In the January issue of Decanter magazine, our tasting team choses 50 holiday wines to suit every palate, course and budget. For decanter.com readers, we've selected some of the best wines for Christmas.
Read the full article in Decanter out next month - or even better, get a subscription.
Great for greetings
Egly-Ouriet, Tradition Brut Grand Cru, Champagne, France NV
Very grown-up, with buttery richness intermingling with aromas of nuts and toasted almonds. There's a lovely weight to the fruit on the palate and a creamy gustiness to it as well. Dry and pure.
£28.50 Lea & Sandeman
Great with smoked salmon
Domaine Pierre de Préhy, Chablis, Burgundy, France 2006
Classic, Chablis steeliness here with flinty, mineral streaks but also a generous layer of fleshy apple fruit.
£10.99 Marks & Spencer
Great with turkey
Josetta Saffirio, Barbera d'Alba, Piedmont, Italy 2006
A fruit-driven wine of red cherry and soft spice. The palate delivers fresh, elegant black fruits with a lively acidity.
£14.99 Corney & Barrow
Great with goose
Craggy Range, Te Muna Road Pinot Noir, Martinborough, New Zealand 2006
A top producer that makes tiny quantities of excellent wine. This has spiced plum and red fruit perfume, and silky tannins.
£15.99 Waitrose
Great with duck
Matetic, EQ Pinot Noir, San Antonio, Chile 2007
Beautifully concentrated with summer-fruit coulis and a savoury twist. Again this is very young yet still very drinkable.
£17.99 Genesis Wines; Majestic; Waitrose
Great with ham
Bonny Doon, Sangiovese, California, USA 2007
A unique offering from California with healthy doses of lifted strawberry fruit. It's tasty and youthful, if not that cheap.
£11 Marks & Spencer
Great with Stilton
Symington, Late Bottled Vintage Port, Douro, Portugal 2003
Stilton and Port is a classic combination. This LBV has a smooth, mellow palate of spicy, ripe, sweet concentrated fruit.
£9.15 Waitrose
Great with Christmas pudding
Lapis, Királyudvar Tokaji Hárslevelü, Tokaj, Hungary 2006
An attractive fruit palette of marmalade, and honey. Wonderful rich flavours of caramelised orange supported by a complex structure and a lively acidity.
£22.50 Waitrose
Great with mince pies
Gonzales Byass, Apostoles, Palo Cortado Viejo 30 Anos, Sherry, Spain NV
This rare style of Sherry offers notes of butterscotch caramel and sweet spice. Full and harmonious on the palate.
£14.49 Waitrose
Great with chocolates
Henriques & Henriques, Malmsey Madeira, Portugal 2001
Sweet, rich and luscious wine full of walnut and coffee aromas. Beautifully balanced with fine concentration.
£14.99 Marks & Spencer
Great to give (or receive!) as a gift
Salon, Champagne, France 1997
Only produced in years where the harvest is exceptional. The nose is full of delicate, creamy aromas with notes of hazelnut and brioche. Despite the richness, it's elegant with lots of clarity of fruit and firm minerality. This will definitely impress your guests but it will need a decade to be at it best.
£175 Corney & Barrow
In the January issue of Decanter magazine, our tasting team choses 50 holiday wines to suit every palate, course and budget. For decanter.com readers, we've selected some of the best wines for Christmas.
Egly-Ouriet, Tradition Brut Grand Cru, Champagne, France NV
Bonny Doon, Sangiovese, California, USA 2007
