Italian Christmas Day 2026: 6 Piedmont Wines for Lasagna, Roast and Panettone

Christmas Eve belongs to the fish. Christmas Day belongs to everything else. In Italian and Italian-American homes, December 25 is the day of baked lasagna, slow-cooked braciole, a roast on the carving board, and a tall panettone waiting on the sideboard. In 2026 it falls on a Friday, which means a long weekend of leftovers and a lot of open bottles.

If you already planned the Feast of the Seven Fishes, this is the second half of the holiday. Below are six Piedmont wines from Duchessa Lia, our partner winery in northwest Italy, matched to the dishes that actually land on the Christmas Day table, from the first antipasto to the last slice of panettone.

Key Takeaways

• Barbera d'Asti is the lasagna wine. Its high acidity cuts tomato sauce and ricotta; its soft tannins never fight the cheese.
• Nebbiolo d'Alba handles the middle of the meal: braciole, meatballs, mushroom dishes and roast capon.
• Barolo and Barbaresco are for the roast. Open them early and pour them with prime rib, beef braises and aged cheese.
• Moscato d'Asti is the panettone wine, lightly sparkling, gently sweet and only 5.5% alcohol. It won Gold and 95 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2026.
• Gavi opens the day with the antipasti, and stays on for anyone who drinks white.

What Does an Italian Christmas Dinner Consist Of?

It depends on the family and the region, and that is the fun of it. Southern Italian and most Italian-American homes build Christmas Day around baked pasta: lasagna, baked ziti or manicotti, followed by braciole or meatballs from the Sunday gravy, then a roast. In Piedmont, home of our Duchessa Lia wines, Christmas lunch is more likely to start with agnolotti del plin (tiny pinched ravioli, often served in broth), move on to a roast capon or bollito misto, and finish with panettone and a glass of Moscato.

Either way, the menu has the same shape: something salty to start, a rich tomato or cheese course, a meat course, then dessert. That shape is why one region can pour for the whole day. Piedmont makes a wine for every one of those stages.

What Is the Best Red Wine to Drink With Christmas Dinner?

For an Italian Christmas table, the safest single answer is Barbera. Tomato sauce is acidic, and acidic food makes low-acid wines taste flat and flabby. Barbera is one of the highest-acid red grapes in Italy, with soft tannins and generous cherry fruit, so it stays fresh next to marinara, melted mozzarella and sausage. If the main event is a big roast of beef, step up to Nebbiolo: Barolo or Barbaresco. Their firm tannins and acidity were made for red meat and long, rich meals.

6 Piedmont Wines for the Italian Christmas Day Table

1. Gavi DOCG: the antipasti wine

Made from the Cortese grape in southeast Piedmont, Gavi is crisp and linear, with green apple, citrus zest, white flowers and a saline finish. It is the glass to hand guests as they arrive, and it keeps working through the cold course.

• Pair with: antipasto platters, prosciutto and melon, marinated olives, fried calamari left over from Christmas Eve, a light insalata russa.
• Serve at: about 50°F (10°C).

2. Barbera d'Asti DOCG: the lasagna and baked ziti wine

Deep ruby, juicy and bright, Barbera d'Asti is Piedmont's everyday red, and on Christmas Day it does the heavy lifting. Its acidity slices through layers of ricotta, mozzarella and meat sauce, and its low tannins mean the cheese never turns it bitter. If your family's Christmas is built around a lasagna, this is the bottle to buy in multiples.

• Pair with: lasagna, baked ziti, manicotti, eggplant parmigiana, sausage and peppers.
• Serve at: 60 to 64°F (16 to 18°C). A short chill keeps it lively next to a hot baking dish.

3. Nebbiolo d'Alba DOC: braciole, meatballs and the mushroom course

Same grape as Barolo, grown across a broader area around Alba and made to be enjoyed young. Expect violets, wild strawberry and an earthy, savory edge, with tannins gentle enough for the middle of a long meal. It is the natural partner for the slow-simmered meats that come out of the Sunday gravy, and for Piedmont's own holiday dishes. We compared the two styles side by side in Nebbiolo d'Alba vs. Barolo by the glass.

• Pair with: braciole, meatballs, agnolotti del plin with butter and sage, mushroom risotto, roast capon.
• Serve at: 64 to 68°F (18 to 20°C).

4. Barbaresco DOCG: the elegant roast

Grown just across the Tanaro River from Barolo, Barbaresco shows the silkier side of Nebbiolo: red currant, rose, tobacco and fine-grained tannins. It suits the roast that is rich but not heavy, a pork loin with fennel, a roast duck, or a capon with chestnut stuffing.

