Gourmet, the Dutch tabletop grill, is the most popular Christmas dinner in the Netherlands: in the Hart van Nederland Christmas panel (2025) 37 per cent chose it. The table holds small pieces of steak, pork, chicken and prawns, with sauces from garlic and cocktail to satay and sambal. That mix makes choosing a wine tricky: one bottle has to cope with very different flavours.
Prices are indications per bottle; they vary by shop.
Serve lightly chilled (about 13 °C, the WSET guideline for light reds). Lots of fruit, little tannin.
Works with chicken, prawns and garlic sauce.
More depth, still fruity and soft.
Low alcohol and a touch of sweetness: the best choice with sambal and satay sauce.
Elegant with soft tannins; the salt of the grilled meat makes the wine even rounder.
Bubbles and acidity refresh between bites. Read more →
The grilled meat brings umami and salt, the sauces sweetness (cocktail, satay) and heat (sambal). Umami, sweetness and heat make tannin and alcohol harsher. Salt helps. So choose a fruity wine with little tannin and not too much alcohol. A big, oaked red quickly turns bitter and hot at this table.
Heavy, tannic reds with lots of alcohol or oak, such as a young cabernet sauvignon or barolo: with sweet and spicy sauces they turn bitter and hot.
Verriq · Last updated: 2026-10-19
