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the Observer – David Williams
Nemea Aivalis Red, Nemea, Greece 2012 (£15.60, Southern Wine Roads)
velvety red plum and bergamot-scented red
Michelini Brothers Torrontés Brutal, Argentina 2013 (£14.99, Selfridges)
herbal, floral, slightly chewy, original white treat
Movia Gredic Brda Primorska Slovenia 2012 (£11, Meadowdale Wines)
honeyed orchard fruit
the Independent – Terry Kirby
Pignoletto Brut Taste the Difference. £9, Sainsbury’s
delightfully fresh bubbles and vibrant apple and stone-fruit flavours
Henners Brut 2010. £18 winetrust100.co.uk
ethereal as a spring day, with effervescent citrus flavours
Taittinger Prestige Rosé Brut NV. £37.50, thechampagnecompany
uplifting strawberry and raspberry flavours, toasty overlay
Peter Yealands Sauvignon Blanc 2014/15 £8, Sainsbury’s
packed with grass and tropical-fruit flavours
Falanghina Beneventano IGT 2013. £7, Marks & Spencer
zippy and zesty; underlying vegetal, smoky notes
Santa Rita 120 Cabernet Franc 2014. £8.99 single bottle Majestic
Fresh and aromatic, this bottle delivers crunchy cherry-fruit flavours
Château Ollieux Romanis, Corbières Cuvée Prestige 2014. £14.50, thewinesociety
big, creamy, luscious flavours, with hints of tropical fruits
Domain Road Central Otago Pinot Noir 2011. £17.95, slurp; £18.40, tanners
sumptuous Pinot, balancing the bright, lingering cherry and plum flavours
Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf- du-Pape 2012. £19.99, laithwaites
dark-fruit flavours, laced with earthy black pepper
Taylor’s 20 Year Old Tawny Port. £32.96 (£21 for 37.5cl), amazon
Intense but mellow, oaky flavours of nuts and figs
Noble Harvest Denbies. £19.99, Waitrose
hint of citrus and a little tropical, underlying honeyed notes
Matusalem 30 Year Old Sherry. £19, Waitrose, ocado
Unbelievably complex with layer upon layer of flavours
the Guardian – Fiona Beckett
Pillitteri Estates Vidal Icewine 2013, £14.99 Lidl
intensely luscious; cheap for ice wine
Trius Canadian Vidal Icewine 2014, £24.99 Aldi
exotic
Williams Moscatel Blanco, £10, Marks & Spencer
grapey moscatel; well-priced
Meyer Okanagan Pinot Noir 2014, £13.50, Marks & Sparks
gorgeously silky pinot
Denbies Noble Harvest Ortega 2014, £19.99 in 22 Waitrose branches
another real curiosity that you could pass off as ‘English sauternes’
Toro Albala Don PX Gran Reserva 1986, £16 Tanners, £22.99 Oxford Wine Co
vdecadently syrupy; That’s your yule log taken care of
the Telegraph – Victoria Moore
Wine Atlas Bobal 2014 Utiel-Requeña, Spain (13%, Asda, £4.97)
excellent, juicy, bright, cherryish red
Grandes Vinos Y Vinedos 3C Cariñena 2014, Spain (Wine Society, £5.25)
juicy, cranberryish red; Lively and upbeat
La Grange St Martin Côtes du Rhone 2014, France (Co-op, £5.99 9 Dec to 5 Jan)
tastes as smart as it looks; spicy, dark fruit, with a fresh redcurrant
Matsu El Picaro 2014 Toro, Spain (14.5%, Majestic £9.99 single bottle price)
Smooth-textured and very modern, with just a touch of oak
Clos Montalbanie Pécharmant 2010, France (14%, Co-op, £7.99)
54% merlot, 23% cabernet sauvignon, 18% cabernet franc and 5% malbec
