After all the present shopping indecision,  it’s easy to turn up at your festive gathering with a wine that looks thoughtful, but drinks forgettable. With our wine guide, arrive on the doorstep with something confident tucked under your arm.

Our wine geek has handpicked four bottles that do more than just pair with food, they spark conversation and have a story. These are wines with energy, personality, and a point of view. Wine from farms, not factories. Bottles that make people pause, ask questions, and pour a second glass.

If you’re gifting, these wines are also available in Wine Freedom’s brilliantly blunt Wooden No SHT* Gift Boxes, which you can pick up alongside your wine from our Bakery this season.

Start the Feast

“I Wish I Was a Ninja” — Pet Nat, Swartland, South Africa

Forget Champagne for a moment. This is how to kick things off with intent. At just 8.5% alcohol, this pétillant naturel keeps spirits high without flattening you before the turkey is carved.

Pet Nat is the oldest sparkling wine style there is which bottled mid-fermentation so the fizz forms naturally. Made from Colombard grapes, this wine is playful, lightly off-dry, and bursting with fresh acidity. Frothy, bright, and joyful, it’s this year’s breakfast-table rebel that might just become your new Christmas tradition.

Something Golden

Or Ange — Orange Wine, Languedoc, France

Orange wine isn’t a trend — it’s a return to ancient winemaking. White grapes fermented on their skins, like red wine, creating texture, grip, and depth.

Or Ange (“Gold Angel”) is a naturally fermented field blend from the Languedoc, glowing deep amber in the glass. Aromatic, elegant, and quietly complex, it’s a brilliant match for meaty fish or rich pork dishes. It looks striking, drinks beautifully, and keeps guests talking long after the plates are cleared.

Rebel Red

Mon Nom — Merlot, Bordeaux (Unoaked, Organic)

This is Bordeaux, rewritten. Made by two Australian winemakers working French soil, Mon Nom is an unoaked, single-plot Merlot that puts purity ahead of polish.

Juicy, fresh, and effortlessly drinkable, it’s the red we pour at our Big Green Egg steak masterclasses — and our red of the year. If you’re insisting on roast beef over turkey, this is the bottle to serve proudly.

Break the Script

Can Axatrell — Mallorca, Spain

Yes, this is a red. And yes, you should chill it.

Made from Merlot and the indigenous Callet grape, this light, organic red is handled with remarkable gentleness, gravity pressed instead of pumped. The result is less tannin, less weight, and a wine that drinks with the brightness of a white.

Serve it at around 12°C and watch the surprise spread around the table. Certified organic, naturally fresh, and totally unexpected.

Bring a Bottle With a Story

They’re made by people who care about soil, seasons and life on the vines. No chemical quick-fixes. No industrial additives. Just grapes grown with respect — and the courage to let nature lead.

Why does supermarket wine taste so samey? Because it’s often an ultra-processed product, like much of our food. But there’s a quiet revolution happening. Artisan growers are kicking back — and the proof is in the glass. That’s why they taste different. And why they’re worth talking about.