When it comes to choosing the right wines, Christmas dinner is something of a challenge. The classic bird (or plant-based alternative) with all the trimmings is a riot of sensations, flavours and textures, from the soft umami hit of stuffing and gravy to the piercing sweet-sour burst of cranberry sauce and the bitter green tang of sprouts. I tend to go one of two ways: pick out an acid-driven wine (white, red or orange) that will cleanse and revive and cut through the fat; or something substantial and spicy (a beefy red or rich oak-aged white) that stands up to anything you care to throw at it.
I’ve included several examples of each in this year’s selection, and in a range of prices and sources. There are also wines to take care of aperitifs, puddings, parties and the shapeless hours (and leftovers) of the days after you’ve cleared away the wrapping paper but before you’ve popped the cork on the New Year’s Eve fizz (also included here). A final suggestion: if you need more than a couple of bottles this Christmas, it’s worth thinking about buying by the case of six or 12, with plenty of multi-buy discounts available from independent merchants and online specialists as well as the supermarkets.
Whites
Kakapo
South Island, New Zealand 2023 (£6.50, Asda)
Largely made of riesling, this cheerfully floral-aromatic, tropical fruit salad-juicy blend is an attractive solo sipper and a good value party bottle. It has the presence and verve to be a match for any spicy soups or leftover turkey curries.
M&S Chez Michel Marsanne Collines Rhodaniennes
Rhône, France 2023 (£9, Marks & Spencer)
Made from local variety marsanne by the ever reliable Rhône co-operative producer Cave de Tain l’Hermitage, this delightful Christmas dinner-ready white combines fulsome soft pear and white peach with a subtle, pithy citrus and herb quality.
Reyneke Organic Chenin Blanc
Stellenbosch, South Africa 2023 (£10.99, Waitrose)
There are so many fine Cape white wines being made from old chenin blanc vines right now. This is hard to beat on value for money, with gorgeous honeyed apple shimmering over racy citrus pith, zest and juice. Bring on the roast bird.
Tenute Orestiadi Organic Orange Inzolia
Sicily, Italy 2023 (£13, Booths)
With their mix of red wine grip and white wine freshness, orange wines are among the most versatile with food. This graceful, nutty, mandarin-scented and very gently astringent Sicilian is a fine festive grub all-rounder.
BEST BUY
Zuccardi Q Chardonnay
Uco Valley, Argentina 2023 (£16, Tesco)
Argentina is still much better known for its reds but its top whites have never been more compelling. An exceptionally smart, savoury-mineral Burgundian chardonnay, this comes from a family producer at the top of its game and is brilliant value.
Ventisquero Grey Sauvignon Blanc
Atacama, Chile 2021 (from £16.50, vinvm.co.uk; ndjohn.co.uk; reservewines.co.uk)
There’s something counterintuitive about finding super-fresh white wines from one of the world’s driest places, but that’s what we have here. A scintillating, pristine, seafood-friendly sauvignon blanc that lifts and cleanses with green-herb energy.
Ulysse Cazabonne Sauternes
Bordeaux, France NV (£21, thewinesociety.com)
Christmas dinner isn’t complete without the sticky elixir of a sweet wine, whether it is paired with cheese or pudding or sipped solo. This Wine Society exclusive, sourced from an undisclosed big-name producer, is a zesty, toffeed, decadent delight.
Domaine Moreau-Naudet Chablis
Burgundy, France 2022 (£33.95, leaandsandeman.co.uk)
Chardonnay comes in many guises, but at its best it’s hard to beat chablis for the purest, most fluently stylish iteration of the renowned white grape variety. Domaine Moreau-Naudet’s incisive example is a model of perfectly balanced succulence.
Reds
Nice Drop Pinotage
Western Cape, South Africa 2023 (£4.25, Asda)
Most of the cheapest wines on the market resort to a hefty dose of sugar to cover up their flaws, but this surprisingly serious budget buy avoids such mawkish sweetness and offers a smoky-savoury tint to its berry juiciness. A sound party bottle.
