains can be all over the map with various sides and sauces, so focus on structure and flavour instead of strict pairing rules. Think richness, herbs, and those cozy roasted sides.

For roast turkey or chicken, go for medium-bodied wines with bright acidity and gentle oak. White wines with texture, like Pinot Gris from Alsace, or red wines with soft tannins, like Pinot Noir from Sancerre, work beautifully with herbs, roasted vegetables, and gravy. They bring lift to the plate and keep things balanced. My personal favourite is oven baked glazed ham, that perfect mix of salt and sweetness. A fruit-forward Beaujolais is magic with it!

With roast beef or prime rib, reach for structure. Look for red wines with tannin and depth to stand up to the richness but skip wines that feel heavy or tiring. You want power with polish so guests stay comfortable and the meal still feels celebratory. I love a Cabernet Franc for it’s red fruit, herbaceous notes, and freshness. If you want to really impress, a Brunello di Montalcino is your move. Sangiovese’s natural acidity and earthy cherry tones cut through those rich gravy sides while it’s fine tannins add elegance and lift.

Then there is dessert. Whether you go off dry Riesling, Tawny Port or sweet Moscato d’Asti, the key rule is simple: the wine should be as sweet or sweeter than the dessert. That balance keeps everything in harmony and ends the meal on a high note instead of a sugar overload. I’m a sucker for demi sec rosé champagne and sugar cookies.

Holiday wine service at home is not about perfection. It’s about creating a space that feels inviting, thoughtful, and just a little indulgent. When the atmosphere feels easy and the company is good, the wines naturally shine brighter. Wine brings people together. That is the true art of the pour.

If you would rather host without the planning, Saint Wine Society offers Champagne service, menu pairing, and bottle selection. Send us your dinner menu two weeks before your event and enjoy a seamless, luxurious pour without lifting a finger. We handle the bottles, you handle the in laws.

Cheers!

The Ineffable Charm of Champagne

My name is Steph, and I founded the Saint Wine Society on the basis of bringing people into community through wine. It feels fitting that this column begins with bubbles, because for me, champagne was the beginning of my fascination with winemaking, and has always represented the joy and indulgence at the heart of wine.

Here's what I know to be true: champagne isn’t just for midnight countdowns or anniversaries, it’s one of the most versatile wines around. Fresh enough for oysters, bright enough for roast chicken, and lively enough to make potato chips feel fancy, it belongs at Tuesday dinners as much as a black-tie gala. My corniest quote is “don’t wait for a special occasion, make this occasion special”, and honestly, I stand by it.  

The biggest question I get asked is “Is champagne really worth the cost??” and my short answer is yes. My longer answer comes by outlining the process of what gives champagne it’s worthy ego. 

The story of champagne is a bit of accident and innovation. In the cool chalk cellars of Champagne (a region in the northeast of France), monks had a hard time keeping their wines stable. Fermentation stalled in winter and began again in spring, trapping bubbles inside the bottle. At first this was considered a flaw, with bottles even exploding in storage. Over time, producers learned to tame the sparkle and transformed it into the signature style of the Champagne region. What began as a winemaker’s headache eventually became what we now call the “traditional method” of production.

In the traditional method, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes are hand harvested and fermented into still wine. The still base wine (or cuvée) is then bottled with a mix of yeast and sugar, which creates natural bubbles as the yeast ferments. Once the yeast dies, the wine ages on it’s lees, developing texture and complexity before being carefully clarified through riddling and freezing. The frozen sediment is expelled under pressure, leaving a perfectly clear and beautifully sparkling wine.

The bottles are then topped up with the dosage, a blend of base wine and sugar that determines the final sweetness level. Brut Nature and Extra Brut are the driest styles, while Demi-Sec and Doux are much sweeter. (The most common dosage we see on shelves in Alberta is Brut- think Veuve Clicquot or Laurent-Perrier.)  Finally, the bottles are corked, caged, labeled, and either aged further or released for sale.

The name ‘champagne’ offers a level of quality and refinement because it denotes wines that were specifically made in the Champagne region in France, in the traditional method. Is it always worth it to choose champagne if you can? 100%. It’s the creme de le creme for a reason. However, but fortunately for us, the traditional method has inspired the creation of incredible sparkling wines globally, and we can also enjoy this style of wine without the champagne price tag. To enjoy a similar champagne-like experience, look for traditional method sparkling wines like Cava from Penedès, Spain, Crémant from regions like Burgundy and the Loire and my personal favourite, Franciacorta from Lombardy, Italy.

For the upcoming holiday, I recommend reaching for a sparkling wine to compliment your dinner, and your party guests. And if you’re looking for a little more luxury, Saint Wine Society has a Champagne Cart Experience for those elevated events, so you can indulge in bubbles without having to pop and pour them all yourself.

Champagne, the ineffable sparkle. Welcome to the Society.

Steph