White wines under £10
Tesco Finest St-Mont, France 2014 (£6, Tesco)
Made by the ever-reliable Gascon co-operative Producteurs Plaimont, this south-western French budget staple of the Tesco range is in fine nick this vintage. Its super-tangy grapefruit and tropical flavours make it a good allrounder for fish and white meat.
The Co-op Truly Irresistible Australian Chardonnay 2015 (£6.99, The Co-op)
A smart move by the Co-op to get the talented Western Australian Larry Cherubino on board for this superb value chardonnay – it has the sun-filled fleshy orchard fruit you’d expect from classic Australian chardonnay, but with a crackle of fresh acidity to go with the bird or the smoked salmon.
Casa Agrícola de Compostela Espigueiro Vinho Verde, Portugal 2015 (£7.95, Lea & Sandeman)
This zesty Portuguese white fairly tinkles on the tongue with its subtle prickle of fizz and citrusy freshness. At just 10.5% abv, it makes for a lighter partner for garlicky prawns and other variations on a theme of seafood starter, as well as being an enlivening aperitif par excellence.
Taste the Difference Niederösterreich Riesling, Austria 2015 (£8, Sainsbury’s)
Sainsbury’s has two versatile dry Austrian whites on its books for Christmas: the TTD Grüner Veltliner (also £8) mingles apples, celery salt and white pepper; this new dry riesling has the sharpness of lime and a hint of the floral. Both provide the pep for cold-cut salads and fish starters.
Morrisons M Signature Pinot Gris, Alsace, France 2014 (£8.49, Morrisons)
Spicy and floral with notes of quince and frangipane, this well-made, well-priced off-dry white has the necessary richness to cope with the multisensory assault of Christmas dinner, but its cushion of sugar and subtle baking spice notes make it the choice for any leftover turkey curries, too.
The Royal Tokaji Company Dry Tokaji, Hungary 2015 (£9.99 or £8.99 as part of a mixed case of six, Majestic)
Tokaji may be more associated with luscious sweet wines, but the Hungarian region’s bold dry whites from the furmint grape can make good partners for richer savoury food, the intensity of the peachy fruit shaded and freshened, here, by leafy herbs and cleansing, almost febrile acidity.
Lyrarakis Dafni, Crete, Greece 2015 (£10, Marks & Spencer)
With its scent of pine needles, white flowers, fennel and thyme, and its racy lemon-infused palate, this superbly idiosyncratic and evocative dry white takes you straight to the Aegean, and provides an invigorating white fish and seafood-friendly beginning to any festive meal.
Star buy: Samos Vin Doux, Greece 2015 (£6.75, 37.5cl, Oddbins)
Made from the muscat grape on the island of Samos, this is one of the best-value dessert wines around, its delightful toffee apple richness infused with sweet lemon and balanced by blistering citrus acidity making it equally at home with the cheese course and the Christmas pud.
White wines under £20
Les Fosses d’Hareng Vouvray, France 2014 (£11.75, Corney & Barrow)
The name “herring pits” may not be especially attractive, but this chenin blanc from the Loire is an utterly delightful off-dry white for drinking with creamy soups, mild cheeses and light fruity desserts (if not oily fish), the sweet-sour tang of Cox’s apples gliding along a seamless, silky palate.
Château Roubaud Costières de Nîmes Blanc, France 2015 (£12.30, Yapp)
From a region betwixt the Rhône and the Languedoc, a blend of roussanne and grenache that nods to the lazy, hazy, roast-bird friendly dry whites of the former, its autumnal peach and pear fruit given weight by honeyed-almond oak but finishing with a wash of freshness.
Florent Rouve Viré-Clessé Vieilles Vignes 2014 (£13.50, Marks & Spencer)
For the traditionalist, Christmas dinner wouldn’t be the same without a bottle of white burgundy, and this good value example from the Mâcon village of Viré-Clessé has that combination of luminous richness of orchard fruit and mineral freshness that marks out the region’s best chardonnays.
Earth’s End Central Otago Riesling, New Zealand 2015 (£13.50, M&S)
Central Otago is maybe best known for its pinot noir, but riesling also flourishes under the clear skies of this ruggedly beautiful part of the earth, in this case offering a juicy burst of classic peach, ripe lime and lemon in a pristine style to either season fish or cut through the fat of the main Christmas meal.
Star buy: Errazuríz Single Vineyard Aconcagua Costa Chardonnay 2014 (from £14.75, Stone, Vine and Sun; Noel Young; Eton Vintners; Oxford Wine)
Venerable Chilean producer Errazuríz has found a new lease of life since the fruit from its new vineyards near the Pacific coast came on stream. Here the site gives a charge of mineral freshness and nervy energy to the ripe full fruit and subtle savoury oak in a perfectly balanced, world-class chardonnay.
