Make merry & party!
Expert Susy Atkins picks the best wines and spirits for festive gatherings – plus she finds a wine match for our home-cured Christmas starter, special bottles that would make great gifts, and plenty of grown-up non-alcoholic choices so no one feels left out
PARTY WINES
LIGHTER WHITE Specially Selected Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2021, Loire, France 12%
Dry white delivering mouthwatering lemon and grapefruit with a dab of mint. Great on its own or with light salads and seafood snacks. £7.99, Aldi
RICHER WHITE Finest Chenin Blanc 2022, Stellenbosch, South Africa 13.5%
There’s a subtle hint of toasty oak on this fuller-textured chenin blanc, with ripe yellow apples in its wake. It can take on quiches, cheeses and more.
£8.75, Tesco
JUICY RED Co-op Spanish Garnacha 2022, Campo de Borja 14%
Brightly fruity unoaked red, soft enough to be poured without food. It would still suit a charcuterie board though. And a bargain to boot! £6.25
FULLER RED Taste the Difference Western Australian Shiraz 2021 14%
If you’re serving spicy snacks or red-meat feasts, this is the red for them. Blackberries, dark chocolate, a twist of black pepper and rounded finish. £9, Sainsbury’s
PARTY ON IN PINK Exquise Prestige Grenache Rosé 2022, Languedoc, France 12.5%
Southern French rosé with red cherry and victoria plum flavours. Rosé is drunk all year round now, so bag it for your festive parties. £7.49, Lidl
BARGAIN FIZZ Extra Special Crémant de Loire Rosé Brut NV, France 12.5%
I like the delicate strawberry note and lively but soft bubbles in this fizz. It’s more interesting than most proseccos and good value. £12, Asda
CELEBRATION BUBBLES M&S Collection De Saint-Gall Champagne Premier Cru Brut NV, France 12.5%
Gorgeous fizz with ripe apple and tangy grapefruit notes as well as bready, yeasty depths.
£28, Marks & Spencer
MATCH OF THE MONTH Waitrose Blueprint Grüner Veltliner 2022, Niederosterreich, Austria 12.5%
Not every wine needs to be rich at this time of year; here’s an elegant, dry white with a grapefruit zest quality, just right with the trout terrine with pink peppercorns on p94. Waitrose, £8.99 →
BOXES
Hacienda Albae Tempranillo 2020, Tierra de Castilla, Spain 14%
Three bottles’ worth here and a soft, rounded tempranillo with bags of bramble and cooked strawberry fruit, plus a dash of wood spice from a short spell in oak casks.
