With Christmas, more than any other occasion, it’s the name and label on the bottle that counts, hence the popularity of Bordeaux, which in many ways isn’t an ideal match for turkey. But it’s traditional, it looks the part and it offers very good value. Other reliable reds are southern Rhônes and rioja, on which there are some great deals. Choose your price and take your pick:
£5 and under
Two cheapies you needn’t be ashamed to put on your Christmas table are Estevez’s darkly fruited Chilean Pinot Noir 2013 (£4.99, Aldi; 13% abv), which is less tutti frutti than most cheap pinots, and Asda’s amazing Extra Special Dao 2012 (£5; 13% abv), a handsome Portuguese red at an incredible price.
£6-£10
Top marks to Aldi and Lidl for fielding two handsomely presented, full, spicy gigondas: Aldi’s The Exquisite Collection Gigondas 2013 (14.5% abv) and Lidl’s Calade des Evêques (13.5% abv) – both are £9.99, which is a far better deal than you’d get on Châteauneuf-du-Pape but for the fact that Tesco has a cracking offer on its Les Galets de Saint Louis Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2012 (14% abv), which it has slashed from £17.99 to £10. It’s also worth looking out for the named villages of the Côtes du Rhône such as Cairanne, Vacqueyras and Vinsobres. Two to try: the excellent Celliers des Dauphins Vinsobres 2012 (13% abv), which Asda has on offer at £7.75, and the warm, generous Serabel Cairanne Côtes du Rhone Villages 2013 (£9.49 Waitrose; 13% abv).
You can also get some decent rioja at this price, including the Wine Society’s excellent Lopez de Haro Rioja Reserva 2005 (£8.25; 13.5% abv), which is still amazingly fresh for a 2005, and the classy Extra Special El Meson Rioja Gran Reserva 2004 (13.5% abv), from the well-respected Baron de Ley, on offer at £10 at Asda – a great price for a 10-year-old wine.
£10-plus
If your budget stretches to £15, Co-op superstores have a rioja bargain: the award-winning, velvety Cune Imperial Reserva Rioja 2008 (£14.99; 13.5% abv) is a good £2-3 cheaper than you’ll find elsewhere. Lidl hasn’t got quite as impressive a line-up of inexpensive Bordeaux as it had back in September, but the gratifyingly smooth, plummy Château Roylland Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2008 (£12.99; 14% abv) is a great price for a popular appellation. And Aldi’s La Sagora Amarone 2011 (£14.99; 14.5% abv), with its sumptuously ripe, sloe-like fruit, is perfect for the cheeseboard.
• For more Christmas reds, go to matchingfoodandwine.com