Domaine Rotier Renaissance Vendanges Tardives, Gaillac, France 2012 (£14.99, 50cl, Waitrose)
This gorgeously indulgent sweet white from south-west France is made from concentrated late-harvested grapes of Gaillac’s very own loin de l’oeil variety. It’s a golden treat of peaches and apricots in syrup leavened with spice and given life by spring stream-fresh acidity that’s at its best with blue cheese.
Bodegas Pazo Tizón Extramundi, Ribeiro, Spain 2015 (from £15, Booths; Berry Bros and Rudd)
Blending the local varieties albariño and treixadura, this blistering Galician white is born for seafood of all kinds. Its salty-citrus tang gives a bracing sense of the sea beneath waves of bright peach-and-apricot fruit, but there’s a generosity of texture that will stand up to richer fare.
Bruna Pigato Majé, Liguria, Italy 2015 (£18.95, Hennings; Red Squirrel)
Pigato is the Ligurian name for the vermentino variety, but this is a distinctive class apart, one of those stylishly subtle dry whites that the Italians do so well. With salty green olive, fennel and lemon, it is designed for the local Ligurian seafood, but would work just as well with the catch on your festive table.
White wines over £20
Stéphane Tissot La Mailloche Arbois Chardonnay, Jura, France 2012 (£29.95, Berry Bros & Rudd)
Comparable to the best white burgundies in concentration and complexity, this magnificent biodynamic chardonnay from old vines in the Jura has a style all its own: deep and savoury with salted nuts and toast, but fresh as a daisy with its scintillating citrus fruit. A serious candidate for the main event.
Star buy: Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio, Friuli Colli Orientali, Italy 2015 (£32, M&S)
If all you know of Italian pinot grigio is the reliably anodyne dry whites of your local supermarket or pizza place, this fabulously intense dry white may come as a shock: gloriously juicy and complex, mixing the floral and the herbal with orange, peach and almonds in a seamless whole.
Fitapreta Palpite, Vinho Regional Alentejano, Portugal 2014 (£23.95, Swig)
There is something of the best white wines of Bordeaux’s Graves district in this electric dry white wine from southern Portugal. A blend of the local arinto, antão vaz and verdelho, it’s all pithy grapefruit and lemon, creme fraiche and flinty minerals. A complex mouthful for both smoked fish and roast bird.
Château Dereszla Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos, Hungary 2009 (from £24, 50cl; Noble Green; Ellis Wharton; Armit; Oxford Wine; Handford)
Made from grapes shrivelled and concentrated on the vine by the “noble rot” of the Botrytis cinera fungus, Dereszla’s luscious nectar is an impeccable example of one of the world’s great dessert wine styles, billowing with acacia honey, barley sugar, peach and star bright, mouthwatering acidity.
Red wines under £10
Orbitali Squinzano, Puglia, Italy 2012 (£5, Asda)
Southern Italy is the most fertile ground for bargain reds in the world right now, with this deep, robust, if slightly rustic negroamaro from Italy’s heel standing out from the generally joyless £5 crowd for its fresh cherry and dried plum and spicy savoury edge.
Star buy: Adnams Tempranillo Bajo Aragon (£6.99, Adnams)
Tempranillo is the main grape of Rioja, where the winemaking recipe usually includes a fair dollop of coconut or vanilla-flavoured oak. But this version from north-east Spain allows the variety’s character to shine through in a fragrant, succulent, paprika-and-blackberry-scented delight.
Setze Gallets Garnacha Monastrell, Valencia, Spain 2014 (from £7.25, The Wine Society; Dvine Cellars)
Aged in the trendy vigneron’s vessel of choice – the clay amphora – this supple, harmonious, fragrant Mediterranean blend is superb value. With its bright red cherry-berry fruit and gently gripping tannin, it’s a fluent, natural red for a plate of charcuterie or, in the days after the 25th, leftover cold cuts.
Tesco finest Stellenbosch Red, South Africa 2014 (£7, Tesco)
A South African take on the traditional Bordeaux blend, this has a winningly crunchy edge to its blackcurrant fruit, with a leafy quality that brings a certain freshness despite the mouthfilling juiciness, with tannin enough for red meat-matching, or to take on the roast bird and trimmings.
Taste the Difference Pic Saint-Loup, France 2015 (£8, Sainsbury’s)
From Pic Saint-Loup, a rising-star appellation in the sun-drenched Languedoc, a supple, easygoing but spicy red that comes with a seasoning of peppercorn, black olive and dried scrubland herb to go with its juicy bramble bush fruit – just the ticket for Boxing Day beef.
