I don't know about you, but I come over all conservative at Christmas. The rest of the year I tend to live by a simple maxim - try to drink at least one new wine style a week - but as the days shorten, I revert to tried-and-tested bottles. Now is the time to drink claret, Rioja, white Burgundy, champagne and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, rather than Garrut, Fendant and Nerello Mascalese.
My Christmas and New Year selection reflects this. There are a few off-the-wall wines - the odd Petite Sirah, Picpoul and Carménère - but by and large I've stuck to what I consider to be the classics. I've divided my choices into three price brackets so that you can budget accordingly. There are a couple of sub-£4 wines, but most of them are more expensive than that. Expensive, but still great value for money.
The wines I've picked represent only a handful of the bottles that have crossed my spittoon over the last three months. The tasting season has been in full swing, and I have swung with it, attending an average of five tastings a week in search of great wines. These are the best of the best. I hope you agree.
The best Christmas wines under £6
White - Le Mesnil Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs (£29.99, or £19.99 each for 2, Majestic)
At the two-bottle price, this is THE bargain of the festive season. It's a nutty, restrained, all Chardonnay fizz with remarkable elegance and length. I know what I will be sipping on Christmas morning.
Red - 2006 Asda Chianti (£3.48, Asda)
The price may be reminiscent of the bad old days of Chianti, when the wines were encased in wicker, but the liquid in the bottle is a lot better than that, with pleasant cherry and raspberry flavours and a nip of Sangiovese-derived acidity.
White - 2006 Fern Bay Sauvignon Blanc (£4.99, Tesco)
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc normally starts at £5.99, so well done Tesco for sourcing something that limbos under the £5 barrier and still shows the classic gooseberry intensity of the South Island style.
Red - 2006 Cono Sur Carmenère, Colchagua Valley (£4.99, or £3.99 each for 2, Majestic)
Carmenère, like South African Pinotage, isn't to everyone's taste, but if you like flavoursome reds with plenty of colour and oak, not to mention lashings of plum and chocolate on the palate, this is a steal at this price.
Red - 2007 Casa Leona Chardonnay, Rapel (£5.49, Marks & Spencer)
If you like your Chardonnay unoaked, then this Chilean white is absolutely perfect. It's a restrained wine with moderate alcohol. Chile's answer to Chablis?
White - 2006 Asda Extra Special Alsace Gewürztraminer (£5.98, Asda)
The floral, cheap perfume scents of Gewürz can be a little hard to take when they are over-ripe, but this own-label has the virtue of being elegant and understated.
White - 2006 Casa Mia Pinot Grigio, Sicily (£4.99, Sainsbury's)
My regular readers will know that I am not Italian Pinot Grigio's greatest supporter, but I'm prepared to overcome my prejudices here. This soft, peachy Sicilian example has real depth of flavour.
White - 2006 Picpoul de Pinet, Domaine des Felines (£5.99, Waitrose)
Sometimes I feel like a one man supporters' club for this under-estimated southern French variety. Here's hoping I can persuade you to try this crisp, unoaked, pear-scented, seafood friendly white this Christmas.
Red - 2006 Stamford Brook Shiraz/Viognier, South Eastern Australia (£5.99, Sainsbury's)
The trick of blending a little white Viognier with Shiraz for additional perfume is really catching on Down Under, as seen in this smoky, aromatic, blackberry fruity red.
Red - 2005 Altano (£4.99, Waitrose)
Douro reds can have alcohol levels of 14 per cent but those produced in 2005 are actually rather elegant with the richness and tannins of hot-climate reds. This one is an easy drinking, raspberryish Douro and very affordable.
The best wines for £6-£10
White - 2006 Laurent Miquel Nord/Sud Viognier, Vin de Pays d'Oc (£6.99, Tesco)
Who needs to spend £20 or more on Condrieu when the south of France is producing Viogniers that taste as good as this creamy, textured, apricotty example?
Red - 2006 Palo Alto Reserve, Maule (£7.99 each, or £5.33 each for 3, Threshers, Wine Rack)
A wine that looks as good as it tastes, this subtle blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Syrah shows what Chile is capable of under £8.
Red 2005 Morelino di Scansano, Serpaia, Maremma (£7.99, Adnams, 01502 727222)
A biodynamic Sangiovese from one of the warmest parts of Tuscany, this is a ripe, almost fruit cakey red with stylish oak and plenty of plum and raspberry richness.
Red - 2005 Bogle Vineyards Petite Sirah, Clarksburg (£8.95, Tanners, 01743 234500)
Bogle Vineyards specialises in little known Petite Sirah (aka Durif). It's rich and spicy with plenty of berry fruit flavours and well-handled oak.
White - Lindauer Sparkling Special Select, New Zealand (£9.99, or £6.66 each for 3, Threshers, Wine Rack)
This malty blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is rich yet dry. I always have a bottle to hand for those moments when I want a bubbly but don't feel like Champagne.
White - 2007 Springfield Special Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc (£8.99, Sainsbury's)
Who needs Sancerre when you can buy this amazing Cape Sauvignon instead? This is taut and nettley with intense Sauvignon characters and underlying riverbed minerality.
White - 2004 Château Jolys, Cuvée Jean, Jurançon (£9.99, Waitrose)
The key to great sweet wines is acidity, as much as residual sugar. The Jurançon is criminally underrated. Notes of honeycomb and vanilla, undercut by citrus-like acidity.
White - 2006 Gavi Cristina, Ascheri (£9.99, sainsburyswine.co.uk)
After a trip to Piemonte in 2006, I've been drinking a lot of Gavi. This stylishly packaged Cortese isn't cheap, but it combines freshness, concentration, pear and apple.
Red - Barbera d'Alba, De Forville (£7.99, £6.99 each for 2, Majestic)
While this dark, firm, plum-skin red needs quite a hearty meal to partner its tannins, it's still a delicious drop if, like me, you're a fan of native Italian reds from the north-west.
The best over £10
Port - 1995 Croft, Quinta da Roeda (£15.99, or £13.99 each for 2, Majestic)
If you want a great value vintage Port, this wine from the house of Croft is unbeatable. This is spicy, fiery and perfumed with roasted intensity for a 12-year-old wine.
Red - 2005 Santenay Premier Cru, Gravières, Domaine Joseph Belland (£16, M&S)
Who said you can't find great red Burgundy under £20? (Actually, I think it might have been me.) This the kind of Pinot that'll make you fall in love with France all over again.
Red - 2004 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Domaine Font de Michelle (£17.99, Waitrose)
The prices of some of the top Châteauneufs have gone bonkers in recent years, but this domaine is well priced. A heady, spicy, Grenache-based stuff with smooth tannins.
Red 2001 Château Batailley, Pauillac (£19.99, Majestic)
Overlooked partly because it followed the much-hyped 2000 vintage, this is actually a silky, well-balanced red. A fifth growth claret at a very approachable price.
Red - 1998 Rioja Prado Enea, Muga (£19.99, Majestic)
Prado Enea is very much a traditional Rioja, with its delicate, red fruits, supple tannins and haunting complexity. The perfect fireside red.
Red - 2003 Masi Costasera Amarone (£19.99, Tesco)
The combination of the 2003 vintage and the Amarone drying process have produced a rich red with notes of tobacco, prunes and chocolate. Will keep for a decade.
On our food blog, the perfect dessert wines - do you drink them?
