Waitrose Blueprint White Burgundy, Mâconnais, France 2022 (£10.99, Waitrose) Even if you are the sort of endlessly curious food-lover whose day-to-day eating habits are a non-stop whirl of new cuisines and ingredients, Christmas dinner is the one meal that, give or take a few insignificant tweaks and additions, barely changes from one year to the next. For many people, that goes for the wine on the table as well as the food: classics (by which people generally mean a select handful of big French and other Old World names) are the order of the day. White burgundy certainly counts in that company, with Waitrose’s own-label chardonnay from the south of the region being stylish good value, and Louis Jadot Domaine Ferret Pouilly-Fuissé 2020 (£34.99, Whole Foods; thesurreywinecellar.co.uk) a rounded, tingling, complex treat. For reds, Bordeaux’s claret is the trad choice, whether the ripe and ready Château Le Peyrat Côtes de Castillon 2018 (£9.96, justerinis.com) or the wonderfully refined, fine-grained Château Beauregard Ducasse, Graves 2019 (£15.65, or £13.95 as part of a case, hhanc.co.uk).
Asda Extra Special North Canterbury Pinot Noir, New Zealand 2020 (£10.25, Asda) Other big European guns for the traditional Christmas table could include a spicy-herby, robust châteauneuf-du-pape (Tesco Finest Châteauneuf-du-Pape NV, £21, is one of the best-value examples of this never-cheap appellation); a mellow oaky rioja (such as The Society’s Crianza 2019, £8.50, thewinesociety.com); a tough-yet-tender barolo (such as the fragrant GD Vajra Albe Barolo 2018, £37.40, fromvineyardsdirect.com); or a racy, filigree off-dry white Mosel riesling (such as the delightful Merkelbach Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett 2021 (£24, stannarywine.com). For some non-European riffs on similar themes that are every bit as good as their inspiration, but with their own local stamp, there are countless high-quality chardonnays being made in a burgundian way across the globe, including the creamy yet incisive Creation Chardonnay 2022 (£15.99, or £12.99 as part of a mix six, majestic.co.uk). The same is true for Burgundy’s red grape pinot noir, and Asda’s succulent take on the grape from North Canterbury in New Zealand is a perfect turkey-and-trimmings partner.
Château La Rame Gourmandise, Saint Croix du Mont, Bordeaux 2021 (£13.99, or £11.99 as part of a mixed case of six bottles, majestic.co.uk) For alternatives to the spice and warmth of châteauneuf, you could do worse than head across the Tasman from New Zealand and up to South Australia’s Barossa Valley, home of the richly dark-fruited Yalumba Samuel’s Collection Barossa Shiraz 2019 (from £15.49, lekkerwines.co.uk; cambridgewine.com). And Australia is also one of the best places to source great-value versions of another festive classic: the sticky golden sweet wine style patented in Sauternes, in Bordeaux, as in the marmalade-sweet-and-tangy Morrisons The Best Botrytis Semillon (£6.50, 37.5cl, Morrisons). Other great sauternes alternatives include a wine made from a lesser-known Bordeaux sweet-wine appellation: Château La Rame’s Gourmandise from Saint-Croix du Mont being a sumptuous, golden tropical-fruited sweet treat. For the “real” sauternes thing, Waitrose has the crystalised citrus and cream of Château Liot Sauternes 2020 (£14.99, 37.5cl) and a fine example of another sweet European classic, this time from Hungary: the honeyed apricot and nervy acidity of Royal Tokaji Blue Label Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2018 (£12.49 until 1 January).
Follow David Williams on X @Daveydaibach