Jean-Luc Baldès Malbec du Clos, Cahors 2012 (£8.99, Waitrose)
Malbec’s ascent to popularity is largely down to the Argentinians. But the variety’s original home is Cahors in south-west France, where Jean-Luc Baldès has used it to make a darkly fruited, savoury festive alternative to Bordeaux, with fresh acidity and malbec’s perfumed floral charm.
Morande Reserva One to One País, Maule Valley, Chile 2015 (£8.99 or £6.99 as part of a mixed case of six, Majestic)
Where once Chilean winemakers deemed país fit only for the most basic, industrial reds, a handful of producers has proved it’s capable of producing something much more interesting, with Morande’s light, subtly earthy, tangy thirst-quencher making a fine cranberry-like condiment for the festive turkey.
The Co-op Truly Irresistible Domaine de la Noblaie Chinon, France 2014 (£9.99, The Co-op)
One of the highlights in the Co-op’s generally excellent own-label range, this 100% cabernet franc from the Loire is a lighter, brighter alternative to classic claret with a refreshing streak of green leafiness to go with its pure cassis and raspberry fruit and sappy, supple tannins.
Red wines under £20
Cellars Joan d’Anguera Montsant 2014 (£12.59, Noel Young)
If garnacha has a reputation for being big, juicy and alcoholic, it doesn’t have to be: many Spanish producers are now making it in a perfumed style that has the feel of a plump southern pinot noir, and which, in this pomegranate and raspberry-scented Catalan example, matches beautifully with the turkey.
Bodega Sottano Seleccíon Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 2013 (from £13.99, Noel Young; Amps Fine Wines; Vine King; Reserve Wines; The Sampler)
Argentinian malbec’s popularity shows no sign of slacking, and Sottano’s is a textbook example of the style’s sensual appeal: a swirl of deep, dark floral-edged kirsch, plum and mocha, freshening notes of spice and super-slick tannins. Ideal should your Christmas menu include red meat.
Wine & Soul Manoella, Douro, Portugal 2014 (£14.95, Tanners)
From a vineyard planted with more than 30 grape varieties on the steep, schist banks of the Douro river in the heart of port-producing country, this is a deeply structured but fragrant red wine, with a touch of violet perfume, delicious, pristine red and black fruit, and a refreshingly mineral quality.
Skillogalee Shiraz, Clare Valley, Australia 2012 (£14.99, The Co-op)
While there’s plenty of substance in this stylish Aussie red for those who like their shiraz to come with a sense of scale, there’s an aromatic finesse (liquorice, mint), spicy refreshment (salt and pepper) and textural grip that combine with the succulent dark fruit and overall freshness to give it a much wider appeal.
Domaine Arlaud Père & Fils Bourgogne OKA, France 2013 (£15.50, Stannary St)
Good quality affordable red burgundy is never easy to come by. But even if the price stretches the definition of affordable in most households, this delightfully pretty example, with its gossamer tannins and delicate, pure red fruit, is nonetheless very good value for those who must have their festive pinot noir fix.
Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy 2014 (£16, Oddbins)
There’s something very special about the old nerello mascalese and nerello capuccio bush vines grown in the volcanic soils on the slopes of Mt Etna: here they produce a red wine with captivating scents of strawberry infused with flowers, herbs and smoky notes, with cherry-like acidity and an elegance of texture.
Best buy: Clos du Caillou Bouquet des Garrigues Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2013 (£17, H2Vin)
It may say Côtes du Rhône on the label, but this unusually elegant cuvee from Châteauneuf-du-Pape-based Clos du Caillou – with its finger-staining red and black berries, its clove and pepper and its meaty depths – knocks spots off many wines from more expensive southern Rhône appellations.
Fontodi Chianti Classico 2013 (from £17.50, Wine Society; Hennings; Slurp)
From one of the smartest addresses in Tuscany, a characteristically polished and profound sangiovese with a nose of lavender, oregano and black cherry, and a palate filled with lush, perfectly ripe fruit and finely textured tannin. Will keep a few years yet should you give – or receive – it as a present.
Red wines over £20
Marquise d’Alesme Margaux, Bordeaux, France 2009 (£25, Wine Society)
The 2009 vintage was one of the best in recent Bordeaux history, and this second wine from classed growth Château Marquis d’Alesme Becker shows off all the charm and poise of the Margaux district: pretty, aromatic, with a seamless palate of cassis, cedar and perfectly ripe, polished tannins.
Best buy: Henschke Johann’s Garden GMS, Eden Valley, Australia 2014 (£27.50, Great Western Wine)
From the producer of Hill of Grace, consistently one of Australia’s greatest (and most expensive) wines, a rather more affordable blend of grenache, shiraz and mourvèdre that, like its big brother, has the Henschke trademark of silk-sheet texture, deep, sumptuous but unforced fruit, and fluent drinkability.