Chassaux et Fils Costières de Nîmes
Rhône, France 2023 (£6.99, Aldi)
If your ideal Christmas dinner wine is the solar-powered richness of châteauneuf du pape, but your budget doesn’t stretch that far, this robust brambly-spicy red Rhône blend from vineyards around Nîmes is a more than acceptable alternative.
M&S Found Saperavi
Kakheti, Georgia 2022 (£10, Marks & Spencer)
The Found series of lesser-spotted styles and grape varieties is home to many of the highlights in the M&S range. Not least this deliciously hearty but brightly blackberry-juicy, liquorice-spiced version of saperavi, Georgia’s red grape speciality.
Ponte da Boga P Mencía
Ribeira Sacra, Galicia, Spain 2023 (£11.95, thewinesociety.com)
In the spectacular steep, remote vineyards of Galicia in north-west Spain, the mencía grape variety makes some gorgeously vivid, fresh red wines. This example’s satiny cherry-skin feel and black cherry-juicy flavours are a guaranteed cranberry sauce-like hit with the turkey.
Tesco Finest Viña del Cura Rioja Gran Reserva
Rioja, Spain 2017 (£13, Tesco)
For fans of the cosy-mellow, vanilla and coconut softness of traditional American oak-aged rioja, Tesco’s house gran reserva is consistently superb value. The latest vintage has all the suave tannin, tobacco and umami savouriness required for Boxing Day roast beef.
BEST BUY
Château Tour Marcillanet
Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France 2018 (from £15.95, hhandc.co.uk, swig.co.uk)
Like rioja, classic claret is a must for many at the Christmas table, and this is a fine example from a highly regarded vintage. It’s at a lovely moment in its evolution, when the fruit (graphite-edged cassis) is still bright but the nimble tannins are softening up beautifully.
Gulfi Rossojbleo
Sicily, Italy 2023 (from £22.15, fieldandfawcett.co.uk; cellarnextdoor.com ; corksofbristol.com; chapelstreetwines.co.uk)
From one of the masters of the Sicilian native red grape variety nero d’avola, this is a joyous Christmas feast bottle. It is rich and ripe but full of unforced, supple red cherry and berry juiciness and tomato brightness, coupled with a hint of sage herbiness.
Mil Suelos La Verdad Malbec Buscado Vivo o Muerto
Uco Valley, Argentina 2019 (£35.25, corneyandbarrow.com)
Like so many of my favourite Argentinian wines, this impeccably stylish, hugely impressive high-altitude red combines fleshy malbec with the spine and fragrance of cabernet franc. A wine of lightly worn concentration, immaculate red fruit and super-fine silky tannins.
Fizz
Taste the Difference Cava Brut
Spain NV (£8.75, Sainsbury’s)
Cava is more than just an affordable alternative to champagne, and few other fizzes can match wines such as Sainsbury’s classic brut for bottle-fermented richness and tang, at a price that leaves change from a tenner.
Prince Alexandre Crémant de Loire Brut
Loire, France NV (£14.99, reduced to £10 from 4 December to 1 January, Waitrose)
Crémant sparkling wines, made using the same techniques as champagne in other parts of France, can offer superb value. This light, red- and green-apple-scented blend of chenin, cabernet franc and chardonnay from the Loire is no exception.
Can Sumoi Ancestral Montònega
Penedès, Spain 2023 (from £19.49, thefinewinecompany.co.uk; shrinetothevine.co.uk; chanctonburywines.co.uk)
Made in cava country using the “ancestral” or “pét-nat” method of bottling the wine while it is still fermenting, this light (9.5% abv) but lively and evocative bubbly has become a festive favourite thanks to its effortless, food-friendly, herb-scented charm.
BEST BUY
Veuve Monsigny 1er Cru Champagne
France NV (£21.99, Aldi)
A cut above Aldi’s standard Veuve Monsigny champagne (£14.99), but still around half the price of most mainstream branded champagnes, this pinot noir-dominated fizz, sourced from high-quality “premier cru” vineyards, is a lemon-creamy, butter-biscuity bargain.