• Pair with: porchetta, roast pork loin, duck, bollito misto with green sauce.
• Serve at: 64 to 68°F (18 to 20°C). Open it about an hour ahead.

5. Barolo DOCG: the showpiece for prime rib and braised beef

Barolo is 100% Nebbiolo from a tightly defined area of the Langhe hills, and it is the bottle that makes the table go quiet for a moment. Duchessa Lia's Barolo shows dried rose, black cherry, spice and leather, with firm tannins and bright acidity. The winery's own notes point to braised meats, game and aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, which is exactly the Christmas Day main course and the cheese board after it. For decanting and glassware, see how to serve Barolo.

• Pair with: prime rib, beef braised in red wine, roast lamb, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano.
• Serve at: 64 to 68°F (18 to 20°C). Decant one to two hours before dinner.

6. Moscato d'Asti DOCG: the panettone wine

Here is the pairing Italians have relied on for generations. Panettone is buttery, airy and studded with candied orange and raisins. Dry sparkling wine can taste sharp and thin against it; Moscato d'Asti does the opposite. It is gently sparkling (frizzante), with peach, orange blossom and sage, light sweetness and refreshing acidity, so it lifts the cake instead of fighting it. Duchessa Lia's Moscato d'Asti earned Gold and 95 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2026, and at 5.5% alcohol it is easy to enjoy at the end of a long afternoon. Read more in our Moscato d'Asti feature.

• Pair with: panettone, pandoro, struffoli, cannoli, fresh fruit and the Christmas morning leftovers.
• Serve at: 43 to 46°F (6 to 8°C), well chilled.

What Wine Goes With Panettone?

A lightly sweet, low-alcohol sparkling wine is the classic answer, and Moscato d'Asti is the benchmark. The rule of thumb for any dessert: the wine should be at least as sweet as the food. Panettone is only moderately sweet, which is why a delicate, fruity Moscato works better than a heavy dessert wine that would bury it. For chocolate-covered panettone, keep the Moscato and add a small pour of Barolo for anyone who wants a red with the cheese course.

How Many Bottles Do You Need for Christmas Day?

A standard bottle pours about five glasses. For a long, multi-course Italian Christmas, plan on roughly one bottle per adult guest across the whole day, split by course: a white to start, two reds for pasta and the roast, and one Moscato for every six to eight people at dessert. We did the full math in our holiday wine math guide. And if you are bringing a bottle as a gift, a Barolo with a story behind it is hard to beat; see our holiday wine gifts list.

For Restaurants and Retailers: The Italian Christmas Window

December is when Italian-American customers trade up. Restaurants running a Christmas Eve fish menu can extend it into a Christmas Day or holiday-week prix fixe with the same Piedmont list: Gavi by the glass, Barbera with the pasta, a Barolo or Barbaresco bottle feature for the roast, and Moscato with dessert. For wine shops, a "Christmas table" endcap built around these six wines, with a card telling customers which bottle goes with which course, turns a single bottle sale into a basket.

Duchessa Lia sits in the same portfolio as our Rioja and Navarra wines from Bodegas Manzanos, a family that has made wine since 1890 across five generations, along with Cremaschi Furlotti from Chile and Bruce Jack from South Africa. Everything is in stock in the U.S. and ready to ship to all 50 states. If you buy Italian and Spanish wine for a U.S. account, you can work with one Spanish wine importer for the whole holiday list. Distributors can apply to carry our portfolio here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What wine goes with Italian Christmas dinner?

Match the wine to each course. Gavi or another crisp white for antipasti, Barbera for lasagna and tomato-based pasta, Nebbiolo, Barbaresco or Barolo for roasts and braised meats, and Moscato d'Asti with panettone and dessert.

What is the best red wine for lasagna?

Barbera d'Asti. Its high acidity matches the tomato sauce and its soft tannins work with melted cheese. Heavy, oaky reds tend to taste bitter next to ricotta and mozzarella.

Can you serve Barolo with Christmas dinner?

Yes, and it is one of the best choices for a beef or lamb roast. Decant it one to two hours ahead, serve it at 64 to 68°F, and keep some for the cheese course.

Is Moscato d'Asti a good wine for Christmas dessert?

It is the classic match for panettone and pandoro in Italy. It is gently sparkling, lightly sweet and low in alcohol (5.5% for Duchessa Lia), so it refreshes the palate after a long meal.

Find These Wines

Explore the full Duchessa Lia range on our wines page, then use Find Our Wines to locate a bottle near you before December 25. Buon Natale from all of us at Manzanos Wines USA.

Manzanos Wines USA is the premier importer of premium wines from Spain, Italy, Chile, South Africa, and France, serving all 50 US states through our nationwide distributor network. Learn more at manzanoswinesusa.com.

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