Fedellos do Couto Bastarda, Ribeira Sacra, Spain 2014 (£28, VinCognito)
Made in the remote wilds of inland Galicia, this heartstoppingly beautiful, idiosyncratic red from the bastarda (aka trousseau) grape variety fills its light (12% abv) frame with gentle red fruit, warm earth and feathery tannins. The pulse of cranberry acidity makes it utterly refreshing.
Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir La Bauge, Santa Maria Valley, California, USA 2012 (£36, Marks & Spencer)
Jim Clendenen has been a beacon of elegance among the big flavour makers of California for the best part of four decades. He has more company now, but this pinot shows he’s still the master of light-touch reds: so lithe and pure in its red-fruited charm, as the man himself says, “the key word is balance”.
Sparkling wines and champagne
Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut, France NV (£9.99, Aldi)
Aldi has attracted plenty of headlines for the eye-catching price of its house champagne. And deservedly so: with its crisp, clean apple fruit, soft persistent mousse, insistent acidity and subtle notes of patisserie cream it’s a lot more fun than many champagnes twice the price.
Prosecco La Gioiosa DOCG, Italy NV (£13.99, or £9.99 in mixed case of six, Majestic)
A cut above the standard fluffy sherbet and confected fruit of most high street prosecco, La Gioiosa’s classy-looking squat bottle contains a classy wine: genuine pear (as opposed to pear drops) and juicy peach, apple blossom and pristine lemon acidity, and soft, gently foaming mousse.
Mount Bluff Brut, New Zealand NV (£13.50, M&S)
Made from two of the champagne grapes – chardonnay and pinot noir – this kiwi cuvee is relatively rich in style, providing real depth of flavour for the money with its honeyed and buttered toasty notes, but finesse too with its line of lemony acidity and creamy mousse.
Domaine J Laurens Les Graimenous Crémant de Limoux, France 2014 (from £14.50, Stone, Vine and Sun; Old Chapel Cellars; Roberson)
In an elevated position in the Languedoc, Limoux’s cooler climate has long made it the southern French alternative to champagne. This small-producer blend of chardonnay, pinot noir, chenin blanc and the local mauzac is light, dry, racy and precise with crisp, pure apple and lemon fruit.
Juve y Camps Reserva Familia, Cava, Spain 2011 (£14.99, or £12.99 in mixed case of six, Majestic)
Using the traditional trio of macabeo, xarel lo and parellada, this is fizz to remind you of the virtues of the sometimes-maligned cava from one of the best producers of the style: rich, full and toasty, with a subtle earthy tone to go with the herbs, flowers and sharp apple tang, it’s long, savoury and involving.
Tesco Finest English Sparkling, Kent, England NV (£17.50)
Tesco has turned to the fine established Kentish producer Hush Heath for its own-label English fizz and the firm brings all its expertise to this typically crisp and vital blend of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, where the trebly lemony acidity and Cox’s apple bite is softened with a touch of baked bread.
Star buy: Waitrose Brut Special Réserve Vintage Champagne, France 2005 (£24.99)
Showing all the toasty, yeasty, creamy complexity that comes with a decade’s ageing, but with plenty of ripe berry fruit, racy citrus and fine, filigree fizz, this is a remarkably rich and intense champagne for the money, and one that is just as good served with mushroom or meaty pâté starters as it is as an aperitif.
Gusbourne Estate Brut Reserve, Kent, England 2012 (from £28.95, Tanners; Lea and Sandeman; Oxford Wine)
Based in Appledore, Gusbourne is now firmly established in the premier league of top English wine producers. The style here is always elegant, with, in this case, the pronounced, mouthwatering, typically English acidity honed to a fine line and presented with hints of brioche, lemon and apricot.
Pierre Gimonnet et Fils Cuvée Fleuron 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs Champagne, France (£30, Oddbins)
Chardonnay specialists Gimonnet are one of the stars of Champagne’s grower-producer movement that has challenged the hegemony of the region’s big houses in the past couple of decades. This cuvée is typically deft, precise, long and true with a burst of fresh stone fruit and a fine, insistent line of acidity.
Jacquesson Cuvée 739 Extra Brut Champagne, France NV (£45, Berry Bros and Rudd)
The master craftsmen at Jacquesson have come up with another electrifyingly pure champagne in this release. Based largely on the 2011 vintage with a portion of older vines, it’s super dry and full of nervy energy, but not at all austere, with savoury richness providing the bass notes to go with the racy lemon and white peach.
