Bookmark this guide to make sure the bottles you choose hit the mark every time.
So, you’re giving the gift of wine, but don’t want it to look like you ran into Dan’s in a blind panic on the way over? We get it. You need a crowd-pleasing bottle that feels special and personal – like you chose it especially for them after giving it a whole lot of thought. Well, don’t let on, but we’re here to do the thinking for you – consider this your cheat sheet to choosing the best wines to gift this Christmas.
The following top wines are a handpicked mix of Aussies and internationals, whites and reds (keep an eye out for our upcoming guide to the best bubbles this season). We’ve grouped them into price brackets, too, from less than $20 to under $200, which should also help you find the right wine. Because you’re always going to need to grab that last-minute KK or thank-you bottle for a host, or that big-gesture wine to show that you’ve gone all out. Happy gifting.
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Under $20
1. Mullet Hard Pinot Noir
Didn’t think pinot could be so affordable and fun? Mullet Hard Pinot Noir is here to prove you wrong, with its ripe, bold fruit flavours and long finish bringing it home. Designed to be big – in style and personality – this is a super fragrant wine that’s soft, fruity and easy to drink.
Perfect for: Your mate who thinks pinot is just for wine snobs.
2. Red Hill Estate Cool Climate Chardonnay
You can’t go wrong gifting a cool-climate chardy – especially when it’s as pretty (and well-priced) as this one. Expect peach, nectarine and blossom aromas, richer fruit flavours on the palate – melon and pineapple included – and great acidity that delivers a clean finish. It’s everything you want from a Mornington Peninsula chardonnay.
Perfect for: Every dinner host this season – it’s a cracking food wine.
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3. Kings of Prohibition Tempranillo
The bottle alone makes this a compelling buy, but what’s inside is just as enticing. This is a complex tempranillo – a variety that’s brilliant with all sorts of food – full of cherry and plum flavours, and velvety tannins. It’s so approachable that it should even suit people who aren’t usually into reds.
Perfect for: Kris Kringle. You’ll win the office KK with this bottle.
Under $30
4. Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
From Northern Italy, this classic, dry pinot grigio has clean and intense aromas, and lingering apple flavours, keeping it true to the style. Pinot grigio is beloved as a food-friendly wine, and this one more than proves its case – pair it with snacks and chats, a full seafood dinner or pretty much any other dish you can serve up.
Perfect for: The friend who’s madly saving for a trip to Italy.
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5. Gérard Bertrand Cote des Roses Rosé
This rosé is from southern France’s Languedoc-Roussillon region, which is fast becoming a powerhouse place for diverse, quality wines. If you like your rosés pretty, full of summer fruit flavours and with good acidity to keep it all tight and fresh, this is the wine to go for – it’s particularly great over a long lunch with friends.
Perfect for: Mum – this rosé will slot right into every family event this season.
6. Catalina Sounds Sauvignon Blanc
If you’ve forgotten just how bright, vibrant and fresh sauvignon blanc can be, it’s time to pick up a bottle of Catalina Sounds. From New Zealand’s famed Marlborough, this has all the region’s hallmarks – gooseberry aromas, passionfruit and citrus flavours, and that all-important acidity. It’s made for summer, backyards and catch-ups with good friends.
Perfect for: That great mate, when the quick pre-Christmas pop-in becomes a lengthy debrief.
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Under $40
7. Teusner Joshua Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre
Grenache shiraz mourvedres – or GSMs – are some of wine’s most crowd-pleasing styles. This blend of the three varieties from Teusner creates a lively and juicy wine, with red fruit flavours and a peppery touch. It’s a great wine to share pver cured meats and snacks but it’ll be right at home with a full meal, too.
Perfect for: The friend who always asks the waitstaff all about the wine list.
8. Dr Loosen Bernkasteler Lay Kabinett Riesling
Germany’s Dr Loosen is one of the world’s great riesling makers, so you know you’re getting the goods with this wine. The kabinett style comes with a little more residual sugar than many of our typically dry Aussie rieslings, but its high acidity means it all balances nicely to create a distinctive style that isn’t actually sweet.
Perfect for: When you know they love wine but aren’t sure what they like.