La Grange des Combes St-Chinian-Roquebrun 2013, France (14%, Majestic, £12.99)
Savoury edge of roasted chestnut skins but also a depth of warm mulberries
Cave St Verny Puy de Dôme Pinot Noir 2013, France (13.5%; Booths, Lea & Sandeman, £8.99)
As bright as redcurrants and vigorous as sap, this light, agile pinot noir
Mas Carlot Rouge Costières de Nimes 2013, France (fromvineyardsdirect.com, £8.95)
sumptuously decadent red, made from grenache and syrah, that has backbone too
Ch. Moulin des Richards Cotes de Bourg 2010, Bordeaux (fromvineyardsdirect.com, £8.95)
slightly bloody, with a gentle fragrance of elderberries and a beautiful balance
Kanonkop Kadette 2013, South Africa (14%; Sainsbury’s, £10; Majestic, £12.49)
Wood-smoke, tobacco, burnt mocha, brambles and dry earth
Old Vines Carignan 2011, Chile (14%, Marks & Spencer, £12)
smells of black olives, cranberries and dried herbs
Pecchenino Dogliani San Luigi Dolcetto 2014, Italy (13%, Oddbins, £12.50)
Pure joy – a lithe, supple, smooth dolcetto, all black cherries and graceful bounce
Le Chateau St Jacques d’Albas Minervois 2012, France (Swig, £12.50 to 13 December)
inky, granitic, peppery syrah, there’s grenache and carignan in there too
Frares Priorat 2014, Spain (15%, Marks & Spencer, £13)
smells of figs, milk chocolate powder and stewed plums
Syrah du Maroc Tandem Graillot/Thalvin 2011, Morocco (14.5%, Yapp, £13.95)
gorgeous, all black pepper and roasted fruits
Fuligni Ginestreto Rosso di Montalcino 2012, Italy (14.5%, Lea & Sandeman £19.95)
old leather, morello cherries and spice
Leconfield Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Coonawarra, Australia (Wine Society, £14.95)
Very fine, dense, rich cabernet sauvignon from Australia’s feted Coonawarra
Contino Rioja Reserva 2007, Spain (14%, Marks & Spencer 167 stores, £24)
old tobacco, warm strawberry pie, acorns and autumn leaves
Font de Michelle Châteauneuf du Pape 2013, France (Waitrose 113 branches £25.99)
proper, atmospheric wine; confit of fruits, black olives and dried wild herbs
Berry Bros & Rudd Gevrey-Chambertin Domaine Rossignol-Trapet 2009 (13%, BBR £29.95)
Excellent, fluent Gevrey-Chambertin. Pinot noir fans are in for a treat
Rippon Pinot Noir Mature Vine 2008 Central Otago (13%, Lea & Sandeman, £35.95)
none of the clunk that Central Otago pinot used to have. Very impressive
the Telegraph – Susy Atkins
Wine Atlas Marsanne 2014, Pays d’Oc, France (Asda £4.75 until 31 Dec)
rounded, ripe but well-balanced southern French white
Moncaro Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico 2014, Italy (Waitrose, £5.99)
delicate lime and almond flavours. Easy-going on its own
Taste the Difference Chilean Sauvignon Blanc 2015, Casablanca (Sains £8)
Zingy, perfumed, vivacious young sauv blanc, bursting with gooseberry
Extra Special Douro 2014, Portugal (Asda, £5)
A ripe, rounded red from port country; tastes of cherry fruitcake and pepper
Waitrose Southern French Grenache 2013, Pays d’Oc (£6.49)
Big, broad, rounded flavours of red plum and damsons here
Finest Argentina Malbec 2014, Mendoza (Tesco, £6 14 Dec to 3 Jan)
Packed with plump, juicy black cherries; bright New World fruit bomb
