Hello Sippers,
I wrote this large spread for the Daily Mail last weekend and I’m going to drip feed the wines as there are A LOT of them. First up, it’s a selection of brilliant value bottles to go with the main event meal, whether you’re serving turkey, beef, poultry, ham, fish, game or veggie!
TURKEY
When it comes to turkey or chicken with all the trimmings, the best wines in my opinion are textural whites and lighter reds, which work well slightly chilled.
Around £5:
Le Manoir du Baron Viognier, £5.14, ASDA
This is one of the best bargains around. It’s a soft, peach and apricot-scented beauty that glides around a roast turkey with a weight and texture that complements it perfectly.
£10 and under:
Beaujolais Nouveau, £7.47 or £5.60 mix 6, ASDA
If you prefer red but don’t want anything too heavy, then this impressively affordable Beaujolais nouveau could be for you. It’s all bright berries, violets and bounce without being too simple or too sweet.
Around £15:
Cerasuolo di Vittoria by Santa Tresa, £15.50 or £11.63 mix 6, Ocado
This stylish Sicilian red blend of Frappato and Nero d’Avola is a more savoury, gently grippy, cherry-and-spice wine that works absolute wonders with cranberry sauce. It’s such a good bottle, it’s worth assembling a basket around it just to get the discount.
Splash out:
Pierre Ponnelle Montagny 1er Cru £24, Co-op
If you’re after an upmarket white that feels tailor-made for the big Christmas bird, treat yourself to this Montagny. White Burgundy is always expensive but this gently oaked, peach-scented version offers exceptional value compared to other wines of its quality - and tastes like it should be twice the price.
BEEF
Beef needs bold wines with structure and swagger as well as a juicy dollop of fruitiness.
Around £5:
Toro Loco Tempranillo Bobal, £5.29, Aldi
This is one of the most impressive budget reds I’ve tasted this year, all bright, berry fruit and soft spice but without the heavy-handedness that cheaper reds often display. You’ll be tempted to open a second bottle.
£10 and under:
The Best Côtes du Rhône Villages Sablet, £9.75 Morrisons
This Cotes du Rhone is full of rich black fruit and has a savoury warmth that feels as though it wraps around roast beef like a festive scarf. It’s a proper fine wine for under a tenner.
Around £15:
Finca Lalande Organic Cabernet Franc, £10, was £12, Waitrose
This refined, Argentinian red brings bright redcurrant, herbs and a touch of earthiness - perfect for roasted beef with Yorkshire puds and horseradish. It’s Old World class with New World charm with an effortless complexity that suggests a much higher price tag.
Splash out:
Taste the Difference Amarone, £22.50 or £16.88 mix 6, Sainsbury’s
It’s hard to beat this delicious Amarone for sheer decadence - and value. The luxurious, velvety, chocolate-and-cherry richness makes it the perfect partner for a rib of beef, especially with a sticky cherry or plum sauce.
VEGGIE
Many festive vegetarian dishes lean towards herbs, pastry and creamy sauces, so to complement them, you need wines with lift and freshness.
Around £5:
Vista Castelli Trebbiano D’Abruzzo d’Abruzzo, £5.25 Tesco
Trebbiano is Italy’s workhorse grape and often makes wines that are pretty uninteresting, especially when they are this cheap. Not so here! This bargain bottle has real charm with gentle pear and almond notes alongside a slick of salt and crisp acidity.
£10 and under:
Beronia Rueda Verdejo, £8, was £12, Waitrose
Verdejo from Rueda in Spain is one of the best all-rounder whites for this time of year and this gorgeous bottle is hard to beat. Think lime citrus, fennel and a lively, saline snap that cuts beautifully through anything from winter tarts to mushroom Wellington.
Around £15:
Robert Oatley Signature Series Chardonnay, £13, Co-op
White Burgundy lovers wanting something richer to pair with roasted squash or nut roasts should pick up this creamy Ozzie beauty, which is full of ripe, stone fruit and has a gentle vanilla lift. Hailing from the country’s premium Margaret River region, this is a stonking price for a genuinely fine wine.
