A much merrier December than last year is in prospect. And what says good cheer better than a glass of good wine? So let’s get our wine stocks ready now. Merchants are advising that you buy early to secure the wines you want. And given the number of times I had to rewrite this list because shipments had failed to arrive and stocks had run out, that’s advice I support.
Whether you're looking to drink it or cook with it, it's advisable to stock up your wine racks now. From cheap and cheerful options to bottle that are saved to be savoured, 'tis the season to be merry and why not celebrate with a glass?
If you’re looking for an easy way to try good wines at around £12 a bottle, I’ve put together a case available to subscribers. It can be ordered through the Offers section on Telegraph Extra and all the wines in it are up to the standard of those on these pages. It costs £145 for 12 bottles and comprises 10 different wines, from seven different merchants.
Pierre Jaurant French Viognier 2020 France (13.5%, Aldi, £4.49)
A real surprise of a cheap wine that also featured in my Christmas list last year, this viognier is aromatic (peaches and white flowers) and gently fruity. Good for parties.
Bruce Jack Sauvignon Blanc 2021 South Africa (13%, Co-op, £7)
A particularly vivid South African sauvignon blanc that will appeal to those who enjoy the raucous pungency of the Marlborough style. It’s juicy and bright.
La Mia Strada Falanghina 2020 Italy (13%, Co-op, available in store, £7.50)
Falanghina is a grape found in the area around Naples. It makes refreshing whites with a hint of orange (think orange flower water and orange rind), a taste I love in the winter.
Definition Mâcon-Villages 2020 France (13%, Majestic, available in store, £8.99/£11.99 mix six/single bottle price)
An easy-to-get-hold-of white burgundy that ticks all the boxes: creamy and subtle, it’s unoaked with faint notes of orange, yellow citrus and green melon.
Finest* Saint Mont 2019 France (12.5%, Tesco, £6.50)
For years this unusual but delicious white has been one of Tesco’s worst-kept secrets. It has a smooth, cushioned feel and tastes of pink grapefruit, lemon blossom and sunflower seeds.
Taste the Difference Douro White 2019 Portugal (13.5%, Sainsbury’s, £10)
A crisp and refreshing white made in the Douro Valley using local varieties, this is one to buy on offer. It smells of lemon zest, yellow plums and star fruit.
EH Booth & Co Grüner Veltliner 2019 Austria (12.5%, Booths, £59.85 for a case of six)
Lithe and teasing, this is a textbook grüner veltliner, made for Booths by Domäne Wachau. Beautifully refreshing, with a subtle seltzer taste and hints of white pepper and grapefruit.
La Guardiense Janare Falanghina del Sannio 2020 Italy (13.5%, de Burgh, on offer at £9.99)
Italian falanghina from the same producer as the Co-op version, but this one’s veering more towards crystallised oranges, with peaches and apricot skin.
Specially Selected Alvarinho 2020 Portugal (12%, Aldi, on offer at £6.49)
It’s known as albariño in Spain and alvarinho in Portugal but, either way, this grape makes a clean, fresh white that brings out the succulence in seafood.
Jean-François Quénard Vers Les Alpes Chignin 2020 Savoie, France (11.5%, the Wine Society, £10.50)
A brisk, bone-dry Alpine white that tastes like sticking your head in a stream of mountain spring water running over a bed of stones and lemons.
Tim Adams Clare Valley Riesling 2018 Australia (11%, Tesco, £10)
Bone-dry riesling that comes at you like the swoosh of an arrow through cold air. I can never understand why those who love clean, bracing wines don’t drink more Clare Valley.
Yealands Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Marlborough, New Zealand (13%, M&S, available in store,£10.50)
Bold and distinctive, here’s an upfront Marlborough sauvignon blanc that smells like blackcurrant leaf, passion fruit and unripe peach.
Adnams White Burgundy Cuvée Paul Talmard 2020 France (13%, Adnams, £13.99)
A huge favourite among so many people I know, from serious winos to drinkers who don’t know their chablis from their chardonnay but do know they like this.
Famille Brocard Chablis Organic 2019 France (12.5%, M&S, £15)
A luminous chablis that opens with a soft, lemon glow then follows through with hints of butter and a just-there salinity. Fermented with wild yeasts, this wine is unoaked.
Neudorf Rosie’s Block 25 Rows Moutere Chardonnay 2019 New Zealand (13.5%, specialistcellars.co.uk, £33.50)
Neudorf has established a stellar reputation for its limpid chardonnay. This one is unoaked, and fermented with wild yeasts.
Pierre Sauvion Haut Poitou Sauvignon Blanc 2020 France (12.5%, Majestic, £8.99/ £9.99 mix six/single bottle)
Calm sauvignon blanc that tastes of grass and lemon zest, made at Haut Poitou in the Loire Valley wine region.
Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay 2020 New Zealand (13.5%, the Wine Society, £20)
Aged in burgundy barrels, this is sharply focused, and has a scent of struck match and toasted hazelnuts with notes of English apples and flashes of citrus.
Lay & Wheeler & Eva Fricke Riesling 2019 Rheingau, Germany (12%, Lay & Wheeler, £13.50)
Eva Fricke is a new fine wine superstar whose rieslings are so enchantingly agile and graceful they feel as if they’ve been made from beams of light.
Domaine de la Chauvinière Le Grand Fief Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie 2020 France (12%; Averys £10.99)
Like clouds of fine sea-spray backed with a delicate taste of oyster shell, this is a textbook muscadet.
The Society’s Exhibition Chenin Blanc 2020 Western Cape, South Africa (13%, the Wine Society, £13.50)
Chris Alheit shot to fame with the release of his first vintage, Cartology 2011. He now makes TWS’s nuanced South African chenin blanc, and it’s a beauty.
Palacio di Fefiñanes Albariño 2020 Rías Baixas, Spain (13%, Waitrose, £16.99)
I was going to recommend the Wine Society’s Exhibition Albariño, but it will almost have sold out by the time you read this, so instead I’ve gone for this benchmark of an old favourite.
Domaine Daniel Barraud Saint Véran En Crèches 2018 France (13.5%, Lea & Sandeman, £21.25/£23.75 mixed case/single bottle)
Barraud makes excellent wine in the southern part of Burgundy, and for my glass the Saint Véran en Crèches is the pick of his cuvées.
Domaine du Closel Savennières Clos du Papillon 2019 Loire, France (14.5%, Lay & Wheeler, £29)
Savennières is a Loire appellation that produces distinctly savoury, nervy and concentrated dry chenin blanc, and this is a superb example.
Tanners Chilean Chardonnay 2020 Colchagua Valley, Chile (13.5%, Tanners, £8.95)
With a tang of green mango and fresh pineapple, this is a smooth, mid-weight chardonnay. It’s partially fermented in oak and the wood influence is subtle.
Palacio di Fefiñanes Albariño 2020 Rías Baixas, Spain (13%, Waitrose, £16.99)
I was going to recommend the Wine Society’s Exhibition Albariño, but it will almost have sold out by the time you read this, so instead I’ve gone for this benchmark of an old favourite.