Finest Bisol Prosecco NV, Veneto, Italy (Tesco, £8)
My go-to party prosecco this Christmas, a fun, frothy fizz
Philippe Michel Cremant de Jura Chardonnay Brut NV, France (Aldi, £7.29)
Tangy top note of oranges and lemons, toasty hint, dry finish
Les Pionniers Champagne NV Brut, France (Co-op, £16.99)
fresh and whistle-clean with notes of lemon meringue and wholemeal
the Scotsman – Rose Murray-Brown
TESCO PREMIER CRU CHAMPAGNE BRUT NV (£18)
Creamy rounded fizz with plenty of fruit; well-balanced, juicy acidity
SAINSBURY’S WINEMAKERS SELECTION BLANC DE NOIRS CHAMPAGNE BRUT NV (£20)
Red fruit aromas, full powerful mouthful, some austerity on the finish
MARKS & SPENCER OUDINOT BRUT NV (£15 in December at Marks & Spencer)
Starts well; light brioche aroma and citric fruits; pronounced sharp acidity
THE CO-OPERATIVE LES PIONEERS BRUT NV (£16.99 Co-op)
Biscuity aromas, creamy toasty, a touch of hard green apple fruit mid-palate
ASDA EXTRA SPECIAL LOUIS BERNARD PREMIER CRU CHAMPAGNE BRUT NV (£16 until 28 Dec)
Floral aromas to start, just a hint of toastiness, dry and crisp on the palate
WM MORRISON CHAMPAGNE BRUT NV (£19 Morrisons)
Started well; enticing biscuity brioche notes, but fruit a bit shallow mid-palate
LIDL COMTE DE SENNEVAL CHAMPAGNE BRUT NV (£9.97 Lidl)
A bit disappointing; tastes too confected, slightly soapy, lacking zip
ALDI VEUVE MONSIGNY CHAMPAGNE BY PHILIZOT BRUT NV (£10.99 Aldi Scotland; £12.99)
Crisp and dry; faint floral aromas and a sharp green apple flavour
J DE TELMONT GRANDE RESERVE BRUT NV (£19.99 Majestic Wine)
Light biscuit aromas, good depth of citric fruit, médium length
THE WINE SOCIETY’S PRIVATE CUVEE CHAMPAGNE BRUT NV (£28)
Nutty, yeasty, full rich palate; complex with a subtle smokiness. Impressive
BERRY BROS & RUDD CHAMPAGNE GRAND CRU MAILLY BRUT NV (£26.50)
Smooth, yeasty, gingerbread notes, zippy acidity, lovely smoothness of texture
HARVEY NICHOLS CHAMPAGNE BRUT NV (£28.50)
Very stylish, nutty toasty and rich with creamy succulent fruit
WAITROSE BLANC DE BLANCS CHAMPAGNE BRUT NV (£24.99)
Very dry, steely citric vibrant styles, médium length; lacking in elegance
TESCO GRAND CRU VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE 2007 (£24 Tesco)
Classic biscuity, good depth of fruit, rich layers of flavours
THE CO-OPERATIVE LES PIONEERS VINTAGE 2006 (£24.99 Co-op)
Very citric, toasty, deep rich fruit flavours, full powerful mid-palate
the Independent – Anthony Rose
2013 Pinot Noir Limited Edition, Leyda Valley, Cimarosa. £6.99, Lidl
touch of toasty oak, balanced by Pacific breezy freshness
2014 Taste The Difference Chablis Premier Cru Brocard. £14.50 Sainsbury’s
bone-dry white burgundy shot through with citrus
2013 Font de Michelle Châteauneuf-du-Pape. £25.99, Waitrose
Scented with plums and spice, this is a rich southern Rhône blend
the Scotsman – Brian Elliott
2011 Gouguenheim Flores del Valle Blue Melosa Malbec. £12.95 Tanners
violet, floral aromas; intense, fruit forward plum, cinnamon and nutmeg
2013 Cave de Turckheim Pinot Blanc, £8.75 Drinkmonger
savoury spices and delightfully rounded apple and quince texture