Splash out:
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, £22 Was £26.50, Waitrose
If you want to impress with a well-known name, you can’t go wrong with Cloudy Bay; the very wine that started the New Zealand Sauvignon revolution! It’s zesty and polished with a thirst-slaking, stony complexity guaranteed to make any veggie spread feel positively glamorous. Get another 5% off when you buy any six wines too.
FISH
The style of wine you’ll need with fish very much depends on the kind of dish and how it is being cooked.
Around £5:
Varzea Vinho Verde, £4.89, Lidl
This Portuguese Vinho Verde tastes limey, spritzy and goes perfectly with lighter fish and seafood dishes like prawns or smoked salmon. It’s a brilliant and very inexpensive option.
£10 and under:
Viña Pomal White Rioja 2023, £11 or £10 mix 6, Majestic
For something richer and weightier, this excellent value white Rioja offers ripe pear, a touch of oak and enough body to flatter cod, haddock or even a Boxing Day fish pie.
Around £15:
Yealands Reserve Pinot Gris, £12 or £9 clubcard mix 6, Tesco
If you’re into upmarket, fuller-bodied styles of Pinot Gris from Alsace then you’ll love this New Zealand version. Think fleshy melon and apricot with honeyed, poached pear. It’s superb with creamy, even mildly curried sauces. If this were French it would easily be double the price.
Splash out:
Laurent Delaunay Les Grappillages Chablis, £18, Morrisons
And if you want old-school actual French elegance, this Chablis offers that clean, flinty freshness Chablis lovers adore. A smart buy for a premium wine style, which would normally be a lot more expensive - and a guaranteed hit with any seafood centrepiece.
GAME
Pheasant, duck and venison all call out for deep, flavoursome wines with a bit of earthy charisma - and you don’t always need to spend much.
Around £5:
Estevez Chilean Merlot, £4.15, Aldi
Plummy and generous, this is an ideal bottle if you’re looking for an inexpensive partner for game.
£10 and under:
Ramon Bilbao Crianza Rioja, £11.25 or £8.43 clubcard mix 6, Tesco
This Rioja is extremely well priced to begin with at just over a tenner, but a real bargain with a club card mix 6 offer. With cherry, vanilla and spice notes, it’s a classic match for pheasant or duck breast.
Around £15:
Symington Florao Portuguese Red, £15.50 or £11.63 mix 6, Ocado
This gorgeous, brooding Portuguese red with dark berry fruit and velvety tannins feels built for wintery game dishes. A serious tasting, premium red that punches well above its price tag - as so many Portuguese wines often do. A great Claret alternative.
Splash out:
Tenuta Casenuove Chianti Classico, £22.50 or £12.50 mix 6, Majestic
If you’re looking to push the boat out, take a look at this impressive multi-buy discount. With sour cherry, leather and fresh herbs, this wine is a sensational pairing with venison and tastes far more expensive than its offer price suggests.
HAM
The perfect wine pairings for festive ham are bolder styles of rosé or fruity, light-to medium bodied reds.
Around £5:
Corte Alle Mura Chianti, £5.69, Lidl
This ridiculously inexpensive Chianti overdelivers on flavour with its tangy, sour cherry flavours and aromatic, cinnamon-like notes that will pick up on the festive flavours in the ham without overwhelming it. One if you’ve gone big on the cloves.
£10 and under:
Vinca Organic Sicilian Red, £9 or £6.75 clubcard mix 6, Tesco
This medium-bodied Sicilian is an ideal match AND you can chill it outside in its natty aluminium bottle. A blend of Nero d’avola and Syrah, think earthy, red plum and raspberry with a little grippiness. Great if you’ve gone for a sticky, five spice glaze.
Around £15:
Arbousset Tavel Rosé, £13, Tesco
Tavel is a premium French appellation that’s famous for darker, savoury rosés. It’s rare to find these in supermarkets and even rarer to find them at this price. A refreshing option to cleanse the palate from the more intense glazes with its wild-strawberry and liquorice-scented tones.
Rock Angel by Whispering Angel, £23.50 was £27.50, Waitrose
I swear by upmarket rosé at Christmas as it goes with just about everything. This is Whispering Angel’s bigger sister and it packs more of a flavour punch with its red berry notes and chalky texture. It’ll pick up on the juiciness of the ham nicely and there’s a chunk of cash off it right now.
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