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Under $50
9. La Chablisienne Chablis Le Finage
From a 100-year-old cooperative winery, this Chablis offers incredible value. Complex aromas of sweet spices, vanilla, pear and lemon zest follow through to a fresh palate with lovely acidity that’s rich and pure-fruited. It ticks all the boxes of great chardonnay, and it’ll make an excellent addition to every meal this season.
Perfect for: Your friend who’s still talking about their trip to France 10 years ago.
10. Yalumba Eden Valley The Virgilius Viognier
Viognier may not be the most obvious white wine to gift, but it’s a savvy choice. This complex style has lifted ginger spice flavours, with apricot and almond notes adding a savoury element. Yalumba has long championed viognier, and The Virgilius is their premium expression. A white wine for red-wine fans.
Perfect for: The avid home cook – viognier shines alongside a great meal.
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11. St Hugo Cabernet Shiraz 2021
Floral aromas and flavours are among cabernet’s prettiest characters, and they’re all on show here, mingling in the best way with shiraz. Add to that ripe and generous fruit flavours and fine tannins, and you have an outstanding red blend. While this wine will only get better with age, we think it’s a showstopping pick for barbecues this season.
Perfect for: The steak-lover you want to impress.
12. Kaesler The Bogan Shiraz
Ever heard people talk about old-vine Barossa wines? This shiraz is it. The Bogan is all about deep, concentrated dark fruit flavours, but they’re all tied up in a soft wine with fine tannins that’s much more poised than its name might suggest. This wine is unashamedly full-bodied, but beautifully balanced.
Perfect for: Someone who avoids big reds; it might just win them over.
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Under $60
13. Penfolds Bin 21 Grenache 2024
Let’s face it – handing over any bottle with that famous red logo is always a win, but this grenache makes the gift even better. The wine is made in a fresh and vibrant style with bright red fruit flavours, floral notes and some exotic spice that will slot right into every festive meal this season.
Perfect for: Anyone who is ‘shiraz or bust’ – it’s sure to convert them.
Under $80
14. d’Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz
A long-time McLaren Vale flagship wine, this shiraz is all power and drive, intensity and complexity. We’re talking a brooding, dark and earthy wine, with plum, blackberry and licorice flavours mingling with olive notes and the region’s calling card of chocolate. It’s concentrated and complex, and it demands a proper feast to go with it.
Perfect for: That person who proudly only drinks big reds. Make their Christmas.
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15. Levantine Hill Yarra Valley Chardonnay
Premium chardonnay is one of wine’s greatest gifts. It delivers layers of complex flavours that, when done well, meld beautifully. This Yarra Valley wine is a prime example, with apricot, lemon curd and orange blossom flavours, along with toasty notes, a silky texture and long finish. A very classy wine.
Perfect for: You – or take it to the annual family lunch and keep it at your end of the table.
Under $100
16. Penfolds Grandfather Rare Tawny
Fortified wines are a true treat, and this is a case in point. The Grandfather is a concentrated, balanced tawny with rich fruit and nutty oak flavours but finishes clean and tight. It’s an elegant style with lots going on, and if it doesn’t get opened and shared over the Christmas pud, you’re allowed to suggest it’s time to crack it.
Perfect for: Grandad – he’ll love having his name on the bottle as well as what’s inside.
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17. Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon
Semillon ages beautifully, but what if you can’t wait that long? This wine is the answer. Not just a Hunter Valley benchmark, this is one of Australia’s great wines, and it’s released with bottle age – typically five years, so the cellaring is done for you. Expect a rich, intense and super special wine.
Perfect for: Anyone who really appreciates wine and dreams of having a cellar.
Under $150
18. Yering Station Reserve Pinot Noir
Ever heard people bang on and on about pinot and not quite understood why? This wine might help. It’s a top expression of Yarra Valley pinot noir, with concentrated fruit flavours and an intensity to it, despite still being super silky and elegant. The finish that will stay with you long after the last sip.
Perfect for: That hard-to-please wine nerd. If it’s a relative, chip in with a sibling.
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19. House of Arras Grand Vintage 2017
Champagne may be special, but Tassie’s House of Arras also turns out brilliant bubbles. Here, they prove it again with a vintage sparkling from 2017, which is every bit as rich, complex and elegant as you’d want from Champagne. Think lemon curd, honeycomb, crème brulee and nougat with a subtle hint of salinity. World class.
Perfect for: The staunchest Francophile you know. It’ll open their eyes.
