Oloroso sherry

Harvey Nichols
El Maestro Sierra Oloroso
375ml, £9.75
This has a lovely raisiny nose and would be great with fruitcake. It's well-balanced and not too high in alcohol.
★★★★

Waitrose
Lustau East India Solera Rich Oloroso
50cl, £9.75
Very sweet on the nose – like a perfume – and even sweeter on the palate. Olorosos are known to be dry and this one borders on an Amontillado.
★★★

Marks & Spencer
Oloroso Sherry
37.5cl, £7.49
Really subtle nose but you get a strong whiff of the alcohol they use to fortify the wine here – like brandy. More like a brandy than a sherry.
★★

Sainsbury's
Taste the Difference Oloroso
50cl, £7.99
Really nice on the nose but bad aftertaste – it's like a natural wine gone bad. Good balance of sweetness though.
★

Sloe gin

Sainsbury's
Gordon's Sloe Gin
700ml, £17.89
A fruit-driven nose and caramelised nuts with cooked fruit on the palate. I like it. Less spicy, more fruity.
★★★

Waitrose
Sipsmith Sloe Gin
50cl, £23
Very fruity, which may lose the almond taste I look for. It's good, but a bit like sloe cordial mixed with gin rather than a more traditional sloe gin.
★★★

Harvey Nichols
Hayman's Sloe Gin
700ml, £23
This sloe gin is very Christmassy and full of juniper. There are almonds and spices on the nose – a real sign of a good sloe gin – but a little bit sweet at first. Too fragrant.
★★★

Marks & Spencer
Sloe Gin
50cl, £13.99
I can't even smell the almond in there. It tastes like gin mixed with blackcurrant juice.
★

Vintage port

BEST BUY
The Co-operative
Late Bottled Vintage Port
75cl, £10.29
Alcohol, sweetness, tannins and acidity are all just right. I like the lightness of body and its complexity. Left me speechless.
★★★★★

Sainsbury's
Taste the Difference Vintage Port
75cl, £24.99
Great balance of acidity, sweetness and tannin. Drink as an aperitif or with dessert because it's not too sweet.
★★★★

Tesco
Finest 10 Year Old Tawny Port
75cl, £14.40
Really high in alcohol, both on the nose and palate. It tastes like fresh grape juice with alcohol in it.
★★

Selfridges
Finest Port
750ml, £17.99
This isn't very fragrant on the nose – just a big punch of alcohol. It has lots of tannins and isn't sweet enough. Flabby and lacking balance.
★