Festive tipples

I'm of the age where I have carte blanche to grumble and groan about Christmas. But I'm not going to go down the predictable route of explaining how much I hate racing for the last trolley in the supermarket car park on Christmas Eve. Instead I'm going to focus on the positives. For instance, what better time is there than Christmas to appreciate some really good wines?

Here's my selection to see you right over the holiday. Most of the wines are hand picked from recommendations in Tipping's Tipples over the past year. In this year's Yuletide selection I've set a ceiling of £10 a bottle, so that's the Champers out of the window already!

Fizz fans will find plenty to make their eyes sparkle however, without paying top dollar. If there were a reality TV programme called, "I'm A Wine Get Me Out Of Here," Jacob's Creek Sparkling Rose (£7.99 at Asda, Sainsbury's, Threshers and Waitrose) would win hands down. Just because it's delicate strawberry and lemon charms will come out tops in the popularity stakes. Or, bite into the fresh bread crust and crisp apple that is Nerleux Cremant nv (£6.95 from www.hcwines.co.uk). This chenin blanc and chardonnay blend, from the Loire region of France, fizzes along with juicy, sherbet charged grapefruit.

If all those bubbles get on your nerves, than I can think of no better aperitif wine for your money than German wine-maker Ernst Loosen's Dr L Riesling 2003 (£5.99 at Oddbins and Sainsbury's). My mum's favourite is off-dry with peach, tinned grapefruit, minerals a hint of effervescence and the characteristic kerosene flavours of riesling.

I swear there is no better white wine with seafood than those made from the Languedoc's own picpoul blanc grape. Domaine Coustellier Picpoul de Pinet 2002 (£6.95 from www.terroirlanguedoc.co.uk) is a very fine example. It is satisfyingly crisp with a smidgen of background fizz. Honeysuckle aromas and flavours of lemon, tangerine and pineapple finish nicely with liberal sprinklings of white pepper. I'm told the 2004 vintage, which is also in stock, is just as good and I dare say even fresher.

Smoked salmon demands a little more from a white. Go Californian and organic with Bonterra Viognier 2004 (£9.99 at Oddbins and selected Asda stores) which takes on a creamy texture and hints of vanilla from the subtle use of French Oak. It is a complex, musky, honeysuckle perfumed wine, laced with exotic spices and stonefruit flavours.

It's not so much the turkey as the trimmings (cranberry sauce et all) that steer me towards reds for the traditional Christmas dinner. Marques de la Concordia Rioja Signa Tempranillo 2003 (grab two bottles for £10 at Oddbins), was a favourite of mine when the Rioja Roadshow visited York last year. The coconut oak nose is enticing and carries through to the palate where it mixes with cherry, redcurrants and zinging tannins.

If you must chose a white with the turkey, then pick a full flavoured example such as Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2002 (£9.99 at Sainsbury's). With musky, oak aromas and flavours of mustard, vanilla and mandarin orange, it is as full and as complex as white wine gets. Or Sweet Chestnut, 2002 Limoux Blanc (£9.99 at www.adnamswines.co.uk), from Languedoc based winemaker Robert Eden, includes a donation to the Woodland Trust. It is a subtle, complex, ethereal liquid and suggestive of tangerines, ginger, cinnamon, scrumpy apples and watercress. You get a noticeable amount of toasty oak as well from the barrel ageing. This is a wine for sipping and deliberating over.

Brighten up the cold turkey meals that follow with, Casillero del Diablo Shiraz Rose 2005 (£5.49 at Oddbins, Majestic, Asda and Sainsbury's) from Chile's, Maule Valley. It's a much deeper red than your average rose and comes equipped with stunning, zesty fruit; cherry, raspberry, lemon, spices and pepper. I can't remember coming across a rose so dry and crunchy!

Substantial reds are a must for your Boxing Day joint of beef. Rekindle memories of England's Ashes victory with a good Aussie shiraz. I could choose from a number of favourites but Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2002 (£9.99 at Somerfield, Tesco, Thresher and Majestic) is at least very widely available. It is a silken, ripe shiraz, matured for 12 months in toasty American oak. The oak has a subtle influence on the well spiced, berry fruit and lingering mint notes therein. Go Californian again with Ravenswood Amador County Zinfandel 2001 (£9.99 at Somerfield and Thresher) an old vines creation that is velvet in texture. It seals in strawberry, raspberry and cherry with some awesome tannic activity and a nice touch of vanilla to finish. Traditionalists will be kept very happy by a fine claret, Dourthe Barrel Select St Emilion 2003 (£8.99 at Waitrose) fits the bill. It is a super smooth blend of merlot and cabernet sauvignon with nicely integrated oak, supple tannins and a myriad of summer fruit flavours.

I love pudding wines, most make a sweet course on their own. Cranswick Estate Botrytis Semillon 2002 (£3.98 at Asda for a 37.5cl bottle) is the real amber nectar. Actually its colour is a little off-putting, so close your eyes as you sip this intensely sweet and zesty wine, full of marmalade tang. All those orange flavours and sweetness means it will pair nicely with chocolate deserts.

There's no better accompaniment to Christmas cake or pudding than a fine port. This is where I break the £10 maximum spend, but just remember how far the bottle will go. Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas 1996 vintage Port (£22.99 at Sainsbury's, Tesco, Majestic and Oddbins) will bring back all those memories of Christmas past. It is a superbly smooth liquid that clings to the tastebuds, with intense dark fruit flavours and spices, sultanas, molasses, toffee, the list goes on. Buy a bottle and find out for yourself.

Ho, ho, ho... Have a very Merry Christmas.

Updated: 16:32 Friday, December 09, 2005